The Honorable Tom Cole
Chairman, House Appropriations Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Dear Chairman Cole and Members of the Committee:
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union, the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, I write to express our views regarding the Committee markup for the FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. NTU thanks the Committee for its commitment to fiscal responsibility by proposing to spend less in the upcoming fiscal year than the current one. Enactment at the proposed levels would represent a meaningful step toward restoring fiscal sanity in Washington.
As you know, it has become an unfortunate fact that spending only increases year after year. That is how we’ve reached close to $2 trillion in annual deficits and $37 trillion in debt, both of which are projected to worsen in the years ahead. While our fiscal situation cannot be fixed overnight, NTU is pleased that the proposed legislation reduces discretionary spending by 7% compared to FY25. If enacted, these reductions would save taxpayers almost $14 billion and encourage better use of existing resources.
To be clear: any reduction to discretionary spending is a positive for taxpayers. While we commend the Committee for these savings, we encourage you to continue to find ways to save more dollars, and, preferably, return to pre-COVID era spending levels. We strongly believe that a return to FY20 spending, coupled with additional DOGE clawbacks and economic growth fueled by pro-growth tax policies can greatly improve our fiscal situation.
We’re particularly encouraged that this appropriations bill contains no earmarks or taxpayer support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio. However, we believe this bill could be improved by removing unnecessary spending, such as the $100 million for “MAHA” initiatives and funding for the Department of Education’s multi-billion dollar Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
Thank you for your consideration of our views. In short, we appreciate this legislation’s attention to our fiscal situation and we strongly encourage you to reduce discretionary spending even further. Reductions included in this bill and throughout the broader appropriations process can turn around our nation’s fiscal outlook.
Sincerely,
Thomas Aiello
Senior Director of Government Affairs