Appropriators Talk Oversight, Accountability, and Security at FSGG Hearing
This week, the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the District of Columbia’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Led by FSGG Subcommittee Chairman Dave Joyce (R-OH), Members executed their oversight duties by discussing a range of issues, including Presidential inauguration security, management of the federal workforce, safeguarding voting integrity, and concerns with Chinese Communist Party-linked investments.
FSGG Subcommittee Chairman Dave Joyce (R-OH) said, “How is the city partnering with Capitol Police, Secret Service, and other federal law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect Vance, and all those who will be in attendance at the inauguration?... Is the city prepared for the inauguration, and particularly in terms of having enough police and security officers - and how many memorandums of understanding have been signed with other jurisdictions - for an increased police presence for 2025?”
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) said, “It goes without saying that one of my top priorities is the safety and security for Iowa families. That applies when they come here to the Capitol, as well. And when we are hearing from families who are coming here to the Capitol to visit - not only our facilities here, but the national monuments as well - we’re talking a lot about, obviously, the inauguration coming up in a couple of weeks - [and we want to make] sure they can come here and return home safely… Enabling rhetoric that was unacceptable and anti-police and soft on crime for several years did lead to an increase in crime in the city - and while I am glad to hear that you are trying to reverse that trend and people are coming here - that fear still exists.”
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) said, “What actions, if any, has the council taken to urge federal attorneys to prosecute crimes?”
Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) said, “Would you recommend to the bureaucracy, as it were, that people come back to work?”
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) said, “This year marked the 40th anniversary of sister relations between Washington, D.C. and Beijing, and I am very concerned about this relationship because, as you know, the Chinese Communist Party has become increasingly more aggressive at home and abroad. In Washington, D.C., people can openly petition their government, voice their opinion, and exercise their other rights under the First Amendment. Beijing embodies the opposite of these values, with no free expression, and punishments for those who speak out… Additionally, the Chinese Communist Party’s united front uses engagement, including sister city programs to exert influence over foreign governments, officials, and businesses. Given the nefarious nature behind the sister city program, as well as the horrific human rights abuses perpetrated by the CCP, how do you justify continuing this relationship with Beijing?”
FSGG Subcommittee Chairman Dave Joyce’s opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, can be found here.
###
