Floor SpeechBipartisan2026-01-15

COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE; ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; AND INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

TaxesEnvironmentForeign PolicyDefenseTradeCrime & JusticeVeteransAgriculture

Context

On 2026-01-15, Senator Susan M. Collins (R-ME) delivered a floor speech titled "COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE; ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; AND INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026" in the Senate. The speech addressed taxes and also covered the environment, foreign policy. It referenced legislation: S262.

Full Text

COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE; ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; AND INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 11 (Thursday, January 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 11 (Thursday, January 15, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S262] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE; ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; AND INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, just now, the Senate passed three more of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills by a strong bipartisan vote. These bills support State and local law enforcement, invest in vital scientific research, promote economic development, help protect our national security, and assist our coastal communities. This fiscally responsible package includes the Commerce-Justice- Science bill, the Energy and Water Development appropriations, and the Interior and Environment funding bill. This package is the result of a great deal of input from Members on both sides of the aisle, and it represents months of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations. Last week, this three-bill package passed the House by an overwhelming vote of 397 to 28, and the Senate just followed suit with a very strong bipartisan vote. I want to thank and commend our subcommittee chairs and ranking members as well as their staffs, who labored over the holidays to finalize this package. Specifically, I want to thank Senators Murkowski and Merkley of the Interior Subcommittee, Senators Moran and Van Hollen of the CJS Subcommittee, and Senators Kennedy and Murray of the Energy and Water Subcommittee. Senator Murray is also vice chair of the full committee, and I want to thank her for her partnership in getting these bills done. I want to thank the staff of the full committee. They have worked night and day--literally every night and every day--and I am so grateful for their dedication and hard work. This legislation would actually reduce discretionary spending while better focusing funding on the key priorities that matter and affect the American people. Perhaps most importantly, it shows that we as a Congress can come together in a bipartisan way to carry out our article I responsibilities and deliver true results for the people we are honored to represent. Enacting this legislation brings the total number of full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriations that will be signed into law to six. The first three bills--the Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch--were enacted in November. Now we have to continue to complete the job and make progress on the remainder of the appropriations bills. Yesterday, after extensive negotiations between the Senate and the House, the House passed the National Security, State Department, and Related Programs bill as well as the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bills--again, by a strong bipartisan vote of 341 to 79. I look forward to the Senate's considering these bills as well as the remaining four appropriations bills before the end of the month. Our goal is to get all of these bills signed into law--no continuing resolutions that lock in previous priorities that don't reflect today's realities, no more disastrous government shutdowns that are totally unnecessary and so harmful. Again, I want to thank my colleagues for supporting the final passage of this important package so that we can send it to the President for his signature. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming. ____________________

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COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE; ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; AND INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 11 (Thursday, January 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 11 (Thursday, January 15, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S262] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE; ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; AND INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, just now, the Senate passed three more of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills by a strong bipartisan vote. These bills support State and local law enforcement, invest in vital scientific research, promote economic development, help protect our national security, and assist our coastal communities. This fiscally responsible package includes the Commerce-Justice- Science bill, the Energy and Water Development appropriations, and the Interior and Environment funding bill. This package is the result of a great deal of input from Members on both sides of the aisle, and it represents months of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations. Last week, this three-bill package passed the House by an overwhelming vote of 397 to 28, and the Senate just followed suit with a very strong bipartisan vote. I want to thank and commend our subcommittee chairs and ranking members as well as their staffs, who labored over the holidays to finalize this package. Specifically, I want to thank Senators Murkowski and Merkley of the Interior Subcommittee, Senators Moran and Van Hollen of the CJS Subcommittee, and Senators Kennedy and Murray of the Energy and Water Subcommittee. Senator Murray is also vice chair of the full committee, and I want to thank her for her partnership in getting these bills done. I want to thank the staff of the full committee. They have worked night and day--literally every night and every day--and I am so grateful for their dedication and hard work. This legislation would actually reduce discretionary spending while better focusing funding on the key priorities that matter and affect the American people. Perhaps most importantly, it shows that we as a Congress can come together in a bipartisan way to carry out our article I responsibilities and deliver true results for the people we are honored to represent. Enacting this legislation brings the total number of full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriations that will be signed into law to six. The first three bills--the Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch--were enacted in November. Now we have to continue to complete the job and make progress on the remainder of the appropriations bills. Yesterday, after extensive negotiations between the Senate and the House, the House passed the National Security, State Department, and Related Programs bill as well as the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bills--again, by a strong bipartisan vote of 341 to 79. I look forward to the Senate's considering these bills as well as the remaining four appropriations bills before the end of the month. Our goal is to get all of these bills signed into law--no continuing resolutions that lock in previous priorities that don't reflect today's realities, no more disastrous government shutdowns that are totally unnecessary and so harmful. Again, I want to thank my colleagues for supporting the final passage of this important package so that we can send it to the President for his signature. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming. ____________________