Womack Remarks at Budget Hearing for U.S. Department of Transportation

Today, we welcome testimony from the Honorable Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Department of Transportation on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Thank you, Secretary Duffy, for appearing before us today. It’s great to see you. For those that don’t know, Sean and I were classmates together back in 2010, and I’d like to think we’d surprise ourselves in knowing we’d be in these seats 15 years later. 

The Department of Transportation is requesting $26.7 billion in discretionary budget authority for Fiscal Year 2026. This request includes a $1.2 billion increase for air traffic modernization and operations, $596 million to ramp up our port and shipyard infrastructure, a $400 million boost for freight rail safety, and $770 million for multimodal freight expansion. 

While the “skinny” budget request demonstrates your commitment to making some critical investments to modernize our transportation systems, there is still much about this request that remains unknown as we await the full FY26 budget. We do not know your total $1.4 billion in cuts at DOT to afford these programmatic increases at the $26.7 billion topline level. We also are lacking detail in what the proposed $4.1 billion reduction to the IIJA FY26 advance appropriations. We hope to get more clarity from you today. 

I would be remiss to not mention that the “skinny” budget reveals a topline for the Department of Housing and Urban Development that will be challenging – to say the least. Given the jurisdiction of this subcommittee, we cannot look at the DOT budget request in a vacuum. We will need to make tough choices when reviewing the proposed investments of DOT while maintaining necessary support for housing our nation’s most vulnerable. 

I also want to make sure we address a bit of an elephant in the room. This Administration has undertaken efforts to seriously overhaul the Federal bureaucracy while also taking a hard look at where our taxpayer dollars are being spent. 

This is a valiant effort that our House majority is supportive of, but I want to make something clear: efforts to restructure the Department of Transportation without Congressional approval, to not execute programs appropriated by this Committee, or to not give proper Congressional notification when awarding or amending grants concerns me. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress, through this Committee, the power of the purse. I know that you, as a former member of this body, understand this. 

I want to have a partnership with you to ensure we are providing DOT with necessary resources. This is a reciprocal relationship—we provide what you need, and you get us what we need. Maintaining open lines of communication between this Committee and your staff is essential for us to execute on our shared mission of maintaining our world-class transportation system. 

Safety will remain a top priority for this subcommittee as we prepare our 2026 bill. I know you share this goal, as your second night on the job was the horrific DCA collision. You’ve taken swift action to ensure the safety of our air space, and I know the NTSB appreciates your partnership as they continue their investigation into that accident and many others. 

We are joined today by the parents of first officer of Flight 5342, Sam Lilley. Tim and Sheri, we share our deepest condolences for your loss. Thank you for being here. Sam’s legacy lives on in your efforts here, in advocating for safer skies. Please know this work is not in vain. We hear you, and we will make sure to do right by you and your son in our work to invest in our aviation system. 

Mr. Secretary, I look forward to working with you to prioritize our nation’s vital infrastructure and transportation needs in Arkansas’ Third District and across the country while safeguarding hard-earned taxpayer dollars. I know our work on this subcommittee affects the safety, economic opportunity, and quality of life of every American – a duty I take seriously. 

The jurisdiction of this subcommittee is one of the most unique of the Appropriations Committee, as its impacts are seen in every single Congressional District. As such, we have a history of bipartisanship that I look forward to continuing as we begin the FY2026 process. 

I’d now like to recognize the Ranking Member from South Carolina, Mr. Clyburn, for his opening statement.