Remarks

As we begin debate on the subcommittee allocations, I would like to set the stage for how we got where we are today.

I'll start with some background. I mentioned yesterday that during the last Congress, more than three trillion dollars was spent outside of the annual appropriations process. Government spending increased, and inflation soared. That is why we have no choice but to reduce spending where we can.

In addition, the President's Budget was more than a month late, which delayed the Congressional budget process. It also took months to resolve the debt ceiling. But, now that we have a framework, we can move forward with our bills.

While the Fiscal Responsibility Act set the topline spending limit, it does not require that we mark up our bills to that level. Simply put, the debt ceiling bill set a ceiling, not a floor, for Fiscal Year 2024 bills.

As we begin our first full committee markup for Fiscal Year 2024, I want to take a moment to remind everyone what happened with government spending the last two years and explain the challenges this Committee now has ahead of us.

During the previous congress, three trillion dollars were spent outside of the normal appropriations process.

As spending sky-rocketed, so did inflation.

There was damage done to the economy, and the work of this Committee changed significantly over those two years.

That is why earlier this year I asked subcommittee chairs to evaluate all of the funding in the pipeline.

When the President's Budget finally arrived, I directed them to review each agency's budget line-by-line.

They did excellent work identifying savings in many areas.

Good morning. I'm honored to present today the first of the FY24 appropriations bills.

The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill is special. We provide funds for our military and for service members and their families. We also provide funds for veterans' programs and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Finally, we provide funds to the agencies that honor our military and veterans, such as Arlington National Cemetery.

The bill provides almost $800 million above the budget request for military construction and family housing. With this funding, we address many unfunded requirements and provide additional funding for the services to better manage privatized housing.

Welcome to the subcommittee markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

I would like to welcome Full Committee Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member DeLauro, our Subcommittee Ranking Member Cuellar, and all the Members of the Subcommittee.

Let me begin by thanking the Members of the Subcommittee for their participation and insightful questions during our budget hearings over the last few months. As we put together the bill and report in front of you, we made a concerted effort to address as many Member priorities as possible.

Our job on the Subcommittee is to ensure that the men and women of DHS who work tirelessly on our behalf have the resources and tools they need to protect the homeland. I want to convey our deepest appreciation for everything they do to safeguard our national security.

Chairman Joyce, thank you for presenting the Homeland Security bill for Fiscal Year 2024. I appreciate the great work that you have done in your first year chairing this Subcommittee.

I also want to thank Ranking Member Cuellar for what we have done together on issues that affect our security. I am glad you are in this role on the Subcommittee.

A few weeks ago, several of us traveled to the southwest border. I have visited the border many times, and it has never been this bad.

Just last year, Customs and Border Protection encountered a record 2.7 million migrants at our border. We have already encountered more than a million migrants this year.
 
Republicans have been sounding the alarm for the last two years. Unfortunately, this Administration's policies have fueled this crisis, and it will only get worse if something doesn't change.

Good morning. The Subcommittee will come to order. I want to welcome everyone to the Subcommittee Markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

I am pleased to be joined by our Subcommittee Ranking Member Bishop, and full committee Ranking Member DeLauro, and the Members of the Subcommittee.

As Americans know all too well, our country continues to face record inflation driven by the reckless spending of the Biden Administration. We simply cannot continue down this path of providing large sums of money with no accountability. This bill takes the same approach American families take every day – they have to do more with less under the Biden economy. American families decide every day where to cut back spending to pay for what's most important. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made.

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations bill works to lower costs and grow our economy by supporting America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

During the last Congress, many agencies and programs received significant increases, which is why I asked this Subcommittee to take a hard look at the spending it oversees.

I thank Chairman Harris for coming up with ways to gather some of the funds we already have on hand and redirect them toward priorities in this bill. Specifically, this bill prioritizes spending on agricultural research, internet coverage for rural areas, and plant and animal health programs.

I am proud to present the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill to you today.

The bill fully funds veterans' health care and matches the President's Budget Request for veterans' benefits, other veterans' programs, and the VA's activities and functions.

We kept our promise! And we did it responsibly!

We did not accept the proposed shift of more than $14 billion to the mandatory side of the budget. Instead, we utilized the Cost of War Toxic Exposure Fund as intended: to cover the incremental costs above the FY21 baseline to implement the PACT Act.