Ranking Member Espaillat Statement at the Full Committee Markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 Legislative Branch Funding Bill

Watch video of today’s full committee markup.

Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Appropriations Committee's markup of the fiscal year 2025 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill:

– As Prepared for Delivery –

Thank you, Chairman Valadao. I would also like to thank the subcommittee staff for all their work today.

The Fiscal Year 2025 Legislative Branch bill in front of us today is $5.5 billion, which is $189 million above FY24 enacted levels.

As Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, I would love to support this bill. The numbers seem reasonable. The bill provides modest increases to support the staffing and other resources needed by Congress to do its job well.

I am pleased with the amounts provided for the Capitol Police and other security initiatives that will make our campus safer.

I am also pleased to see increases for almost every Legislative Branch account, including the Library of Congress and Government Accountability Office.

HOWEVER, I CANNOT SUPPORT THIS BILL as written TODAY because of harmful riders.

This bill contains provisions limiting the rights of the LGBTQ plus community and stokes Republicans fear of creating a diversified nation by blocking DEI training and restoring the independent Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

I also want to express my profound discontent—that this subcommittee refuses to provide DACA recipients with the ability to work in our branch of government, especially when many of them are already interns and fellows throughout our branch of government.

Mr. Chairman. While a 3.5 percent increase may be a win for our Legislative Branch Agencies, especially within this environment, I must address the elephant in the room.

We have an entire nation to fund, and House Republicans have pledged to cut nondefense funding and programs that our communities rely on.

Funding provided to nondefense programs is important to our American families. House Republicans have ignored the deal and are leaving at least $75 billion on the table in investments that American families depend on.

I cannot, in good conscience, support this bill. Overall, I want to vote for 12 bills that increase nondefense and defense funding levels by at least one percent as agreed to almost a year ago. I want to help our hardworking families. I yield back.

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