Remarks

Good morning.  I want to welcome you all to the Subcommittee’s Outside Witness Hearing for Fiscal Year 2026. Yesterday we heard from several Members of Congress on their priorities and requests for the FY26 bill. I’d like to reiterate a couple points I made at the Member Day Hearing.

Thank you, Chairman Womack, and thank you Ranking Member Clyburn. Welcome, Chair Homendy. Thank you for appearing before us today and for your service. Our nation’s transportation systems are relied on by Americans and passengers from across the globe.

Thank you all for joining us at this first hearing of the 119th Congress for the subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. We’ve got some new faces on the dais this year, welcome, Ms. Stephanie Bice and Mr. Dale Strong.

I’d like to thank Ranking Member Espaillat, and the Ranking Member of our full committee Ms. DeLauro, for joining us today. I’d like to extend a particularly warm welcome to the new Members of our subcommittee, Rep. Nick LaLota, Rep. Dale Strong, Rep. Celeste Maloy, our new Vice Chair, Rep. Riley Moore, and Rep. Steny Hoyer. I look forward to working together in a bipartisan fashion as we begin the Fiscal Year 2026 process.

Good morning and thank you to my colleagues for joining us to provide their testimony on the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior and Environment Bill. I look forward to hearing more about the projects and programs in the bill that are important to each of your districts and to communities across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025.

In today’s hearing we will examine opportunities for the use of innovative technologies in military construction. But first, I want to take a moment to welcome our new Subcommittee members.