H.R. 7148 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026; H.R. 7147 – Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026

House Rules and Floor ProcedureHouse Rules · 2026-01-21 · 119th Congress
The House Rules Committee met to set the terms of floor debate for H.R. Begins at 0:09:34
Transcript
Highlights

Title

House Rules Committee sets floor rules for 2026 appropriations minibus and DHS bill

Purpose

The House Rules Committee met to set the terms of floor debate for H.R. 7148, a "minibus" combining the Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, and Defense appropriations bills, and H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026. The committee first heard from the top Republican and Democratic leaders of the Appropriations Committee on the substance of the bills, then reconvened after floor votes for a second panel in which individual members explained amendments they wanted made in order for floor consideration, with Democrats focused heavily on ICE accountability and detention conditions and other members raising Greenland/NATO policy, a gambling-loss tax deduction fix, and the Delphi pension dispute. Begins at0:09:34

Who spoke

Rules Committee chair (presiding, "Madam Chair")0:10:29: Opened by describing the appropriations package as the product of a "deliberative" process and crediting President Trump's priorities on national security0:10:49; presided over recognition of members throughout both panels.

Ranking Member Johnson0:11:15: Criticized the pace of the process and argued DHS should not get "a single cent" without more accountability0:13:57, citing roughly $25 billion in the bill he found objectionable0:14:25.

Chairman Tom Cole0:15:15, House Appropriations Committee Chairman: Presented the minibus as a bipartisan product covering Labor-HHS-Education, Homeland Security, and Transportation-HUD0:15:35; later confirmed to Rep. McGovern that the DHS bill appropriates an additional $10.3 billion for ICE1:00:371:01:10 and said he had "no idea" whether GEO Group profits from the bill1:02:01.

Acting Ranking Member Jim McGovern, House Appropriations Committee0:20:37: Said the package prevents more than 4 million households from eviction and hires 25 more air traffic controllers0:22:12; noted the White House proposed cutting NIH funding by $19 billion and Democrats rejected roughly $50 billion in proposed cuts0:22:400:22:56; pressed Cole on the new $10.3 billion in ICE funding and GEO Group's expanded detention contracts1:00:371:02:23.

Rep. Norman (R-SC)0:40:25: Objected to specific earmarks including funding he called "corporate socialized housing"0:40:50; argued ICE is removing dangerous people, citing a Minnesota case involving a deportation order and a list of 20 individuals no longer on the streets1:51:031:51:32, and noted roughly 1.5 million people nationwide with outstanding removal orders1:52:04.

Rep. Keating1:36:01: Offered an amendment to bar funds from being used to acquire or annex Greenland, citing a bipartisan companion bill with about 70 co-sponsors1:55:12 and invoking NATO's Article 5 and 9/11 chaplain Father Mychal Judge1:53:56.

Rep. Tenney1:58:01: Pushed the "Susan" amendment addressing Delphi/GM retirees who lost pension value after the 2009 bailout, describing a retiree ("Judy and Danny's") case of lost pension and health benefits1:59:312:00:08, noting bipartisan committee support including from Reps. Turner and Spartz2:03:07.

Rep. Titus3:00:41: Sought to restore a 100% deduction for gambling losses, saying H.R. 1 changed it to a 90% deduction in the Senate, which she argued would push bettors into unregulated markets3:01:453:02:41; cited support from gaming operators including AGA and DraftKings3:04:39.

Rep. Stansbury2:49:21: Argued the administration is undermining NATO and pressed for war-powers accountability regarding Greenland and Venezuela2:50:152:53:25; also proposed redirecting SAMHSA funds toward opioid treatment and rural clinics2:54:41.

Rep. Larson2:55:24: Raised concerns about a data breach exposing more than 8 million Americans' personal information tied to Social Security systems2:56:312:56:58.

Rep. Quigley3:26:17: Defended the value of inspectors-general oversight of ICE3:32:33, described a Chicago incident in which a tear-gas canister deployed inside a car with airbags going off3:34:01, and separately pressed Norman on presidential war powers regarding the 2020 Soleimani strike and Venezuelan oil3:22:493:23:52.

Rep. Torres3:48:57: Argued Republicans are deploying federal agents against communities and pushed a FEMA amendment tied to disaster recovery funding3:53:193:53:50.

Rep. Thatcher3:58:07: Detailed alleged ICE abuses including a pregnant detainee denied care and masked agents' conduct, and urged inclusion of the CLEAR ID Act language and other accountability provisions3:58:354:01:33.

Rep. Fernandes2:16:20: Said he supports not funding personnel who engage in racist conduct and criticized inconsistency in the administration's positions2:16:49.

Rep. Horsford3:44:37 (introducing himself with Rep. Max Miller): Offered a bicameral amendment restoring full deductibility of gambling losses under H.R. 13:45:04, and separately sought an amendment affirming congressional oversight access to the Nevada Southern Detention Center under Public Law 118-47, Section 5273:47:03.

Rep. Max Miller4:03:10: Co-sponsored the gambling-loss deduction fix with Horsford, describing a casino in his Cleveland-area district and warning gaming activity would move overseas absent a fix4:04:04.

Rep. Joe Neguse4:11:17: Voiced support for the Nevada detention-center oversight amendment and other Democratic amendments to be considered on the floor4:11:42.

Key moments

McGovern got Cole to confirm the DHS bill appropriates an additional $10.3 billion for ICE1:00:371:01:10, then pressed on how much of that money flows to private detention contractor GEO Group, which Cole said he did not know1:02:011:02:23.

McGovern said the White House had proposed cutting NIH funding by $19 billion, while the final package instead rejected roughly $50 billion in proposed HHS cuts0:22:400:22:56.

Norman said approximately 1.5 million people nationwide have outstanding orders of removal and cited a Minnesota case list of 20 individuals removed from the streets by ICE1:51:321:52:041:52:35.

Keating's Greenland amendment, mirroring a bipartisan bill with about 70 co-sponsors, would bar federal funds from being used toward annexing Greenland, invoking NATO's Article 5 mutual-defense obligation1:55:121:53:56.

Tenney's Delphi/GM pension amendment described a retiree who reportedly became suicidal after losing pension and health coverage, tied to the 2009 General Motors bankruptcy fallout1:59:312:00:08.

Titus and, separately, Horsford/Miller each pressed amendments to reverse a Senate-added change in H.R. 1 that reduced the gambling-loss tax deduction from 100% to 90%, warning it would push bettors to unregulated/offshore markets3:01:454:04:34.

Quigley described a Chicago incident in which a tear-gas canister allegedly deployed inside a vehicle, triggering the airbags, as evidence supporting stronger ICE oversight3:34:01.

Horsford sought an amendment affirming Congress's statutory right to access the Nevada Southern Detention Center under Public Law 118-47, Section 527, alleging the administration had denied members entry3:47:033:48:00.

Larson raised a reported data exposure affecting more than 8 million Americans' Social Security-related personal information2:56:312:56:58.

Thatcher and other Democratic members cited specific detention-related deaths and denial-of-care allegations, including a pregnant detainee denied medical care, in arguing for accountability language in the DHS bill3:58:353:59:18.

Metadata

CommitteeHouse Rules
Chamber / CongressHouse · 119th Congress
Date2026-01-21
TypeMeeting
Witnesses
(none listed in event metadata)
Videoyoutube
Transcript498 caption blocks · 16,001 words · 4:19:37 runtime
EventCongress.gov 118889