Remarks

This is the Fiscal Year 2026 Legislative Branch Subcommittee Public Witness Day Hearing. I’d like to thank Ranking Member Espaillat and Committee members for being here today.  

A special thank you to our witnesses for being here today. We appreciate your interest in the Legislative Branch and for taking time out of your busy schedules to testify before this subcommittee. In addition to our witnesses here this morning, additional witnesses have submitted testimony for the record, and their statements may be found online. 

I would also like to note that this hearing serves as a vehicle for the one Member of Congress who submitted testimony for the record, and her statement can also be found online. I now recognize Ranking Member Espaillat for his opening remarks.

Good morning. It is my pleasure to welcome everyone to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education for a hearing to hear from outside experts and the public.

This is our public witness day – an opportunity for members of the public to come before this panel and draw our attention to issues of importance to them.

I look forward to hearing from our public witnesses as we learn more regarding the challenges facing our constituents and communities across this country, and what this subcommittee can do to help them.

For our witnesses, a five-minute clock will count down on the microphone box in front of you, when you have one minute remaining the light will turn yellow, and you should begin to wrap up your testimony at that point. Remember that your full written statement you submitted to the Committee will appear in the hearing record.

The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, said it best when they described the federal government as quote - “one of the world’s largest and most complex entities.” 

I have said for years that we do a lot of talking in DC about how much we owe – and rightfully so, with the national debt continuing to climb – but we do not do a good job of talking about what we own. The U.S. government needs a clear balance sheet to fully understand both our costs and our assets, and I am hopeful that GAO can assist in that process. 

To help Congress and the executive branch manage the federal government’s operations, GAO created a High-Risk List. This list, which is updated every two years, identifies areas that are ripe for waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, or areas that need to be fundamentally overhauled. 

The subcommittee will come to order. Good morning, and welcome to this year’s Member Day hearing. Today, we welcome our colleagues to testify on their priorities for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation for Fiscal Year 2026.

Member engagement is key to the appropriations process, and especially important for our bill, because every district has housing and transportation assets. 

As a former Mayor, I value the local perspective from districts nationwide. That’s why I am looking forward to hearing from our colleagues. With that, I recognize the Ranking Member, the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Clyburn, for any comments he has.

The subject of today’s hearing is the Fiscal Year 2026 budget requests for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Government Publishing Office (GPO), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

I’d like to thank Ranking Member Espaillat, our Committee Members, Comptroller General Dodaro, Director Halpern and Director Swagel for being here today. 

I’d also like to thank each and every one of your staff for the work they do to help Congress and the entire government function in an effective and efficient manner.

I’d like to thank Ranking Member Espaillat and our subcommittee members for being here today. 

Chief Manger, welcome back. While we know you are looking forward to retirement, we appreciate your willingness to extend your time with us while we search for your successor. We look forward to your testimony today.

The purpose of today’s hearing is to review the United States Capitol Police Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, which is $9.67 million, a 20% increase over the enacted FY 2025 CR. The requested funding supports continued growth to both sworn and civilian personnel, nearly 14% over FY 2025 levels and an increase of nearly 26% in general expenses. 

Today’s hearing is on the quality of life for our enlisted soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians, and their families. 

The five witnesses at the table represent the highest enlisted level of leadership for their respective branches. 

I am pleased that we are having this hearing again as we begin the Fiscal Year 2026 cycle. This group’s insight is critical. This hearing is a great opportunity to identify areas where we can be more helpful to our service members and their families. 

The subject of today’s hearing is the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the Architect of the Capitol and the Library of Congress.

I’d like to thank Ranking Member Espaillat, Committee Members, and our two main witnesses, the Architect of the Capitol, Mr. Thomas Austin, and the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden for being here today. 

Dr. Hayden is joined today by Ms. Shira Perlmutter the Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office and Ms. Karen E. Donfried, Director of the Congressional Research Service. Both of their testimonies have been submitted for the record, and Members are welcome to address questions to either, in addition to Dr. Hayen.