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Thank you Mr. Chairman. I would like to join you in welcoming the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro.

Thank you Mr. Chairman and welcome Mr. Secretary.

Mr. Chairman, I don’t think anyone will ever be able to say that President Obama or this Congress, whether under Democratic control or Republican control, has not provided the proper resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Like in previous budget proposals, the VA’s budget continues to grow. In fact, since 2009 total VA funding has grown by 86%. Let me say that again, VA funding since 2009 has grown 86%. How many other agencies can say that?

Mr. Chairman, FY 2017 is no different. The VA sees a healthy increase of five percent over the FY 2016 enacted level. And when you include mandatory funding, the president’s FY 2017 VA budget proposal provides $182 billion, a 9% increase over the VA’s FY 2016 funding, which is almost double VA’s 2009 budget.

I would like to thank Chairman Dent and Ranking Member Bishop for holding this important hearing, and welcome Secretary McDonald and all of our distinguished guests this afternoon.

This Subcommittee must help address the serious challenges facing the Department of Veterans Affairs in delivering to the men and women who have faithfully served our nation the recognition and benefits they earned.

Mr. Secretary, I thank you for your commitment to bettering the lives of veterans. In particular, your dedication to increasing accountability within your workforce and initiating programs designed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and at-risk veterans has been an inspiration.

I thank you for your commitment and efforts to reduce the claim’s backlog, an issue of great concern for some time now. I am happy the backlog is down considerably from two years ago.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing on a set of programs that tap into one of our best attributes as a nation. National service is a core American value. It makes this country exceptional. Service provides an unparalleled richness for those that participate, and gives citizens the greatest potential to change the face of the communities they serve.

Welcome Ms. Spencer. I look forward to talking to you today about the importance of National Service—particularly since it has been 16 years since the last Corporation for National and Community Service budget hearing. I know we tried to hold a hearing last year, but outside events intervened. So I am glad you are here today.

I’d like to thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for holding this hearing. To our distinguished FBI Director Comey, who has served this country through multiple Presidents and parties, I welcome you and thank you for your service.

The Internet and social media have revolutionized our economy and our way of life. They have also become the weapons of choice for terrorists to spread propaganda and recruit and radicalize followers. As we tragically witnessed in Paris and San Bernardino, we are facing a new type of terror attack, including the growing threat of homegrown extremists and lone wolf terrorists, and Congress must provide the FBI with the resources to keep up with these evolving threats.

Thank you, Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro, for holding this hearing. Secretary Burwell, on what may be your last occasion to testify before the House Appropriations Committee, I thank you for your service, first as Director of OMB and now as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

With recent emerging threats, your remaining year as Secretary will not be easy. Our mission to eradicate Ebola is not yet complete, and new outbreaks of dangerous diseases, such as Zika, are pushing federal public health infrastructure resources to the breaking point. Congress has a request for supplemental funding to combat Zika, and I urge this Committee and Congress as a whole to meet this need without delay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Secretary, welcome back to the Labor-HHS subcommittee. It has been exactly one year to the day since your last appearance here. I want to express my gratitude for the work you and your Department do.

First let me start by thanking Chairman Cole. Together, we were able to make many great investments in the Labor Health and Human Services bill last year.

In many ways, last year’s Omnibus moved the federal budget in the right direction. It began to leave behind the shortsighted policies of austerity that have slowed our economic recovery. We made real progress on funding for NIH research, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria initiative, medical countermeasures, and access to high-quality early childhood education.