Full Committee Hearing, “Part 1: Committee Funding for the 119th Congress”
Committee on House Administration
2025-02-11
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Source: Congress.gov
Participants
Transcript
The committee on House administration will come to order I note that a quorum is present without objection The chair may declare recess at any time also without objection The hearing record will remain open for five legislative days so members may submit any materials they wish to be included therein Thank You ranking member Morelli members of the committee and our witnesses for participating today Today, the Committee of the House Administration begins the oversight of the legislative branch for the 119th Congress. We have a duty to the American people to ensure their tax dollars are being used efficiently and effectively by all House committees. Committee work is a critical part of our job here in Congress. It is where we discuss legislation, debate issues, and most importantly, hear from Americans who are experts on issues that impact them directly. Over the next two days, we'll hear from the chairs and ranking members of each committee on what funding they need to accomplish their goals for the 119th Congress. It's our goal to increase transparency with this process and show the American people how their tax dollars are working for them. I look forward to speaking with each of the committee's leadership to determine how we can ensure that no taxpayer dollars are being wasted. We'll continue our mission of being an open and transparent committee, and we welcome every other committee to use this platform to do the same. I look forward to hearing from each of the committees coming before us today. I'd like to thank our witnesses for joining us today to discuss the important topics. With that, I will yield to the ranking member, Mr. Morelle, to offer an opening statement. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding to me and also for convening this series of hearings. The committee funding process is truly one of the more unique aspects of House administration's duties, and I look forward to hearing from our fellow committee leaders today and tomorrow as we undertake this important process. The committee system is the hallmark of the United States Congress. The committees are where we exercise critical oversight, where we craft and debate policy proposals, and where we decide what to recommend to the broader House for consideration.
The work is oftentimes not glamorous. It is certainly not easy. It is, however, fundamental to our system of representative government. Article 1 of the United States Constitution is clear about powers granted exclusively to Congress. including the power of the purse. Article 1, Section 1, all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States. Article 1, Section 7, Clause 1, all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7, no money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law. It is important to remind the American public, the executive branch, and even some of our colleagues here in Congress that unless the Constitution is amended, Congress is still the only authorizer and appropriator of federal public money. And as an appropriator, and I share that with a number of members here, We take this to heart we've witnessed over the past three weeks federal agencies that implement our laws are under an unchecked assault of questionable Legality and while the assault is ongoing it's important we give House committees the resources they need to execute their responsibilities while what little separation of powers remain For years, the Bipartisan Select Committee on Modernization and our own Subcommittee on Modernization, led ably by my friend Ms. Bice, has documented Congress's desperately needed infusion of resources, capacity, and expertise. Whatever you believe about the Supreme Court's decision to end Chevron deference in a series of decisions last year, If you, like me, think it's badly misguided or others who feel it's appropriate, you cannot avoid the impact of and how it impacts our work here in the Congress. These decisions together with what seems like an endless assault on the federal government's regulatory authority in the last several weeks makes adequate committee funding even more imperative.
You'll recall experts from across the ideological spectrum stressed at a hearing before this committee just a few months ago relative to Chevron that Congress must now craft laws with more technical expertise than ever before. Effective lawmaking is dependent upon this expertise and it does not come without significant investment. Committees also need to be adequately supported in their exercise of legitimate oversight. Oversight jurisdiction is one of the most effective tools we have in affirming the co-equal branch and status of the legislative Article I responsibilities. I personally still believe in the powers and responsibilities of the Congress, which is why I'm glad we're having these hearings today and tomorrow. Though the federal government is being systematically dismantled by an unelected billionaire, and the foundational principle of checks and balances erodes more by the day, I'm hopeful we will stop it. Not as Republicans and Democrats, but as public servants and members of Congress who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. With that, I yield back. The gentleman yields back. Without objection, all other members' opening statements will be made part of the hearing record if they're submitted to the committee clerk by 5 p.m. today. Today we'll hear from the chair and ranking member of 11 committees, beginning with the Foreign Affairs Committee. For each panel, we'll begin by recognizing the chair for five minutes, the ranking member for five minutes, and then we're going to do questions five minutes total for the majority, five minutes total for the minority. As we ask questions, we'll do it a little more casually on our side. I'll defer to the ranking member as he navigates the five minutes for the minority. It'll keep everything reasonably tight. It'll be a little bit of a different structure, but I think it'll move us right along through the hearing. I now welcome our first panel of witnesses, Chairman Mast and Ranking Member Meeks on the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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