Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:

Agriculture

On Tuesday, June 6, the Committee on Agriculture held a full committee hearing called “The Future of Digital Assets: Providing Clarity for Digital Asset Spot Markets.” This hearing, described by CoinTelegraph as the record holder for hosting an all-star lineup of regulators focused on the recent draft discussion bill released by the Agriculture and Financial Services Committees. The current regulatory framework for digital assets hinders innovation and fails to provide adequate consumer protection. Committee Republicans support efforts to address these shortcomings and build a framework that works for both market participants and consumers.
On Wednesday, June 7, the Committee on Agriculture held a full committee hearing called “Innovation, Employment, Integrity, and Health: Opportunities for Modernization in Title IV.” Because this hearing covered the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill, namely the SNAP program, it was one of the more colorful hearings we have held this year. Republicans defended work requirements for welfare recipients, the need to modernize safety net programs, and the need to restore and maintain program integrity to protect taxpayer dollars. As expected, Democrats engaged in groupthink and parroted their same tired talking points. Democrats spent the nearly five hour long fearmongering, spreading misinformation, misrepresenting data, and one Member nearly cried (but this Member didn’t bother asking the witnesses any questions!) 

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Education and Workforce

On Tuesday, June 6, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee markup of the following legislation:

• H. Res. 461, Condemning the use of elementary and secondary school facilities to provide shelter for aliens who are not admitted to the United States (Miller-Meeks)
• H.R. 1147, Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023 (Thompson)
• H.R. 2813, Self-Insurance Protection Act (Good)
• H.R. 2868, Association Health Plans Act (Walberg)

H. Res. 461, condemns the use of public school facilities to provide shelter for aliens who are not admitted to the United States and H.R. 1147 ensures students have the necessary nutrients to learn and grow. Both bills, in their own way, protect our posterity by ensuring the safety, security, and health of our nation’s children. And the two health care bills considered, H.R. 2813 and H.R. 2868, will cut red tape to deliver lower health care prices.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee hearing called “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Labor." Only after Chairwoman Foxx threatened Acting Secretary Su with a subpoena did Su finally testify. Committee Republicans used the hearing to slam Su and DOL for their Big Labor favoritism; pushing woke ESG at the expense of maximizing returns for America’s retirement savers; trying to federalize radical policy that Su championed while serving as California Secretary of Labor which would limit how, when, and where Americans can work; pursuing open border policies that have led to disturbing child labor violations; and more. Bottom line, Republicans used the hearing to fight back against Julie Su’s radical DOL that seeks to strip Americans of their livelihoods.

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Energy and Commerce

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing called "Listen Here: Why Americans Value AM Radio." This was a bipartisan subcommittee hearing that explored why Americans value their AM radio stations and the importance of AM radio installation in new cars. In the hearing, Subcommittee Chair Latta said, “Local broadcasters have long served as the trusted voice delivering real-time updates, weather alerts, evacuation instructions, and other critical information that can mean the difference between life and death.Beyond emergency situations, AM radio plays a key role in local news and community engagement.”
On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials held a hearing called “Clean Power Plan 2.0: EPA’s Latest Attack On America’s Electric Reliability.” This hearing explored how the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest proposed power plant rules could hurt reliable and affordable baseload power sources. The rules could also add new costly burdens to important energy sources like natural gas, which is responsible for a significant portion of emission reductions. 

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce held a hearing called “Building Blockchains: Exploring Web3 And Other Applications For Distributed Ledger Technologies.” In this subcommittee hearing, members discussed how to build a regulatory environment that rewards innovation, entrepreneurship, and ensures American leadership in the next transformational technology. If we cede our leadership, other countries like China will set the rules for more control, continue to suppress freedom, and beat us in the global economy.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing called “Looking Back Before Moving Forward: Assessing CDC's Failures In Fulfilling Its Mission.” This hearing will focus on CDC reform and restoring public trust. More from Chair Rodgers and Subcommittee Chair Griffith: “[The CDC’s] leadership has publicly acknowledged the agency’s failures and committed to reform through its ‘Moving Forward Initiative.’ However, we are concerned with the lack of transparency around how the CDC developed and is implementing the initiative. Restoring public trust will require public discussion of the causes of CDC’s missteps from across the public health sector to inform necessary solutions.”
On Friday, June 9, the Subcommittee on Health held a field hearing called “Addressing The Opioid Crisis: Examining The SUPPORT Act Five Years Later.” This field hearing was held in Central Pennsylvania. With the fentanyl crisis raging on across  communities, it’s critical that we find ways to more effectively provide support for people struggling with substance use disorder. Members and experts in the community highlighted why we must strengthen programs that help people manage addiction, find hope, and discover opportunities to live a full life.
Rep. John Joyce (R-PA):  “The scourge of addiction and drug overdoses in recent years have erased over 100,000 American annually leaving behind devastated families, loved ones and friends. As we look as a committee and as a Congress to address these matters, we must look to the communities outside of Washington for answers and real time feedback to better inform federal policy.”

