Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, first, to my colleagues on Appropriations' Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Mr. Amodei as well as my longtime dear friend Mr. Espaillat, I thank them for their hard work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4364 because it inadequately funds the legislative branch, which is the branch charged with funding responsibilities under Article I of the U.S. Constitution. It dramatically underfunds the Capitol Police, drastically cuts funding to the Architect of the Capitol, and guts the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

As my colleague has mentioned, I serve as the ranking member of the Committee on House Administration. I know firsthand how important it is that our House officers and congressional support agencies are adequately resourced.

We all rely on our nonpartisan institutional partners, some of whom are in this Chamber right now, helping us carry out our constitutional obligations, keeping us safe, providing subject matter expertise, and facilitating the legislative process.

For that reason, I am very disappointed. This bill, which includes a nearly 5 percent cut to House and joint legislative branch items, inadequately funds many of these entities and the responsibilities that they are required to carry out.

For example, at a time in which the Capitol Police is experiencing an officer shortage crisis, this bill fails to fully fund the department's salaries appropriation requests. How can we hope to attract qualified officers if we don't provide competitive salaries? How can we ensure officers are better trained if they are regularly forced to work overtime rather than attend training sessions? How do we improve officer morale if they need to work double shifts instead of going home to spend time with their families?

The men and women of the Capitol Police have our backs. They have demonstrated that in a time of crisis in this Chamber. We need to have theirs with more than just words.

The bill would also cut funding for the Architect of the Capitol by hundreds of millions of dollars and fail to meet the agency's budget request for the Capitol Police buildings, grounds, and security account. This would hinder the AOC's ability to fulfill all of its responsibilities, making Congress less secure, harming our national security, and putting Members, staff, and our visiting constituents at risk during a time of heightened threats.

Finally, I am deeply frustrated that this bill includes culture war initiatives like eliminating the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was established based on a bipartisan, unanimous modernization committee recommendation. It provides important services for and works closely with offices on both sides of the aisle. In fact, since its inception in 2019, 225 Republican offices have utilized its services.

It is astonishing that my majority colleagues are going to sabotage their own ability to recruit the best and brightest just to satisfy rightwing extremist grievances about diversity.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons and more, I cannot support the bill, and I urge that we do not adopt this bill.

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