Cole Remarks at Rules Committee Hearing on H.R. 7006, Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026

Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member McGovern, and esteemed members of the Rules Committee, I thank you for your warm welcome and your kind invitation to testify today.

I appear before you today on H.R. 7006, a two-bill package covering the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs appropriations measures for Fiscal Year 2026. 

Today is the second time this month that we are bringing forward bills that are the result of a bipartisan and bicameral negotiation. It’s important progress that reflects us doing exactly what we promised the American people we would: moving small, targeted packages forward. I am greatly pleased that, with this package, we once again demonstrate full-year funding that reflects member priorities, the America First agenda, and collaboration across political aisles and chambers that serves the nation.

This good faith consensus and steady momentum is moving us towards our number one objective: Completing all of our FY26 work and comprehensively sending our entire discretionary budget to President Trump’s desk for signature. 

A quick status report to this end. In November, our first three-bill package was enacted into law. Last week, we passed our second three-bill package, and as a result, we now have half of our twelve appropriations measures passed out of the House. Now, it’s time to add two more to that tally. 

The measure before us encompasses countless programs and priorities that benefit the American people. The Financial Services and General Government portion of the bill includes important provisions that will drive economic growth, protect American consumers, support entrepreneurship and small business, and encourage consumer freedom. In the National Security and Department of State portion, we champion an America First foreign policy, reprioritizing funding in support of our national security while also eliminating wasteful spending. We continue to provide unwavering support for our critical ally Israel, while also restoring deterrence and upholding support for American national security interests across the globe.

To sum it up, we are safeguarding taxpayer dollars, driving economic growth, strengthening security and diplomacy, and realigning priorities to meet the needs of the nation. 

Policy is just as important as process. It’s notable that this week’s action marks another strong step toward returning the appropriations process to regular order. In recent years, it seemed as though Congress could only appropriate through omnibus spending packages against a holiday deadline. That process was unfair to this country and this institution, and when I assumed the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, I committed myself to ending it. As we have seen, both with this package and with the package we considered last week, those days are over. Indeed, I hope they never return. 

I thank each of you for your time, and I urge all members to support this bipartisan package. I look forward to your questions today.