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Financial Services

On Friday, June 2, the House Financial Services Committee, led by Chairman Patrick McHenry (NC-10), and the House Committee on Agriculture, led by Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-15), released a discussion draft of legislation providing a statutory framework for digital asset regulation. Through their unprecedented joint effort, the chairmen intend to provide clarity, fill regulatory gaps, and foster innovation, while providing adequate consumer protections. On Monday, June 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed seven pieces of bipartisan financial services legislation. Among the measures passed to facilitate capital formation by strengthening public markets, helping small businesses and entrepreneurs, and creating opportunities for all investors were:

• H.R. 835, the Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act (Hill).
  • Watch Rep. Hill’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H.R. 835 here.
• H.R. 1579, the Accredited Investor Definition Review Act (Huizenga).
  • Watch Rep. Huizenga’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H.R. 1579 here.
• H.R. 2608, a bill to amend the Federal securities laws to specify the periods for which financial statements are required to be provided by an emerging growth company, and for other purposes (McHenry).
  • Watch Chairman McHenry’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H.R. 2608 here.
• H.R. 2610, a bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to specify certain registration statement contents for emerging growth companies, to permit issuers to file draft registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission for confidential review, and for other purposes (McHenry).
  • Watch Chairman McHenry’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H.R. 2610 here.
• H.R. 2593, the Senior Security Act of 2023 (Gottheimer).
  • Watch Rep. Wagner’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H.R. 2593 here.
• H.R. 2793, the Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2023 (Wagner).
  • Watch Rep. Wagner’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H.R. 2793 here.
• H.R. 2812, the Middle Market IPO Cost Act (Himes).
  • Watch Rep. Wagner’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H.R. 2812 here.

This slate of legislation builds on the four pieces of bipartisan capital formation legislation passed last week. 
On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy, led by Chairman Andy Barr (KY-06), held a hearing called "Uncertain Debt Management: Treasury Markets and Financial Institutions." Republican members probed witnesses on the Treasury’s lack of transparency surrounding the X-date projection and the effect this opacity has on the American financial system.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, led by Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), held a hearing titled “Dollar Dominance: Preserving the U.S. Dollar’s Status as the Global Reserve Currency.” Lawmakers questioned witnesses about the state of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency and the ways in which its position can be bolstered to ensure its continued dominance.
On Wednesday, June 7, Chairman McHenry, National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), House Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams (TX-25), and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Chairman Steve Womack (AR-03), sent a letter to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and U.S. Treasury demanding that FinCEN outline its plan for educating small businesses about their reporting responsibilities as they pertain to the agency’s forthcoming beneficial ownership proposed rule. This letter builds on Chairman McHenry’s work to ensure that beneficial ownership rulemaking adheres to Congressional intent, ensuring reporting companies cannot avoid transparency and preventing FinCEN from instituting an overly burdensome compliance regime on small businesses or infringing on Americans’ privacy rights.

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Foreign Affairs

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing called "Examining the Fiscal Year 24 Bureau of Consular Affairs Budget." The Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter, joined the subcommittee to provide explanations for the unacceptable passport renewal and B1/B2 visa interview wait times that are causing Americans and those wishing to visit our country such trouble, along with the bureau’s role in the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is imperative that the bureau addresses these passport and visa issues that directly impact citizens every day and explains why Americans were left at the mercy of the Taliban.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere held a hearing called "Ignoring Our Allies in the Western Hemisphere: Reviewing President Biden’s FY24 Budget Request." State and USAID officials testified before the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on the Biden administration’s FY24 budget for the region. Members questioned administration officials about their priorities, many of which are distancing our allies or overly focused on the administration’s woke social agenda. It is crucial for the American public to hear President Biden’s true intentions, and the committee plans to exercise its full jurisdiction in holding the Biden administration accountable and strengthening our standing on the world stage.
Important committee activity to flag: 

BLINKEN BLINKED: On Monday, Chairman McCaul secured an agreement with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken allowing all HFAC Members access to the Afghanistan dissent channel cable and response. This is the first time in U.S. history a dissent channel cable has been shared with Congress. 

