Diaz-Balart Remarks at FY26 National Security and Department of State Member Day Hearing

The Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs will come to order. Good morning.  I want to welcome everyone to the Subcommittee’s Member Day hearing. Before we begin, I want to take a moment to welcome our new subcommittee Ranking Member, and my dear friend, Lois Frankel. While we certainly don’t agree on everything, I cannot think of a better partner in leading this subcommittee. We also have several new members of the subcommittee who will add tremendous expertise.  It’s a terrific group and I am really looking forward to the year ahead. 

I want to thank my colleagues testifying today for taking time out of their busy schedules to present their views and priorities for the FY26 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations bill. This is the first of many budget and oversight hearings we will have during the Fiscal Year 2026 cycle.  It’s a critical time and there is much work to be done in the coming months.

I became Chairman of this subcommittee in 2023, at the beginning of the last Congress. As I began to dig into the programs and spending of the Biden Administration, it did not take long to find a very troubling pattern.  In almost every program, including those with long-standing bipartisan support, the Biden Administration pushed, even mandated, new controversial and divisive policies.

I warned those officials privately and publicly, in every hearing, in our markups, and in meetings, that they were jeopardizing the very existence of these programs.  I reminded them that foreign aid is not popular among the American public, especially when so many Americans were struggling with their own budgets under the previous Administration.  I warned them that forcing their climate agenda, promoting censorship, and mandating DEI in every dollar would not only be an insult to the American taxpayer but would also work against our national interests around the globe, all while eroding bipartisan support for programs critical to our national security. Now, we’re seeing exactly what happens in response to extreme, partisan agendas that the American people don’t support.

So, the question is—where do we go from here?  I know my colleagues testifying today have recommendations to that end. My priority for the Fiscal Year 2026 House bill is to fund effective, accountable programs that support U.S. national security.  It’s that simple.  I take seriously the Member interest in our bill and would like to collaborate with each of you on shared priorities that meet the objectives I’ve just laid out.  I now yield to the Ranking Member, my good friend, Lois Frankel, for her opening remarks.