Valadao Remarks at FY25 Legislative Branch Bill Full Committee Markup

It is my pleasure to present the FY25 Legislative Branch bill and report before you today. The bill and report were developed in a bi-partisan fashion, and I appreciate the coordination with Ranking Member Espaillat, Ranking Member DeLauro and the minority staff. Also, thank you to Chairman Cole for his support and leadership, it has been tremendously helpful as I have learned to navigate the process in my new role as Chairman. The Committee placed great emphasis on accommodating Members’ priorities and included as many requests as possible.

The fiscal year 2025 Legislative Branch Appropriations recommendation provides $5.546 billion – a 3.5 percent increase from the fiscal year 2024 enacted House levels. Adding the Senate items, the discretionary allocation totals $7.125 billion, which is 5.6 percent above the fiscal year 2024 enacted level.  The bill supports the Legislative Branch as an essential branch of government that is open to and works for the American people.

I will provide a quick summary of the highlights and recommendations before us today.

The bill funds the operations of Congress and the agencies that support our work on behalf of the constituents we serve. It provides funding for security, capital improvements and modernization efforts in a fiscally responsible way.

The bill includes $1.93 billion for the operations of the House, a 4.4 percent increase. The bill provides level funding for many accounts within the House such as Leadership offices and intern pay while providing the resources needed to do our jobs well, retain staff, best serve constituents, and provide oversight of the Executive Branch.

The bill includes $830 million for the Capitol Police, a 4.9 percent increase in funding, to allow for the Department’s full sworn officer request and to fill mission critical requirements to keep the Capitol complex, and all who work and visit the Capitol, secure.

The bill includes $752 million for the Architect of the Capitol, a 7 percent reduction from the FY24 request. The funding will enable the Architect to maintain and increase the lifespan of facilities and improve services while also addressing deferred maintenance and capital renewal projects, and attending to necessary security requirements, code-compliance issues, and historic preservation measures.

The bill provides $883 million for the Library of Congress. This is a 3.7 percent increase of from the enacted level to allow the Library to maintain current operations and support the Copyright Office, Congressional Research Service, and the National Library Service for Blind and Print Disabled.

The bill provides $897 million to the Government Accountability Office, a 10% increase over the FY24 enacted level to continue its oversight across the wide array of government programs and operations. This increase is due to a significant reduction in the offsetting collections for FY25 that the base allocation had to absorb.

This bill ensures Congress remains open, safe, and working for the American people and provides the resources necessary for Congress to effectively serve our constituents and conduct our oversight responsibilities.

Again, I would like to thank Ranking Member Espaillat for his role in this process as well as appreciation to all the members of the Subcommittee, Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro. Finally, thank you to the subcommittee staff for all their due diligence and hard work and with that I yield back.