Ranking Member Espaillat Statement at FY 2026 United States Capitol Police Budget Hearing

Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's fiscal year 2026 budget hearing for the United States Capitol Police:

-As Prepared For Delivery-

Thank you, Chairman Valadao.

Chief Manger. Very happy to see you again. 

Chief, again, thank you and thank you to all the officers and civilians of the Capitol Police who work tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of the Members, employees, visitors, and facilities both here and within our districts. You do your jobs so that we can do ours. 

Also, congratulations again on your retirement. I pray it will be a restful one. 

Securing the Capitol is a priority for this Subcommittee. The Capitol Police have worked to accomplish that goal by training, equipping, and hiring more officers, implementing recommendations, monitoring the rising number of threats against Members of Congress, and ensuring the well-being of its workforce. 

For fiscal year 2026, the Capitol Police has requested $967.8M, which is an increase of $176.3M or 22 percent over the frozen 2024 enacted level provided in the full-year continuing resolution. 

This is a hefty ask and it seems that much of this increase was compounded by the unfortunate enactment of a full-year continuing resolution. I am interested in the impacts of the CR on your 2026 request. 

Chief Manger, I look forward to hearing your testimony and how this budget request addresses the mission, staffing, training, and technology gaps identified in the recent concept of operations study. And, although you are retiring, your thoughts on what should be the department’s next steps are appreciated. 

Thank you again for being here again and I yield back.

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