Business meeting to markup the "Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026", the "Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026", and the "Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026".
2025-07-10
Source: Congress.gov
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This meeting of the full Appropriations Committee is called to order. Today, the committee will consider the following fiscal year 2026 bills. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, better known as CJS, Agriculture Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and related agencies, and the legislative branch appropriations. Following my opening remarks and those of Vice Chair Murray's, we will vote on reporting the three bills. After those votes, each subcommittee will discuss its work with presentations from the chairs and the vice chairs, and we will consider any amendments to each bill. I mentioned that procedure for our newer members because it is opposite the way most committees proceed. Let me begin my remarks this morning by thanking Vice Chair Murray for her leadership. and all the members of the committee, committee staff, and our subcommittee leaders, Senators Moran and Van Hollen of the CJS Subcommittee, Senators Hoeven and Shaheen of the Agriculture Subcommittee, and Senators Mullen and Heinrich of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee. Each of them has worked very hard along with their staffs to prepare fiscally responsible bipartisan bills that meet pressing national needs. When Vice Chair Marion and I took the helm of this committee during the last Congress, we committed to working together to get this committee back to the business of writing bills, having open sessions,
holding many hearings and advancing them through regular order so that senators have a voice in their development. I very much appreciate her continued commitment to an appropriations process that works. Our members have been busy for months analyzing the president's budget request, holding dozens of hearings, reviewing the input of other senators, and drafting the legislation before us today. 92 senators contributed to the three bills we will consider today, submitting more than 6,500 requests. Let me repeat that one more time. 92 senators submitted 6,500 requests, each of which was carefully reviewed by the subcommittees. These member-driven bills are a product of that intensive effort. They fund important priorities, including agricultural research, food and medical product safety, law enforcement priorities related to counterterrorism and fentanyl, and legislative branch offices that support Congress as we carry out our constitutional duties. There is no doubt that this is a challenging legislative environment. We are currently operating under a year-long continuing resolution. The delays in completing the fiscal year 2025 process and the fact that we are in the first year of a new administration contributed to a late budget request from OMB. So this has made it more difficult for the committee.
But I would point out that this scenario was not unprecedented. In previous years, the Congress proceeded under the same pressures and chose to move ahead with bipartisan bills. I urge my colleagues to follow a similar path and to do so with a renewed commitment to advancing bills not only through committee, but also across the Senate floor. And both myself and others on this committee, including Senator McConnell, have been strong advocates for that approach. I briefly want to discuss the bills we will consider today, each of which is a product of collaboration and good faith negotiation, and highlight why expeditiously processing these bills must be a priority for the Senate. The fiscal year 2026 CJS bill supports our state and local law enforcement, including through the Byrne formula program that supports a range of activities from prosecution to crime prevention. The bill also funds research in critical scientific and technological fields. Moreover, it supports our oceans, fisheries, and weather programs that are enormously important. The fiscal year 2026 Agriculture and FDA Appropriations Bill supports our farmers and rural communities, the safety of our food supply, critical federal nutrition programs, and medical research and advancements. The bill provides the increases to support the administration's requests in the areas of food safety and rural housing.
It supports much needed investments in agricultural research and animal and plant health that were requested by nearly every member in this room. The fiscal year 2026 legislative branch bill provides funding for Congress and the offices and agencies that support our critical work. The bill also provides an increase for the Capitol Police to help them meet the expanding mission requirements to keep members, staff, and visitors to the Capitol complex safe. The number of threats against members of Congress has soared over the past few years. This bill reflects a bipartisan commitment to address security concerns. Again, I want to thank the Vice Chair, and all the members of this committee, but particularly our ranking members and chairs for the bills before us today. We still have a long way to go, and we'll have to work together to construct additional bills that can receive bipartisan support. But today's markup is an essential and positive step forward. I now would like to recognize Vice Chair Murray for any comments that she would like to make.
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