Representative Adriano Espaillat Statement: Congressional Budget Office, Government Accountability Office, and Government Publishing Office Budget Hearing

Watch Video of Rep. Espaillat's Remarks

WASHINGTON, DC -- Ranking Member of the Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Legislative Branch, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), issued the following remarks during a hearing addressing budget and operations of the Congressional Budget Office, Government Accountability Office, and Government Publishing Office agencies.

The following are remarks by Rep. Espaillat, as prepared for delivery:

"Mr. Dodaro, Dr. Swagel, and Mr. Halpern, thank you all for being here today.
Each of your Agencies has a tremendous responsibility and provides crucial functions in our democracy. The Government Accountability Office provides independent oversight of government programs and activities and nonpartisan support to Congress. The GAO has been voted “best place to work in government” for the past three years. The GAO budget request for fiscal year 2025 is $916 million or 12.8% above the fiscal year 2024 enacted totals.

The Congressional Budget Office provides regular support to the Appropriations Committees through technical assistance and cost estimates throughout the annual legislative process. The CBO budget request for fiscal year 2025 is $73.5 million or 5% above the fiscal year 2024 enacted totals.

And the Government Publishing Office’s fundamental function is to make information about the operations of government—particularly the Congress— readily available to the public. The GPO budget request for fiscal year 2025 is $136 million or 3.1% above the fiscal year 2024 enacted total.

This subcommittee greatly appreciates each Agency's work, and I would like to commend each of you and your staff for your work in reinforcing Congress’ constitutional power of the purse and for dedicating the resources necessary to support this committee. As Ranking Member, I am committed to ensuring that your Agencies have the resources needed to build on your excellent records, to provide timely expert assistance to Congress, and to meet the challenges of your varied missions. I look forward to each of your testimonies."

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov