Hearing of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Yoder, Hearing on House of Representatives FY 2018 Budget

Hearing

Before we move to today's business I want to recognize the absence of our colleague and Committee member, Congressman Dan Newhouse from Washington. We're all saddened by the news of his wife, Carol's, passing. Dan is a valued member of this Committee and we wish him and his family well. Let's have a brief moment of silence for our friend and colleague and his family.

Today we will begin our budget justification hearings for fiscal year 2018. I would like to welcome Ranking Member Ryan along with the other Members of this subcommittee as we start the process of reviewing, considering, and ultimately producing a Legislative Branch Appropriation bill that satisfies the requirements of our agencies while at the same time balancing the fiscal realities of the current budget environment. I know difficult decisions will need to be made and not every increase will be able to be accommodated, it is our job to scrutinize the requests presented to us and I look forward to working with each Member of this subcommittee in doing so.

We will start with considering the House of Representatives' FY 18 request.

I would like to welcome the Officers of the House:
The Honorable Karen Haas, Clerk of the House
The Honorable Paul Irving, Sergeant at Arms
The Honorable Phil Kiko, Chief Administrative Officer

The fiscal year 2018 budget request for the House agencies is $1.223 billion which is a 2.87% increase or $34.1 million above currently enacted levels.

Much of the work each of you and your offices do on a daily basis is behind the scenes and when done seamlessly often goes unnoticed. Collectively you are responsible for the services that truly keep this place running; the IT network that allows all of us to communicate, the financial systems that pays our bills and meets our payroll, the voting system that helps authenticate the legislative process, the issuance of IDs and parking permits just to name a few. Without the services of the House officers we could not carry out our Constitutional duties as Members of Congress. Although, the three of you probably like the fact that most of your operations are behind the scenes and go unnoticed I want to take a moment to recognize the amazing work your organizations do and to thank the dedicated staff in each of your organizations.

I look forward to working with each of you on the challenges facing us in fiscal year 2018 and with that I yield to ranking Member Ryan for his opening statement.

Without any objection the entire statements from each of you will be made part of the record. I ask the Clerk, Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Chief Administrative Officers to summarize your remarks and highlight your efforts of the past year.

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