VIDEO: Chairman Moran Leads Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing with Commerce Secretary Lutnick

WASHINGTON
– U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) – today led a subcommittee hearing with testimony from Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the President’s FY27 budget request for the department. During the hearing, Sen. Moran questioned Secretary Lutnick on the status of the department’s efforts to implement the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, as well as its plan to utilize the program’s leftover allocations, emphasizing that those funds should go toward broadband deployment.
In February 2026,
Sen. Moran led a hearing with Secretary Lutnick
on the Department of Commerce’s progress on federal broadband deployment efforts.
“At that February 10 hearing, you committed to using the remaining $21 billion in BEAD non-deployed funds and to conduct listening sessions with stakeholders to determine best use,”
said Sen. Moran.
“My impression from that hearing was that those funds will be utilized to make certain that there is connectivity, broadband availability to all Americans and that you would conduct listening sessions to help determine how the best way to accomplish that goal is.”
“Perhaps you are still going through the details, analyzing those comments, which is what we would expect you to do,”
continued Sen. Moran.
“What do you think the plan is going to be? Are these dollars going to be spent for purposes of deploying broadband in the United States to customers who would not otherwise be served?”
“It is our objective to make sure that the funds are used state-by-state, broadly across our great nation, to help Americans with respect to broadband and within the statute that’s been written,”
answered Secretary Lutnick.
“We will adhere to the statute that’s been written, and the monies will be deployed across our great nation.”
Sen. Moran also questioned Secretary Lutnick about modernizing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite system and recent severe weather in Kansas, including tornados that caused severe damage to homes and infrastructure. Sen. Moran emphasized the importance of maintaining full staffing and 24/7 weather monitoring at National Weather Service offices around the country to provide critical public safety information to communities.
Sen. Moran also highlighted the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps pilot training program currently operating in partnership with Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus.
Sen. Moran’s questioning of Secretary Lutnick can be found
here
and
here
.
Click
HERE
to Watch Sen. Moran’s Opening Remarks
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