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Homeland Security
 
On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement held a hearing entitled “Examining DHS’ Failure to Prepare for the Termination of Title 42.” Members highlighted the misleading shell game Secretary Mayorkas is playing with the American people by incentivizing illegal aliens to use the CBP One app in order to be quickly released into the country after claiming asylum at ports of entry. The Daily Signal reported on the Committee’s work to hold the Biden administration accountable and summarized five takeaways from the hearing.

During the hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene demonstrated how easy it is for illegal aliens to claim asylum through the CBP One app, which the Biden administration is using to quickly process up to 40K migrants into the U.S. every month.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence held a hearing entitled “Transnational Criminal Organizations: The Menacing Threat to the U.S. Homeland.” In the hearing, Members received confirmation from witnesses that cartels have been incentivized by the Biden administration’s open-border policies to seize control of our Southwest border in order to smuggle deadly drugs, weapons, and illegal aliens into the country.

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House Administration

On Wednesday, June 7, the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a joint hearing titled “American Confidence in Elections: The Path to Election Integrity in the District of Columbia.” This hearing focused on D.C.’s history of mismanaged elections and how Republicans’ ACE Act will use Congress’s Constitutional authority to bring commonsense election integrity reforms to D.C. These reforms include prohibiting non-citizens from voting, implementing photo ID, requiring voter list maintenance, and other key measures to make D.C. the gold standard of election administration.

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Judiciary

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet held a hearing called "IP and Strategic Competition with China: Part II – Prioritizing U.S. Innovation Over Assisting Foreign Adversaries," to examine recent Biden Administration actions leading to increased foreign governments’ access to advanced technology owned by U.S. companies and universities through waiving IP protections. The hearing also addressed the impacts of these actions on U.S. innovation and technological leadership, as well as the availability of life-saving medical advances in the future.

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held a hearing called "Government Litigation and the Need for Reform" to examine and expose how different aspects of government litigation require reform due to rampant and far-reaching misuse. The hearing also focused on civil asset forfeiture, the practice of "sue and settle," and how flawed agency policies force defendants to establish "settlement slush funds."

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement held a hearing called "The Border Crisis: Is the Law Being Faithfully Executed?" to examine the Department of Homeland Security's policies that violate the law and encourage illegal immigration.

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Natural Resources

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight budget hearing titled “Examining the impacts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposed changes to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule."

On August 1, 2022, NOAA published the proposed rule amending the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule. The proposed rule extends the applicability of the speed restriction rule to include boats measuring 35 feet and longer, expands the seasonal management areas and changes the existing safety exemptions. This contentious hearing was a chance for committee members to further investigate the effects of the proposed rule and hear from experts on what it would mean if enacted.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a legislative hearing on the following bills:

• H.R. 630, the Urban Indian Health Confer Act (Grijalva)
• H.R. 1240, the Winnebago Land Transfer Act of 2023 (Feenstra)
• H.R. 1722, the Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment of 2023 (Salinas)
• H.R. 2461, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribal Homelands Act of 2023 (Crane)
• H.R. 2839, To amend the Siletz Reservation Act to address the hunting, fishing, trapping, and animal gathering rights of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and for other purposes (Hoyle)
• H.R. 3371, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act (Johnson)

This group of bills focused on various solutions related to Indian Country health care, land ownership and hunting and fishing rights. The hearing was a strong show of tribal support for these solutions and was an important opportunity for members to hear from the tribes most affected by this legislation.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held an oversight hearing titled “Examining Ongoing Cybersecurity Threats within the Department of the Interior and the Nexus to State-Sponsored Cyber Actors.”

