Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Chair, it was a very rough appropriations cycle at times, so I thank Mr. Cole and Ms. DeLauro for leading us through this and for making sure that our government does not shut down again. I thank them both for their work.

Madam Chair, the staff lost their holiday break and time with their families to get this bill done. Particularly, I thank Jennifer, Jason, Ed, and in my personal office, Ben and Lisa, for all of the work that they did.

I also thank Adam Sullivan and the entire majority staff. A special shout-out to Bill Adkins for his work and dedication to our national security. Bill recently departed to work at the National Reconnaissance Office, and we all wish him well.

Madam Chair, a special warm thank you to Chairman Calvert for working in a bipartisan manner to get this Defense bill done. As always, legislation is a compromise, but I am glad that the harmful partisan riders have been removed.

We know that this process would go much more quickly without having to debate them each year. This bill does include several important provisions to support military personnel and their families. It includes a well-deserved 3.8 percent pay increase. Medical research programs have been increased with a total of $100.7 billion, and that includes nearly $1.3 billion for congressionally directed medical research programs. That is an increase of $620 million above last year.

These programs are important. They support efforts to develop lifesaving treatments for cancer, disease, and other service-related injuries, and these advances in medical research and knowledge will improve healthcare and outcomes for our entire civilian population.

This bill makes $400 million in funding available to Ukraine, and I strongly believe that we should continue to support our Ukrainian allies.

I am also pleased that this bill does not include additional funding to cover operations in the Caribbean and Venezuela. Congress needs to do more to rein in the President's military interventions that have not been authorized by Congress. We should pass a Venezuelan War Powers Resolution to do just that.

The bill also contains language to reaffirm our ironclad support in Congress for our NATO allies and all 32 members. That includes Denmark and, especially, my good neighbor to the north, Canada.

I am disappointed that we were unable to include stronger language making it clear that President Trump needs to keep Greenland free. The future of Greenland is up to its people, the Kingdom of Denmark, not the President of the United States.

Madam Chair, this bill has been negotiated in good faith and in a very bipartisan way. I urge Members to support it.

Ms. McCollum. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 7148, the FY2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Due to the perseverance of my Democratic colleagues, the legislation before us today protects funding for Democratic priorities, reasserts Congress's power of the purse, and rejects Republicans' poison pill riders.

In the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS-Ed) appropriations bill, Democrats secured big wins for our public health, our workforce, and our communities. This bill provides a $400 million increase to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $1.7 billion increase to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and a $364 million increase to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), rebuking the deep cuts made to these agencies in the Republican House bill. These dollars mean that the United States will continue to provide the world with cutting edge medical research, accurate data for health guidance and disease prevention, and support services for those who are struggling with their mental health or substance use. It restores funding to several programs that were eliminated by President Trump and House Republicans, including: Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau, and valuable Title X Family Planning funding. This bill increases funding for Special Education, protects the Pell Grant, and saves the Institute of Museum and Library Science from closing. It increases funding to Head Start, LIHEAP, and the Social Security Administration, ensuring that from beginning to end, Americans have the best chance at success from preschool to post-retirement.

The fiscal year 2026 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development bill, which provides necessary funding to house our neighbors and build more affordable housing. The agreement safeguards the Continuum of Care program--a federal program that fosters a community-wide commitment to ending homelessness--from Trump administration attacks ensuring that members of our community are not evicted by President Trump. The agreement also rejects the President's proposal to end the HOME Investment Partnerships Program. This is the sole federal program that helps communities build more affordable housing for rent and ownership. Further, Division C of this package funds the Department of Transportation. The bill would ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration can hire 2,500 new air traffic controller trainees to keep our skies safe.

While I have already spoken on the House floor in support of this package, I would like to highlight a few provisions of the fiscal year 2026 Defense Appropriations agreement that I helped negotiate. The bill includes several important provisions that support military personnel and their families, including a well-deserved 3.8 percent pay increase for our troops. Medical research programs received an increase in funding that will help support lifesaving treatments for cancer, disease, and service-related injuries to benefit our service members and civilians alike. I am pleased that the bill does not include additional funding to cover the President's illegal strikes in the Caribbean and Venezuela. More needs to be done to reign in President Trump's military interventions. Finally, the bill reaffirms the ironclad support in Congress for the NATO alliance and all of its 32 member states, including Denmark. I am disappointed that we were unable to include stronger language making it clear that President Trump needs to keep his hands off Greenland. The future of Greenland is up to its people, and the Kingdom of Denmark, not the President of the United States.

While these bills were not in the shape that I would have preferred, I am thankful that we were able to come together in a bipartisan manner to protect the American people from President Trump's most divisive cuts. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan agreement.

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