Remarks

Welcome to the subcommittee markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill. I am pleased to be joined by Subcommittee Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur, Full Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger, and Full Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro.

The Energy and Water bill is critical for our national security, our energy security, and our economic competitiveness. The recommendation totals $57.958 billion, an increase of $1.256 billion above Fiscal Year 2023 and a reduction of $1.963 billion below the President's Budget Request.

The defense allocation is $32.513 billion, an increase of $1.113 billion above last year.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for presenting the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies bill.

I appreciate the work you have done on this bill.

The bill before us delivers responsible appropriations in support of a stronger national defense, economy, and energy sector.

As we face growing threats around the world, this bill reduces spending on unnecessary programs and re-prioritizes funding to areas that strengthen our national security.

In particular, it eliminates funds from climate change initiatives in order to responsibly maintain programs that ensure affordable and reliable energy for the American people.

The bill also invests in our nuclear weapons and nuclear navy to ensure we have the ability to address the threats we face.

To reduce our reliance on China, this bill supports the domestic development of critical minerals.

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.

First, I want to thank Dr. Harris for his work on this bill that funds the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Food and Drug Administration.

This bill works to lower costs and grow our economy by supporting America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

During the last Congress, many of the agencies and programs in this bill received significant increases.

I thank the Chairman for coming up with ways to gather some of the funds we already have on-hand and re-direct them toward priorities in this bill.

Specifically, this bill focuses spending on agricultural research, food safety, and plant and animal health programs.

This bill also provides a responsible level of funding for the F.D.A to ensure that our food, drugs, and medical devices are safe and effective.

Overall, this bill prioritizes our most pressing needs, and I hope all members will support it.

Thank you, Chairwoman Granger, and I want to commend your leadership in moving the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process forward. I also want to recognize the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Ms. DeLauro, and the Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee, Mr. Bishop, as I appreciate the conversations he and I have had in regards to the bill. While I know we don't agree on everything, we have reached areas of consensus that will keep our Ag communities vital.

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.