April 29, 2026
The Honorable Tom Cole
Chairman, House Appropriations Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Cole and Members of the Committee,
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union (NTU), the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, we write to express our views regarding markups of the FY27 Legislative Branch bill as well as the FY27 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill.
I. Legislative Branch
NTU commends the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch for its commitment to fiscal responsibility by proposing to spend roughly $1.2 billion less than the Administration’s FY27 request.
In addition to the top-line numbers, taxpayers should be pleased with the legislation’s emphasis on limiting wasteful spending wherever possible. The bill contains multiple provisions that promote the careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars through modest yet practical measures, such as a requirement that unspent funds from the Members’ Representational Allowances (MRA) be used for deficit reduction, as well as a ban on the use of funds for maintaining private vehicles. Moreover, the legislation also restricts incentive or award payments to contractors working on programs that are behind schedule or over budget. Together, these measures signal to the American people that the Subcommittee doesn’t take their hard earned tax dollars for granted.
Despite these encouraging steps outlined above, we are deeply alarmed about the prospect of cutting funding for the Government Accountability Office (GAO). This legislation provides $611.9 million to the congressional watchdog, which is $200 million below the FY26 enacted level and $248 million below the Administration’s FY27 request. This independent and nonpartisan agency helps lawmakers identify waste, fraud, and inefficiencies across the federal government, and cutting its budget to this degree would undercut Congress’s own ability to hold agencies accountable and deliver savings for taxpayers.
Slashing GAO’s budget would be a misstep in your taxpayer protection efforts. In 2024 alone, the agency identified $67.5 billion in savings or recommendations for more efficient practices, which amounts to a return of approximately $76 for every dollar spent on GAO’s operations. As of March 2025, reforms enacted by Congress in response to GAO recommendations have collectively yielded approximately $725 billion in cost savings and revenue increases. At a time when scandals involving fraudulent government payments and the widespread misuse of taxpayer dollars are making headlines, looking for budgetary savings by cutting GAO defies common sense.
II. Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
The Subcommittee Mark of the fiscal year 2027 CJS bill proposes a topline spending level of $77.341 billion, a savings to taxpayers of approximately $670 million when compared to the FY 2026 enacted level. We appreciate the fiscal restraint shown by appropriators when drafting this bill. Language within the bill also delivers a series of taxpayer wins by limiting money spent on wasteful programs.
We are not supportive of the scale of “Community Project Funding” in this bill. Spending over $1 billion on earmarks when our federal debt has eclipsed $39 trillion would be irresponsible in today’s federal fiscal environment. Worse yet, the Committee has not made public the list of earmarks that will be at tomorrow’s markup, which is concerning from a transparency point of view.
We are also concerned with the massive 91.5% increase in funding that this bill provides to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the Department of Commerce, costing taxpayers an extra $215 million on top of a large increase in funding last year. This bureau is pursuing investigations that could result in the imposition of tariffs on copper, timber and lumber, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, trucks, critical minerals, commercial aircraft, polysilicon, and unmanned aircraft systems. This big funding increase runs against the fiscal restraint shown elsewhere in the bill. NTU has long been concerned about a lack of oversight and accountability regarding Section 232 “national security” investigations conducted by BIS. This issue is particularly timely as consumers face higher prices on many necessities and businesses contend with tariff costs and the uncertainty surrounding possible new tariffs.
Sincerely,
Alexander Ciccone
Policy and Government Affairs Manager
National Taxpayers Union
David Timmons
Senior Policy Manager
National Taxpayers Union