WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, convened a hearing to consider the nominations of Troy Edgar to be the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Dan Bishop to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The committee will hold a business meeting to vote on these nominations on Thursday, February 27th.
During his opening remarks, Dr. Paul emphasized the need for new leaders who will push against the status quo and stop wasteful spending. The Trump administration, with the help of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has uncovered waste, fraud, and abuse of funds in the federal government. Dr. Paul expressed the necessity for both Edgar and Bishop to bolster these efforts upon confirmation.
Dr. Paul highlighted how Edgar’s prior experience as the Department of Homeland Security’s Chief Financial Officer would afford him firsthand knowledge of how and where DHS can make necessary and critical cuts. Dr. Paul also discussed how Bishop would be tasked with helping lead OMB to fulfill its intended role as a safeguard against overspending by carefully scrutinizing agency budgets.
View the Chairman’s opening statement HERE.
Opening remarks as prepared below:
For far too long, federal spending has increased unchecked, amassing over $36 trillion in debt that our children and grandchildren will one day inherit. Here in Washington, the default mindset seems to be “just write another check,” as though each new dollar of debt somehow doesn’t matter.
In the last four years, we have added nearly $6 billion a day or $241 million per hour to our national deficit for a running total of $8.5 trillion. The unchecked and reckless spending spree in Washington over the last 4 years has put every American family on the hook for another $67,000 of debt.
Yet despite this unprecedented level of spending, agencies continue to ask for more—more funding, more authority, more staff—while doing less and less for Americans. Unsurprisingly, Americans across the country have taken notice and voted for a change in the status quo.
One month ago, President Trump got behind the wheel with a clear mandate by the American people to steer this country in a different direction—and he hasn’t let off the gas since.
The Trump Administration, along with the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been hard at work identifying waste, fraud, and duplicative or outdated programs. Their efforts have revealed just how many billions of taxpayer dollars are slipping through the cracks—and they’re moving fast to identify flagrant waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal bureaucracy. That’s the good news. The bad news is that unearthing waste is only half the battle—real reform will require a complete disruption of how Washington operates, including Congress.
Accountability cannot be outsourced. Real, lasting change demands leaders who aren’t afraid to push back against business as usual, leaders who will stand up and say, “We can’t spend our way out of every problem.”
Which brings us to the two nominees appearing before us today.
First, we have Mr. Troy Edgar, who has been nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed, Mr. Edgar will take on the role of Deputy Secretary at DHS, essentially serving as the Department’s chief operating officer.
DHS is a massive agency, employing nearly 260,000 people across more than 20 components. Having previously served as DHS’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Edgar has firsthand knowledge of where the Department can make cuts and streamline operations.
Second, we have Representative Dan Bishop, nominated to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. OMB is supposed to be the bulwark against overspending. We rely on OMB to carefully scrutinize agency budgets and identify redundancies. It is OMB’s job to ensure that federal agencies are not rubber-stamping costly new programs subsidized by the American taxpayers.
If confirmed, Representative Bishop will have a front-row seat to the entire federal budget process and a chance to say “no” when agencies continue to demand endless expansions in authority and unchecked spending.
Both of these nominees have come forward at a time when Americans are fed up with government overreach and runaway debt.
So, Mr. Edgar and Representative Bishop, we appreciate your willingness to serve and the experiences you bring to the table. If confirmed, you will each wield influence that can truly shape how this government operates—and how it spends the public’s money.
The American people deserve an honest, efficient government that respects their hard-earned dollars. Thank you for joining us this morning to share how you plan to meet these responsibilities.
I now yield to the Ranking Member for his opening remarks.
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