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The Committee will come to order.
Good afternoon. Today the subcommittee is pleased to be joined by this key panel of Department of the Interior leaders: Director Tracy Stone-Manning with the Bureau of Land Management, Director Martha Williams with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Director Chuck Sams with the National Park Service.
Following our hearing with Secretary Haaland yesterday, we appreciate you all being here today to discuss the bureau-level details and priorities of the administration's fiscal year 2024 budget request.
Among the three DOI Bureaus, you manage most of the land in my home state of Idaho and I am well acquainted with the challenges you and your staff face on a daily basis protecting and conserving our National Parks, wildlife refuges, and public lands.
I want to thank everyone for joining us today as we review the Food and Drug Administration's fiscal year 2024 budget request. Our witness is the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Robert Califf.
Dr. Califf, I want to welcome you to today's hearing. I look forward to the discussion on the budget request and other topics of importance.
Without a doubt, the FDA does critical work that touches the lives of every American, every day, and America continues to be blessed with the safest food and drug supply in the world. But as I look at the FDA's budget request, I'd be remiss if I did not acknowledge the fiscal outlook facing the country.
Thank you, Chairman Joyce.
And thank you, Mr. Secretary, for appearing before us today.
Since you last testified before this committee, the situation at the border has not improved.
And having lived in Texas, I've been there many, many times.
Last year, a record 2.7 million migrants attempted to cross the border illegally.
This year, the trend is even worse.
We have already had more than 1 million migrant encounters.
In May, Title 42 will be lifted. Title 42 was the authority that allowed migrants to be sent back home during the public health emergency. Its reversal will lead to another surge in migrants.
The cartels and traffickers are operating without fear.
Deadly drugs are affecting all our communities, not just those in the southwest.
You've said that we have operational control of the border.
If this is control, I'd hate to see the alternative.
The Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government will come to order.
Good afternoon, everyone, and Chair Gensler, welcome back to the Subcommittee. My colleagues and I are looking forward to today's conversation with you.
The nation's economy remains in a precarious position. The banking sector is in a state of unrest, prices continue to be inflated due to excessive spending, and the country's debt is on an unsustainable trajectory. Yet, this Administration is proposing a budget that is more of the same.
Unfortunately, the SEC is following suit. The fiscal year 2024 budget request for the SEC is $265 million above fiscal year 2023 enacted levels which is a double-digit percentage increase.
Now, some will say, the SEC's budget is fully offset by transaction fees, but that is only part of the story, and it completely ignores how bloated our government has become.
