Remarks

The bill before us today provides $66.3 billion, an increase of $1.3 billion above fiscal year 2025, and $26.5 billion for major disaster response and recovery activities. 

What a difference a year makes. When we were marking up our fiscal year 2025 bill, the border was in disarray. We were spending billions of dollars on sole-source contracts for soft-sided tents to process and manage a Biden policy-driven crisis. 

And if that wasn’t bad enough, we were sending hundreds of millions to non-governmental organizations to facilitate the entry of illegal aliens into the country on a massive scale. The turn around that the Trump administration has orchestrated on the border has been profound.  What was once a border in chaos with record levels of encounters has quickly turned into the lowest numbers of crossings in recorded history. 

Thank you, Chairman Valadao, and thank you to Ranking Member Espaillat, Ranking Member DeLauro, and to all the members of the subcommittee for being with us today.

I’d like to begin by associating myself with all of Chairman Valadao’s opening statements. 

Violence has no place in our nation – not in our politics, not in our communities, and not in our values.

The targeted attacks in Minnesota were heartbreaking and deeply disturbing. We stand with the victims, their families, and all those affected as they face this difficult time.

Moments like this are a stark reminder of the responsibility we carry on this subcommittee—and we will not neglect our duty to safety and security. It’s why the legislation before us enhances resources for the House Sergeant at Arms and US Capitol Police. It supports the safety of constituents, staff, and members – both in the Capitol complex and during in-district proceedings.

I am pleased to introduce the Fiscal Year 2026 Legislative Branch Appropriation bill for the subcommittee’s consideration.

I’d like to begin by thanking our subcommittee Members in attendance for their input and support throughout the hearing season and during the formulation of the bill we present for consideration this evening. I’d like to specifically thank Ranking Member Espaillat for his contributions and valuable insights.

This bill provides $5 billion – a 5.3 percent decrease from the Fiscal Year 2025 enacted House level. As the legislative branch, we believe it is our responsibility to lead by example and make responsible funding decreases where appropriate.

I want to take a moment to recognize the tragic events that took place in Minnesota since Congress was last in session. Political violence has no place in our country, and I continue to pray for the victims and those grieving the loss of their loved ones.

I’d like to welcome our witness, the Honorable Pam Bondi, Attorney General of the United States, to testify on the Department of Justice’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. To begin, I want to thank the Attorney General for speaking at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit this past April. 

Thank you, Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member McGovern, and members of the Committee for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the fiscal year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies appropriations bill. 

I want to thank Appropriations Committee Chairman Cole for his leadership in getting this bill through Committee. I also want to recognize the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Ms. DeLauro, and the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Ms. Wasserman-Schultz, for their help in getting us to this point. I value my relationship with Ms. Wasserman-Schultz and as I have said before while I know we don’t agree on everything in the bill, we do agree on the importance of taking care of those who sacrifice so much for us. 

First, I would like to thank Chairman Cole for his leadership and guidance as we have worked through a particularly challenging process this year, given the recent conclusion of the FY25 process and the continuing lack of a detailed defense budget request. 

I would also like to thank both Ranking Member McCollum and Ranking Member DeLauro for their continuing friendship and partnership of many years.

As our time is very short today, and everyone is tired, I will seek to be relatively brief.

The bill before us today reflects the resources needed to face the significant and proliferating threats challenging the United States and its interests. 

It is important to note that the nation’s critical interests are global. 

Chairman Calvert, thank you for all the work you have done to ensure leadership in America’s defense, and thank you to Ranking Member McCollum for her partnership in that endeavor. 

We hope for peace, while always being prepared to sustain it. 

That has always been the burden and the honor of a free nation – and generation after generation, our military has stood as the greatest force for liberty the world has ever seen.

We must never allow that posture to change, and the complex threat environment before us demands serious focus. 

Ample evidence of this fact can be found in each hemisphere.

Aggressive and malevolent regimes—such as those in China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—are not standing still. 

Thank you, Chairman Cole, and I want to commend your leadership as we get the FY26 appropriations process underway. I also want to recognize the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Ms. DeLauro, and the Subcommittee Ranking Member, Mr. Bishop, for their work in getting us to this point. I appreciate the conversations Mr. Bishop, and I have had, and while I know we don’t agree on everything in the bill, we do agree on the importance of the agencies and programs this bill funds. 

For FY26, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee’s discretionary allocation is $25.5 billion - a $1.1 billion, or 4.2 percent, decrease from FY25 enacted levels. In a setting of ongoing $2 trillion deficits, that modest constraint is necessary.