House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole spoke before the House Committee on Rules in Washington, D.C. on July 20 in support of H.R. 9770, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027.
Cole said the House Appropriations Committee completed its markup process for Fiscal Year 2027 by June 24 and reported all twelve bills out of committee, marking the earliest this has been accomplished since Fiscal Year 2020. He stated that three bills have already passed the full House: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies; and National Security, Department of State and Related Programs.
Cole addressed concerns about potential delays in the Senate appropriations process. “Unfortunately, current circumstances in the Senate make clear that Congress, as a whole, is unlikely to complete the full appropriations process by the start of the fiscal year,” he said. He added that no appropriations bills have yet been reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Discussing recent government shutdowns over funding disagreements, Cole said, “The threat of a shutdown is not only real – it happened twice over the last twelve months. First, Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats plunged the nation into the longest government shutdown in history last October. Not to be outdone, they then later pushed the Department of Homeland Security into the longest partial government shutdown in American history.” He called both shutdowns unnecessary and urged passage of H.R. 9770 to keep government open through December 4 while Congress continues work on annual appropriations.
“Some may ask why it is necessary that we take this bill up in July. I would simply state that it is never too early to do the right thing,” Cole said. He emphasized that passing a clean continuing resolution would ensure uninterrupted funding for federal services including military needs and infrastructure projects.
The House Committee on Appropriations drafts twelve annual spending bills allocating federal funds for government operations and provides guidance for community project funding requests included in these bills; notable members include Harold Rogers (Republican) and Steny Hoyer (Democrat). The committee influences policy through legislation such as continuing resolutions like H.R. 9770; Tom Cole currently serves as its chairman—the forty-third person to hold this position—according to the official website.