Valadao Remarks at FY26 Legislative Branch Bill Full Committee Markup

It is my pleasure to present the FY26 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill and report for your consideration today. I appreciate the opportunity to work once again with Ranking Member Espaillat and the minority staff throughout the FY26 process. I’d also like to thank Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro for their continued leadership. 

We received a record number of requests from our colleagues and the Members present today, and we had the pleasure of accommodating items from both sides of the aisle in a bipartisan manner.

This bill provides $5 billion – a 5.3 percent decrease from the FY 2025 enacted House level. By tradition, we do not consider Senate items in the House mark, but when we take them into account, the discretionary allocation totals $6.7 billion, a $51 million decrease from the FY25 enacted CR. While we had to make a number of tough choices in this bill, we believe that as the legislative branch, it is our responsibility to lead by example and make responsible funding decreases where appropriate.

As I mentioned in our subcommittee markup on Monday, we recognize the tragic events that recently took place in Minnesota, and I am deeply concerned and saddened by the increase in political violence in this nation.

As appropriators we have the responsibility to provide for the safety and security for Members of Congress and the United States Capitol complex, and the bill under consideration today reflects our ongoing commitment to this duty. In 2017, the Members’ Representational Allowance was increased for the purpose of providing Member security when they are away from the Capitol complex, and this bill continues to carry that increase. It also includes increased funding for the House Sergeant at Arms and the United States Capitol Police. 

I want to take a brief moment to highlight the funding requested by the USCP for mutual aid reimbursements. As noted in the report, the Department requested 5-year funds at the rate of $5 million per year for mutual aid. This bill provides $10 million for FY26, which is double the proposed annual amount. We intend to continue providing funds on an annual basis to ensure we are providing sufficient funding that is reflective of the growing needs at hand. 

I would also like to thank the House Sergeant at Arms and his team for the rapid manner in which they developed a number of proposals, in consultation with Members and Leadership, regarding additional security measures. In the days ahead, we look forward to discussing these proposals with our colleagues to determine the most appropriate path forward. We plan to continue the discussion on security measures and recommend that we incorporate any needed changes when we conference with the Senate. 

Again, I’d like to thank all Members for their thoughtful contributions to the FY26 Legislative Branch Bill and report and the staff from both the majority and the minority.