Remarks

The Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will come to order.

We are here today to markup the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior bill. I would like to welcome Full Committee Ranking Member DeLauro, Subcommittee Ranking Member Pingree, and the other Members of the Subcommittee.

I want to thank Chairman Cole for presenting the Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill. I appreciate the work he has done on this Subcommittee.

This bill is another example of the real progress we are making to reduce overall spending while funding our highest priorities.

The bill refocuses spending on programs that support affordable housing and safe, effective transportation systems.

Instead of giving the Administration more grant funding to spend, this bill gets us back to funding core missions.

As we continue our work on the Fiscal Year 2024 bills, I want to remind everyone of the situation we find ourselves in.

During the last Congress, trillions of dollars were spent outside of the appropriations process.

We have no choice but to take a hard look at the spending this Committee oversees.

The State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill before us strikes the right balance.

It funds important national security priorities while reducing spending on unnecessary programs.

Thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman.

I am pleased to present the fiscal year 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill to the full committee for consideration and for approval.

I want to thank Chairwoman Granger for her leadership to get us to this point in the process. I also want to recognize her previous chairmanship and leadership of this subcommittee, as well as the Chairman Emeritus and my friend, Hal Rogers.

The Subcommittee will come to order.

I want to welcome everyone to the Subcommittee Markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

I am pleased to be joined by Ranking Member DeLauro, Ranking Member Quigley, and the Members of the Subcommittee.

I believe the bill before the subcommittee responsibly funds our most critical transportation and housing needs, which will have a positive impact in every congressional district.

Thank you, Chairman Diaz-Balart, for presenting the Fiscal Year 2024 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill.

As the former chair of this Subcommittee, I know the importance of these programs.

But, as I have said before, we must take a hard look at everything we oversee.

I thank the Chairman and the Members of the Subcommittee for doing just that.

This bill strikes the right balance in supporting the highest priorities, while reducing spending where we can.

The Subcommittee will come to order.

I'd like to welcome everyone to today's subcommittee markup of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill for the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

At the outset, I would like to ask my colleagues for their indulgence, as my opening statement is longer than normal to explain the changes in this year's bill.

As the former chair of the Defense Subcommittee, I know firsthand what it takes to craft this bill.

I want to thank Chairman Calvert for his hard work.

I have no doubt this bill will strengthen our military and keep it focused on its mission.

The world around us is becoming more dangerous.

China is rapidly modernizing and becoming more aggressive in the Pacific, Russia continues its war against Ukraine, and Iran and North Korea are investing in ballistic missile capabilities.

We cannot afford to take these threats lightly.