Remarks

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 Harris, and thank you to Ranking Member Bishop, Ranking Member DeLauro, and all the members of the Committee for being with us today.

As we continue our markup schedule for Fiscal Year 2026, I’m reminded that America’s farmers and ranchers were already hard at work before we entered this room. Sunup to sundown is nothing new for our producers – it’s a way of life. And it’s a powerful reminder that agriculture remains a cornerstone of our great nation.

In my home state of Oklahoma and across the country, the men and women who’ve worked the land for generations, raised livestock, and brought food to tables around the world deserve not just our gratitude – but our full support.

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. 

Our next order of business is consideration of the Interim 302(b) Subcommittee Allocations for Fiscal Year 2026 for our first four bills.

These interim allocations will allow us to begin our work.

As we move forward, this committee is prepared to do the hard work – line by line – to uphold fiscal discipline and effective governance. 

Our FY26 process will target resources where they are needed most, reinforce the safety and security of the American people, and invest in high-impact missions.

We will take every step to ensure strong stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Charting a responsible fiscal path requires discipline in discretionary spending, while also acknowledging that mandatory spending is the primary driver of our long-term debt. Both are part of the conversations republicans are having across committees of jurisdiction because securing America’s future prosperity is a goal we all share.

Thank you, Chairman Cole, and I want to commend your leadership as we wrap up the Committee’s work on the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process regarding the  Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies bill. I also wish to recognize the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Ms. DeLauro, and the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Ms. Wasserman-Schultz, for their engagement on the bill before us. Especially the work with Ms. Wasserman-Schultz, while there are things we cannot agree, there any plenty we can and most importantly we agree on how important this bill is in supporting our service members and veterans.

I would once again like to welcome everyone to our first full committee bill markup for Fiscal Year 2026. In highlighting the values we hold close as a nation, it's only fitting that the appropriations process begins with the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Bill.

The proposal before us is a testament to caring for those who’ve selflessly worn America’s uniform, their families, and the defenders who follow their path of service. We meet this mission not only in words of gratitude, but in policies that support them. 

Today, I welcome the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Honorable Scott Turner. Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here to discuss HUD’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request. I also want to thank you for your visit to Northwest Arkansas in April. It was great to have you on-the-ground to see the impact of HUD programs in my district. 

It is this Committee’s responsibility to complete our work on time. I believe we can achieve this goal, and I am pleased that, under Chairman Cole’s leadership, we have already begun marking up our 12 appropriations bills for FY26. 

At the same time, it is our expectation that the Departments under our jurisdiction spend the funds consistently with the way we appropriate them. We appreciate your partnership as you continue to fully implement the funds Congress made available to HUD for FY25.