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

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 bill:

Thank you, Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro and Chairman Valadao for the opportunity to discuss the fiscal year 2025 Legislative Branch bill.

Chairman Valadao, I appreciate your leadership and look forward to our collaboration.

I want to also thank the Legislative Branch staff, Faye Cobb, Raquel Spencer, Michelle Reinshuttle, April Lyman, and my Legislative Director, Monica Garay, for their hard work.

The fiscal year 2025 Legislative Branch bill allocates $5.5 billion, a 3.5 percent increase from fiscal year 2024.

It funds essential agencies like the Capitol Police, Library of Congress, and Government Accountability Office and supports modernization, infrastructure, and security initiatives

These are all good things.

The problem with this bill is its unnecessary, harmful policy riders. These harmful policy riders undermine diversity programs, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental efforts.

Instead, we should focus on restoring the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, providing work eligibility for DACA recipients, and reducing our environmental impact.

The partisan provisions in this bill were rejected in 2024 and should not be considered in 2025.

Despite our agreement on funding the Legislative Branch, I cannot support a bill that divides our country. I urge my colleagues to vote no. Thank you, and I yield back.

###