Hoyer: This is Not Just an Absence of Regular Order; it is Complete and Utter Disorder and Undermining of the Appropriations Process

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered opening remarks at the House Appropriations Full Committee Markup of the Department of Homeland Security FY 2027 bill. Below are a video and transcript of his remarks:

Click here to watch a video of his remarks.

"Thank you very much, Chairman. I have to say, I am not quite as sanguine as you are about the process, I'll talk a little bit about that. First, I want to thank my friend, Mark Amodei, for his leadership, his spirit, his collegiality, and his willingness to work across the aisle. I want to thank Mr. Cuellar, who I know met your outreach with a hand across the aisle to work together, and so I appreciate the remarks of the Chairman as to the work you two have done.

"And I must say, in 45 years as a Member of the Congress with focus on this committee, I cannot recall a situation in which we have met to consider an appropriation bill for the coming fiscal year [in] the same week that the majority pushes through the House a partisan reconciliation bill to fund that same department for that current fiscal year. This is not just an absence of regular order; it is complete and utter disorder and undermining of the appropriations process. I don't know that there was a single hearing by almost all the Members of Congress on what they have done, which is exactly how we could also describe this Administration's approach to immigration enforcement and border security. Instead of taking a common sense approach based on a bipartisan consensus, the Trump approach is to terrorize citizens and non-citizens alike, to bust into private homes without warrants, guns drawn, to send masked agents with inadequate training to confront protesters - I saw television pictures like that, it was in Chile - and to threaten the closure of customs facilities at busy airports because of political differences with city leaders, all while pardoning criminals who agree with him politically and declare their loyalty to him.

"Mr. Chairman, the reconciliation bill the majority just passed on the Floor provides about $65 billion to ICE and CBP. This bill would spend another $28 billion. $92.5 billion appropriated for these two agencies in one week. 'My, my, my, we've got a big deficit. We've got to worry about the deficit and the debt. It's trillions of dollars.' Are you bipolar? Add to that $139.5 billion we gave ICE and CBP in the 'Big, Ugly Bill' last summer. Now listen to this, ladies and gentlemen, and everybody who's watching: CBP - take a pill. (laughter) 'Big, Ugly Bill.' CBP and ICE are now totally based upon the appropriations of the last reconciliation bill, this reconciliation bill, the third most highly-funded armed force in the world; only the United States and China are funded at a higher level. Even Russia does not meet the $232 billion in those bills that ICE and CBP [have]. And with all due respect, Mr. Chairman, ICE was funded at 86% during the so-called shutdown and CBP at about 84% during that so-called shutdown.

"The national debt, apparently, does not have any relationship to ICE, CBP, or the Department of Defense. Excuse me, it was not just a $3.5 trillion tax bill in the 'Big, Bad Bill.' It was - according to dynamic scoring, which all of you think is such a good alternative - $4.7 trillion. Don't talk to me about the debt going up. I'm concerned about that. But when you don't - when you pass these pieces of legislation and don't pay for them, it's not as if it's because it's for law enforcement or for defense that it doesn't affect the debt. We should be asking ourselves, 'Why are we doing this at all? What are we getting for our money? What are we getting in terms of reforming a system that is clearly broken? What are we getting in terms of protections for our rights and freedoms under the Constitution?' 702 is a piece of legislation that's having a hard time getting through. Why? Because you want to follow - many of us - constitutional requirements.

"This bill does nothing to prevent the kind of tragedies we saw earlier this year in Minneapolis. The families of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and others who were injured by military assaults deserve better than this bill. And if you create a Weaponization Fund, Mr. Pretti, Ms. Good, and Mr. Pretti deserve a very large part of that, not the people who assaulted the Capitol on January 6th. The TSA agents who are overworked and underpaid deserve better. All those working in cybersecurity and infrastructure security whose funding is being cut to the detriment of American safety deserve better. And the millions of people in our country who are deeply afraid of the next violent, anti-Semitic attack against a synagogue, school, or community center deserve better than the paltry funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in this bill. $232 billion for ICE and CBP. We ought to be funding that program to protect our Jewish friends and any other persons who are being attacked at a much larger sum than we are.

"Everyone affected by this bill deserves better, so let's do better. I want to thank the Ranking Member, Mr. Cuellar. I want to thank the Chairman of our committee. I want to thank, again, Mr. Amodei for their good work. That professionalism and respect in the process is what gives me hope that we can do better together. But this bill, especially taken in the broader context of the appropriation process and this Administration's approach to homeland security poses serious questions this committee has to consider before moving forward. It is therefore not a bill I can support. I yield back."