Remarks

Good morning. I want to thank you all for being here today for this hearing to review the budget and programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We are pleased to be joined by the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. Welcome, Madam Secretary.

Thank you, Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum. This hearing could not come at a more consequential time. The global security landscape has only continued to grow more complex and volatile. Among those challenges before us are ongoing operations in the Central Command theater, and a pacing threat in the Indo-Pacific that does not pause while our focus may be elsewhere.

It is my pleasure to welcome Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle and Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Butch Graham to discuss the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I am equally pleased to welcome Assistant Secretary for Water Science at the Department of the Interior Andrea Travnicek to discuss the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Project. General Graham, it is great to see you again in front of the Energy and Water Subcommittee. Assistant Secretary Telle and Assistant Secretary Travnicek, it is a pleasure to have you here before us for the first time. I look forward to working with you to advance our nation’s water resources for the benefit of all Americans.

Today, the Subcommittee will receive testimony on the posture of the United States Army. First, I would like to welcome our two witnesses: Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, and General Christopher LaNeve, the Acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.

I would like to welcome Secretary Chris Wright to the Energy and Water Subcommittee this morning. Secretary Wright, thank you for joining us today to discuss the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the Department of Energy. I would like to take a moment to express my deep appreciation for your continued partnership over the last 14 months. Your commitment to maintaining strong lines of communication has been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with you as we develop the Fiscal Year 2027 bill. Mr. Secretary, the Department has continued at an aggressive pace under the Trump Administration, and the past year has demonstrated the Department’s clear commitment to furthering American energy abundance. In the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, the Administration continues to prioritize expanding domestic energy production, strengthening technological leadership, and enhancing national security—work that is essential to maintaining America’s competitiveness.

"Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member McGovern, members of the Rules Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify. I come before you today on the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 7147, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026. This is now the fourth time I have appeared before you in recent weeks to discuss funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Let me briefly recap how we got to this point.