Remarks
Good Morning, Mr. Secretary. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for our first budget hearing of the year. We are looking forward to hearing your testimony.
I know the discussion this morning will focus on the facts and figures related to funding for public health, biomedical research, and services for children and families. Those are all important issues, but I want to also raise another important, but difficult topic today. That is the issue of human trafficking.
Tragically, human trafficking is not limited to a few isolated places in border towns or big cities. In my home region of North Alabama, parts of my district have seen nearly a 200 percent increase in the number of unaccompanied migrant children placed with sponsors over the past few years.
Good morning. Welcome.
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 to start off Fiscal Year 2025. 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.
It is also an opportunity to discuss the important connection between facilities, readiness, and quality of life.
Investing in infrastructure bolsters the military’s ability to train and fight, while also ensuring our service members and their families are taken care of at home, every day. We owe that to them.
And now I would like to recognize Ms. Wasserman Schultz for her opening remarks.
The hearing will come to order.
It is my pleasure to welcome Secretary Jennifer Granholm to the Energy and Water Subcommittee this morning to discuss the fiscal year 2025 budget request for the Department of Energy. It’s always a pleasure to see you, Madam Secretary, and to discuss the important work of the Department of Energy.
The DOE’s fiscal year 2025 budget request is a total program level of approximately $52 billion, an increase of $1.8 billion above the fiscal year 2024 Act. I strongly support many of the programs and activities of the Department of Energy.
Good morning. Welcome.
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 to start off Fiscal Year 2025. 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.
It is also an opportunity to discuss the important connection between facilities, readiness, and quality of life.
Investing in infrastructure bolsters the military’s ability to train and fight, while also ensuring our service members and their families are taken care of at home, every day. We owe that to them.
And now I would like to recognize Ms. Wasserman Schultz for her opening remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this six-bill appropriations package. I am glad we are here considering full-year bills, and I want to thank everyone who participated in this process.
With the odds stacked against us, House Republicans made progress in how we fund the government. We drafted the most conservative bills in history. Members submitted over one thousand amendments. We considered House bills individually on the floor, and we avoided a massive omnibus measure.
In total, we increased defense funding and made targeted cuts. We also maintained legacy riders that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle wanted to remove.
Overall, this bill honors our commitment to our veterans, strengthens our energy security, holds agencies accountable, supports our farmers and ranchers, and makes our transportation systems safer.
Thank you. I rise in support of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024.
I’d like to commend Chairwoman Granger for her leadership of the Appropriations Committee and for getting the first six bills across the finish line. I would also like to thank the Interior Subcommittee Ranking Member Pingree for her partnership.
Together, we’ve negotiated a reasonable compromise to avoid a government shutdown that fails to respond to our nation’s needs and maintain our public lands.
The Interior and Environment division provides non-defense topline resources totaling $38.9 billion – nearly 4 percent below the FY23 level.
Cutting funding is never easy, but with the national debt in excess of $34 trillion, we made tough choices in this bill to rein in federal spending.
Thank you very much Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the chairwoman for yielding. I want to begin with some much deserved thank yous I want to thank the speaker this house, this deal would not have come together without his leadership and support. I particularly want to thank my Chairwoman Kay Granger and Ranking Member DeLauro for their work and their leadership and putting a package together they can get across this floor in a bipartisan manner. And I'd be remissed not to thank my negotiating part counterparts, Ranking Member Quigley and Senator Schatz and Ranking Member Hyde Smith on the Senate side of the rotunda. They were just terrific to work with in every way. And finally, and always, we have outstanding staff. We all know what that and this bill wouldn't be here without their hard work.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Chair for yielding time.
I rise in strong support of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024, particularly the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. As Chairman of that subcommittee, I worked hard to ensure the bill includes many House Republican priorities.
At a total of $58.2 billion, the bill advances our national security, our energy security, and our economic competitiveness in a fiscally responsible manner.
To support our nuclear deterrent, the bill funds the National Nuclear Security Administration at $24.1 billion, an increase of almost $2 billion above fiscal year 2023. Specifically, the bill fully funds all major weapons and infrastructure modernization activities, including the W-93 warhead, the nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile, a variant of the B61 gravity bomb, and the restart of plutonium pit production capability.
Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, I rise in support of the Consolidated Appropriations Act under consideration today.
The fiscal situation facing the Nation requires Congress to make significant spending reductions while maintaining strong commitments to the safety, security, and well-being of the American people.
After tough but fair bipartisan negotiations, we have produced a strong bill that prioritizes everyday Americans while right-sizing bureaucracy.
Make no mistake, many agencies with important missions face reductions under this legislation. We believe it is important to reverse the out-of-control growth of the Federal Government, and that is reflected in this agreement.
The CJS bill scales back spending by holding most agencies to 2023 levels – or lower. Agencies must refocus on their core missions and responsibilities.
Mr./Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this short-term continuing resolution. This bill extends government funding until March 8th for 4 bills and March 22nd for the others.
Given the differences between this year’s House and Senate bills, we knew finding common ground would not be easy. But, we have made progress, and we need a few more weeks to finish drafting the bills. We also need to give members adequate time to review them.
In the meantime, we can’t afford a harmful government shutdown. I urge my colleagues to support this C.R., and I reserve the balance of my time.
