Remarks

Good morning and welcome to the first of our public witness hearings dedicated to American Indian and Alaska Native programs. I would like to welcome all the distinguished Tribal elders and leaders here today.  For the second year in a row, we had an unprecedented number of requests, requiring us to extend our schedule to accommodate around 100 Tribes and Tribal organizations.

The subject of today’s hearing is the Fiscal Year 2027 budget requests for the Library of Congress and the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). Today’s hearing marks the beginning of the Subcommittee’s Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations hearing season. In addition to our hearings being broadcast live, this hearing will include a closed captioning option. Last year the House Modernization and Innovation Subcommittee recommended this technology for all committees across the House. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee that provides the funding for modernization projects, I was pleased to approve the funds, providing greater accessibility to those participating in committee hearings.

Good afternoon and thank you to my colleagues for joining us to provide their testimony on the Fiscal Year 2027 Interior and Environment appropriations bill. I look forward to hearing more about the projects and programs in the bill that are important to your districts and to communities across the country. Your input will be critical as we work to fund the agencies under this Subcommittee’s jurisdiction including the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and several others.

As the Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, I rise today in strong support for the Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Later today we will vote on this bill for the second time in two months. It shouldn't be necessary. The Committee negotiated a full-year bill on a bicameral and bipartisan basis. Our bill includes reforms like funding for body-worn cameras and de-escalation training, but the Senate Democrats continue to insist on radical proposals which would prevent the enforcement of immigration law. So, it's disappointing that we must cajole our Democratic colleagues to support this bipartisan bill once again, but here we are.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I consume. Once again, we are here on the House floor amidst a government shutdown. The bill before us isn't new – in fact, we debated this very same bill just two months ago. It reflects the bipartisan, bicameral agreement that Senate Democrats – at the last minute – failed to honor. Shutting down the Department of Homeland Security over a partisan fight hasn't changed the stakes. But maybe, knowing how critical it is to keep the homeland safe at this heightened moment, Democrats will side with reason and protecting the nation. No matter the question, shutdowns are never the answer.

Good morning. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for our Member Day hearing. We are looking forward to taking testimony from our colleagues this morning. This is an opportunity for any Member of Congress to come before this panel and draw our attention to issues of importance both in their districts as well as across our nation. I look forward to hearing from my colleagues about the challenges they see and how this Subcommittee can help address them.

Today, we welcome Brian Harrison, Acting Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Mitch Behm, Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Transportation. Thank you for appearing before us today, and for your service as you lead these two critical offices. One of our fundamental roles as members of the Appropriations Committee is to make sure that the departments and agencies we support perform their mission for the benefit of the American public. We rely on your offices to assist us in that effort. When you find instances of waste, fraud, and abuse at your agencies, it helps us better refine our appropriations. When you find programs operating successfully, it gives us confidence in continuing our funding for such activities.