Remarks

The Committee will come to order. This morning I’d like to welcome the 17th Administrator of the EPA, Lee Zeldin. Administrator Zeldin, welcome back to the House. I’m sure it feels different to sit on the other side of the witness table. 

We are here to discuss the FY 2026 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency.  

The EPA has ballooned in size over the last several years because the agency received $100 billion in supplemental funding outside of the annual appropriations process. That’s more than 10 times the annual funding of the entire Agency. 

And we are now starting to learn from your work, Administrator Zeldin, that there are serious questions about where some of this funding has gone. 

Mr. Secretary, good morning. Thank you for joining us today.  Congratulations on your confirmation and your first appearance testifying before our subcommittee.

We value the opportunity to engage in an open and productive dialogue with you as we work together to strengthen the Department’s mission.

We are here today to discuss the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. In the beginning of May, we received a skinny budget that outlined what the Department’s top priorities will be. While the overview was brief, I’m looking forward to hearing more details today—like how these priorities will translate into improved outcomes for our veterans and more effective management across the Department.

Thank you, Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum. 

Welcome to the three of you. Mr. Secretary, congratulations on your appointment. Admiral Kilby, General Smith—it’s an honor to have you before us today. I want to extend my gratitude to you for your commendable and continuing service to our country, and to the men and women in uniform. 

Today, our Navy’s mission has never been more consequential or expansive. From the contested waters of the Indo-Pacific to the turbulent Red Sea, our Navy and Marine Corps are on the front lines of deterring aggression, projecting power, and upholding the rules-based international order.

Mr. Secretary, congratulations on your appointment. We’ve already had several productive engagements, and I look forward to continuing to work with you. Admiral Kilby, General Smith, thank you for joining us today. We greatly appreciate your service. Today, we meet at a time of increasing global instability. The Navy and Marine Corps are under extraordinary operational demand, responding to threats across every domain.

Today, we welcome testimony from the Honorable Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Department of Transportation on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Thank you, Secretary Duffy, for appearing before us today. It’s great to see you. For those that don’t know, Sean and I were classmates together back in 2010, and I’d like to think we’d surprise ourselves in knowing we’d be in these seats 15 years later. 

The Department of Transportation is requesting $26.7 billion in discretionary budget authority for Fiscal Year 2026. This request includes a $1.2 billion increase for air traffic modernization and operations, $596 million to ramp up our port and shipyard infrastructure, a $400 million boost for freight rail safety, and $770 million for multimodal freight expansion. 

I would like to thank both Judge Saint Eve and Judge Conrad for being here today and for their service to our nation. The two of you combined represent over 60 years of federal civil service, and we are grateful for your time. A special congratulations to you, Judge Conrad, on your recent retirement from District Court work in North Carolina.  

As a former prosecutor, I know the American judicial system is the gold-standard for fair, equal, and impartial treatment under the law. It is a critical part of our democracy and has been since our nation’s founding almost 250 years ago. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that our partner branches of government have the tools they need to execute the duties of their office. 

Good morning.  It is my pleasure to begin today’s hearing by welcoming our new Secretary of Health and Human Services to the House Appropriations Committee.  Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  Confirmed to his Cabinet post just three months ago, he has hit the ground running with the aim of implementing the President’s goal to Make America Healthy Again.  Mr. Secretary, we are pleased to have you with us here today.

Secretary Kennedy brings fresh eyes and a new perspective on public health and the state of the health care system in America – what is working and what is not working. 

Thank you, Chairman Womack, and thank you, Ranking Member Clyburn. Welcome Secretary Duffy. It is good to have you back – even if it’s on the other side of this chamber’s dais. Thank you for appearing before us and for your service.

I also want to acknowledge Tim and Sheri Lilley, who are with us today. They are the parents of Flight 5342 first officer Sam Lilley, who lost his life in the tragic mid-air collision at DCA. Tim and Sheri, this entire Committee—and the nation—mourn alongside you and each family whose lives irrevocably changed that night. You have taken the voice of grief and used it to speak for those who no longer can. Your strength and purpose in advocating for aviation safety—particularly given Tim’s experience as a retired helicopter pilot—are an important force for change. Your work honors Sam and the victims in the most powerful way: by helping to save lives and make our skies safer.