Womack Remarks at FY26 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bill Full Committee Markup (As Prepared For The Record)

Thank you, Chairman Cole, for your remarks on this bill and for your leadership. This Committee is fulfilling its constitutional duty thanks to your dedication.

And thank you, Ranking Member DeLauro, for your leadership on this committee. I trust that the day is not far off when we will work together to negotiate these bills in good faith with the Senate and the White House so that we avoid a catastrophic shutdown or long-term CR. 

Ranking Member Clyburn, thank you for your honest and thoughtful engagement on the subcommittee, and for your friendship.  

I would like to thank the subcommittee staff for their work on this bill. Doug Disrud, Avery Pierson, Andrew Giacini, Nathan Silverstein, and Sofie Myers with the majority; and Christina Monroe, Jackie Kilroy, and Nora Faye with the minority. 

The bill we are considering today meets our Nation’s most critical transportation and housing needs while reducing excessive spending and regulatory burdens.

The discretionary allocation in the bill is $89.9 billion, $4.5 billion below the Fiscal Year 2025 level. This is a 5% reduction in spending. When accounting for $1.5 billion in fewer housing receipts, actual spending is $6 billion below FY25.

We have carefully allocated resources to the most critical missions at DOT and HUD while implementing significant reforms.

The bill prioritizes transportation safety -- on our railways, roads, and airways -- and ensures a responsible safety net with housing support for our most vulnerable citizens.

We have eliminated or reduced 38 programs, totaling $7.3 billion in savings. The bill also redirects $4.4 billion from lower-priority programs funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to air traffic control, highways, maritime, and rail.

Some will argue that this reallocation from IIJA will result in lower infrastructure investments, but I would note that IIJA advance appropriations are fully in the jurisdiction of this committee. 

Billions from these lower-priority programs remain unobligated, so we are instead investing in programs with a real return on our investment, from tribal transportation to truck parking to air traffic control modernization. 

The bill provides $5 billion for FAA facilities and equipment, a nearly $2 billion increase over FY25. This investment builds on the historic funding the FAA received in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for technology updates and facility improvements that will maintain America’s global leadership in aviation. 

We prioritize safety, U.S. competitiveness, and investment in American infrastructure by protecting safety-related positions and allocating over $4 billion to airport improvement projects.

The bill provides funding to train and hire 2,500 new air traffic controllers to backfill the retiring workforce and deploy controllers to understaffed facilities.

This bill provides $63.4 billion for highways and bridges through the highway trust fund, a $1.3 billion increase. These resources are directly allocated to state departments of transportation, enabling state and local governments to collaborate on high priority road projects.

The bill provides $925 million for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and $1.4 billion for the National Network through a transfer from the IIJA Fed-State Partnership program, which under the Biden Administration was used to fund wasteful high-speed rail projects. 

The bill also uses Fed-State balances to provide $500 million for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program, making an important investment in rail safety.

The bill supports DOT’s maritime mission with $481 million for strategic sealift programs, including a $62 million increase for the Maritime Security Program and a $31 million increase for the Tanker Security Program.

We provide $184 million for the US Merchant Marine Academy and $91 million for State Maritime Academies, including $32 million to kick-start a 10-year capital improvement plan.

The bill meets our responsibility to support our most vulnerable citizens who rely on housing assistance while implementing fiscal discipline.

The funds provided in the bill support authorized rental assistance programs at a fiscally responsible level of $50 billion for Section 8 vouchers, Project Based Rental Assistance, and programs that serve the elderly and disabled. This is roughly equal to FY25 levels. With the flexibilities provided to HUD, we expect the Department to prioritize the 80,000 Veterans Affairs Supportive vouchers that are currently under lease.

The bill provides $4.16 billion for homeless assistance grants, a 2.6% increase over enacted levels, including $3.8 billion for the Continuum of Care program.

You may hear today that this bill will cause evictions due to funding levels that do not inflate rental assistance payments by double digits, as we saw during the last Administration. Instead, I am confident that funding and flexibilities provided for rental assistance programs will meet the needs of our most vulnerable citizens. I know that Secretary Turner will work with Public Housing Authorities, private landlords, and faith-based groups to transform HUD assistance into a hand up, rather than a hand out. 

We fund the Community Development Block Grants at $3.3 billion, maintaining a program that was proposed for elimination. As a former mayor, I know how important this program is to meet local needs—from affordable housing rehabilitation to programs like Meals on Wheels and Boys and Girls Clubs.

We do not provide further funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships program, as only 16% of the $5 billion in COVID HOME funding is expended.

This bill implements significant government reforms consistent with the Trump Administration’s priorities. The bill reflects a 5% total staffing cut across all departments and agencies, while ensuring DOT’s safety positions are fully funded. 

We have included general provisions that reinforce Trump Administration policies on climate, immigration, regulatory burden, and innovation.

This bill represents a responsible approach that prioritizes core infrastructure needs, maintains an essential safety net for our most vulnerable citizens, and implements the fiscal discipline and regulatory relief that the American people demanded in the last election.

This bill will have a positive impact in every Congressional district while meeting our responsibility to rein in spending and reduce regulatory overreach.

Thank you again, Chairman Cole, for your leadership in moving appropriations bills forward. This will give us a shot at completing our work without endless continuing resolutions.