Diaz-Balart Remarks at National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Member Day

Good morning.  I want to welcome everyone to the Subcommittee’s Fiscal Year 2027 Member Day hearing. Member requests are the core of the appropriations process. Under the leadership of full Committee Chairman Tom Cole, and with the hard work of the Members of the Appropriations Committee and our colleagues in the House, in Fiscal Year 2026 we started to return to regular order. We enacted 11 of the 12 full-year Appropriations bills, including our National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs bill. 

Moreover, I am very proud that our bill was a 16 percent reduction in spending from our prior year level, the largest spending cut of any of the Appropriations bills in FY 26, and was supported by both Republicans and Democrats. Our bill took serious action to ensure accountability and efficiency for taxpayer dollars, while still funding national security priorities. 

Even with the cuts, the NSRP bill maintained robust funding for our allies like Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Taiwan, and countered adversaries like the Communist People’s Republic of China (PRC), Iran, Cuba, and drug cartels – including those designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. And today, with our FY27 process well underway, we will hear testimony from Members of the House on their priorities, reflecting the interests of the American people that will shape our FY27 bill. 

I want to thank my colleagues testifying today for taking time to present their views and priorities for the FY27 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations bill.  With your input, this bill will continue the work we did in Fiscal Year 2026 to make our nation safer, stronger, and more prosperous while using our constituents’ taxpayer dollars more efficiently and effectively than ever. I now yield to the Ranking Member, my good friend, Lois Frankel, for her opening remarks.