Ranking Member Meng Remarks: Fiscal Year 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee Markup

WASHINGTON -- Today, Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Grace Meng (D-NY-06) delivered the following remarks during subcommittee markup for the fiscal year 2027 funding bill:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I know that you and I share many of the same priorities.

However, I must strongly oppose this appropriations bill. It turns its back on struggling communities and hard-working Americans, weakens our ability to fight crime, and jeopardizes our nation’s competitive edge. 

I want to be clear. The billions of dollars in cuts in this bill are not just numbers on a page. They are choices, and they are the wrong choices. 

As written, this bill abandons our fundamental responsibility to keep Americans safe and our economy strong. 

At a time when Americans are worried about gun violence and hate crimes, this bill delivers a devastating blow to law enforcement agencies and programs that protect them.  

We cannot claim to prioritize public safety while simultaneously gutting the agency responsible for policing illegal firearms. Yet the bill before us today decimates funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which would lose more than 1,000 personnel who work with our state and local law enforcement to keep illegal guns off our streets, catch dangerous criminals, and prevent gun crimes.

The bill also contains numerous policy riders that would make it more difficult to keep dangerous guns out of the hands of criminals and more difficult for local law enforcement to quickly trace many of the guns that are found at crime scenes.

The legislation before us today leaves our communities more vulnerable to violence by zeroing out Community Violence Intervention and Prevention grants, as well as hate crime prevention and prosecution grants. And the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service, which for more than 60 years has worked honorably to help mediate and end community conflicts across our country, is eliminated. 

I believe that all of this is the wrong approach for the CJS appropriations bill.

We should also be doing much, much more to address the cost-of-living crisis that is hurting American families. But this bill sharply cuts funding for the agencies and programs that create jobs, boost American small businesses, and advance our economy. Economic Development Administration grants are cut by 36 percent, abandoning rural and distressed communities desperately in need of economic help and well-paying jobs. The bill slashes funding for the Minority Business Development Agency, taking away opportunities from American entrepreneurs. It cuts funding for the International Trade Administration by nearly 25 percent, greatly weakening opportunities to help American businesses expand exports and fight unfair trade practices by other countries.

Moreover, the Legal Services Corporation, which provides basic civil legal assistance to the poorest American families, seniors, and veterans, is cut by more than half. Under this funding level, nearly 3 million fewer people will receive help with legal problems, including 6,400 in my district alone. This bill abandons our most vulnerable constituents who can’t afford a lawyer when they’re facing eviction, seeking safety from domestic violence, or are denied benefits they’ve earned.

Perhaps most shortsighted of all, this bill disinvests in the scientific research that drives American innovation, technological leadership, and economic competitiveness. For decades, the United States was a destination for the world’s top researchers to come and do their best work. Now, we are beginning to lose our own scientific talent to opportunities overseas as a result of this administration’s attacks on science and universities. This bill would only compound these problems. It cuts the National Science Foundation by more than 1.7 billion dollars—abandoning the next generation of scientists and engineers at exactly the moment our competitors are investing more in theirs.  This bill also cuts NASA’s science account by nearly 1.3 billion dollars. 

Furthermore, the bill also makes huge cuts to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has helped American industry overcome technical challenges, develop new manufacturing techniques, and advance the cutting edge of emerging technologies. 

I disagree with this bill’s approach. As I have said repeatedly, I believe we should be doubling down on the investments in science that grow our economy and incentivize advancements that improve life for all Americans.

I thank the Chairman for his work on this bill. But given its serious shortcomings, I cannot support it.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation and come back to the table to produce a bill that actually delivers for the American people.

We should be investing in public safety, economic opportunity, and American innovation.

Those are not partisan priorities. They are our responsibility, and they should be our shared goals as Americans.

Thank you very much.