United States government agencies are increasingly subject to state-sponsored cyber threats, most notably from China. Having a strong cybersecurity system is an ongoing process in which agencies should continually work to identify, protect and detect cybersecurity threats. This hearing was necessary to examine various ways to enhance our government agencies' cybersecurity, prioritize the nation's cybersecurity infrastructure and get answers on how DOI can improve its cybersecurity infrastructure.

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Oversight and Accountability

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing called “Help Wanted: Law Enforcement Staffing Challenges at the Border.” Subcommittee members discussed with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) Joseph Cuffari how the Biden Administration’s policies are exacerbating pre-existing staffing challenges and impacting law enforcement morale. Subcommittee members also discussed unsustainable staffing methods currently employed by DHS which are stretching agents to their limits and making their jobs even more dangerous.
On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs and the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services held a joint hearing called “ESG Part II: The Cascading Impacts of ESG Compliance.” At the hearing, members examined how ESG measures are causing harm to retirees, pensions, and the economy by impacting the ability of businesses to make decisions that are in line with their duties to provide financial returns.
On Wednesday, June 7, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on House Administration held a joint hearing called "American Confidence in Elections: The Path to Election Integrity in the District of Columbia."

At the hearing, members and witnesses highlighted how local elections suffer from a lack of election safeguards, outdated voter rolls, and rampant ballot harvesting tactics. As a result, election uncertainty has dramatically increased, and Americans are losing confidence in the electoral process. Congress has a responsibility to examine election integrity reforms and members noted the District of Columbia, the nation’s capital city, can set an example for the country. Members championed the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act, which will advance best practices, serve as a blueprint for state election laws, and ensure a safe, accessible, and secure election system for all Americans. 

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Rules

The House Rules Committee met this week to consider measures increasing transparency in the federal regulatory process (H.R. 277), restoring the separation of powers in Washington (H.R. 288), and ensuring Americans have continued access to gas stoves (H.R. 1615 and H.R. 1640).

Chairman Cole and Rules members discussed how House Republicans are dedicated to putting the people first and implementing pro-growth policies that unleash opportunity and our economy. Cutting burdensome agency rules and halting the White House’s progressive regulatory agenda is a critical step in that commitment to America. They also pushed back on the Biden Administration’s efforts to dictate what types of stoves families and businesses cook on. As Americans already suffer under rampant inflation thanks to Democrats’ out of control spending, the last thing they need is to have the extreme, far-left Green New Deal regulatory assault reach their kitchen appliances.
 

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Science, Space, and Technology

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing called "Reauthorizing the Weather Act: Users of Weather Data and Areas for Improvement by Sector." The hearing included testimony from individuals in the meteorological, water and emergency management, and agricultural communities in order to enhance the sustainability and accuracy of federally-provided weather information as the Committee looks toward reauthorizing the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. 

On Wednesday, June 7, the Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a full committee hearing called "Advancing American Leadership in Quantum Technology." The hearing served as an opportunity to review and discuss the first five years of the National Quantum Initiative Act, the economic value of quantum science and its applications, the national security importance of developing quantum capabilities, and what policies should be considered in the next five years.

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Small Business

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access held a hearing called “American Ingenuity: Promoting Innovation Through the Tax Code.” This subcommittee hearing focused on ways to promote innovation and competitiveness through the tax code. There was emphasis placed on urging Congress to reflect on the impact that removing incentives to innovation will have on small businesses. 

On Wednesday, June 7, the Committee on Small Business held a full committee hearing called "Prices on the Rise: Examining the Effects of Inflation on Small Businesses." This full committee hearing placed crucial emphasis on the severe impact inflation continues to have on our nation’s small businesses. The House Committee on Small Business will continue to draw attention to the crisis so stubbornly high inflation and interest rates are not the new normal for America’s job creators.

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Transportation and Infrastructure

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a hearing called “Amtrak Operations: Examining the Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Efficiency and Service.” Subcommittee Republicans pressed Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner about Amtrak doling out six-figure bonuses to executives, despite losing money; efforts to address crime at Amtrak facilities and on trains; Amtrak’s plans to expand services rather than focus on improving issues with existing routes and turn around its estimated $1 billion annual losses; and more.

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Veterans' Affairs

On Tuesday, June 6, the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization held a joint oversight hearing titled "From Months to Hours: The Future of VA Benefits Claims Processing."