Press Releases
Committee Cliff Notes: Weekly Recap – Week of October 23, 2023
Washington,
October 27, 2023
Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:
Armed Services On Tuesday, October 24, the House Armed Services Committee received its monthly member update on the war in Ukraine from the Department of Defense. This briefing is a continuation of the House Armed Services Committee’s robust oversight of U.S. lethal aid to Ukraine. Briefers presented a battlefield update, status of resupply, status of the Defense Industrial Base, and took questions on the administration’s supplemental appropriations request. On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces held a hearing where members received testimony from Department of Defense officials on the capabilities of the submarine industrial base to meet the strategic objectives of the AUKUS partnership. The hearing highlighted the state of the shipyard industrial base and its ability to support the goals of the AUKUS partnership. In his opening statement Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS) said, “In sum, AUKUS will lead to a more integrated defense ecosystem that counterbalances the threats of strategic competition by harnessing collective capabilities. But we cannot accomplish this without a strong and stable industrial base.” Energy and Commerce On Tuesday, October 24, the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security held a markup to advance solutions that unlock clean nuclear and hydropower energy, protect our electric grid from harmful regulations and supply chain shortages, and preserve people’s access to affordable housing and home appliances. The following legislation was marked up and forwarded to the Full Committee:
 On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Health held a hearing called "Supporting Access to Long-Term Services and Supports: An Examination of the Impacts of Proposed Regulations on Workforce and Access to Care." Members of the Committee heard concerns about how the Biden administration's recently proposed nursing home ratio rule and so-called access rule will harm care for seniors and people with disabilities. As Chair Rodgers said, “We cannot let this rule simply go into effect and watch idly as individuals with disabilities and seniors lose the support they need to maintain their independence. We do not want to see people forced into hospitals for chronic conditions that could have been avoided.”  Financial Services On October 18, the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga (MI-04), and National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The Lawmakers demanded information and records regarding the actions taken by the Biden Administration to allow the Iranian regime easier access to its $6 billion of restricted funds in exchange for the release of American prisoners and $10 billion paid by Iraq in exchange for Iranian electricity.  On October 20, following the unprovoked attack on Israel by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists, Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee—led by Subcommittee Chairman Luetkemeyer—announced Committee Republicans’ comprehensive response, including legislation to further penalize Hamas and Iran for their role in perpetuating violence against Israeli civilians and oversight to examine the current state of sanctions against the Iranian regime. On October 20, House Financial Services Committee Chairman McHenry and Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Subcommittee Chairman Andy Barr (KY-06) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The letter presses the GAO to examine the role U.S. federal banking agencies played in work at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to develop the recent Basel III Endgame proposal, which calls for massive increases in capital requirements for already well-capitalized U.S. financial institutions. On October 24, Subcommittee Chairman Andy Barr (KY-06) released a statement on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and Federal Reserve Board's Final Rule on Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Regulations. Subcommittee Chairman Barr specifically notes that the rule, “is under analyzed, not forward-looking, and will only lock in the status quo,” and, “may be abused by activists and politically unaccountable regulators.” On October 25, Committee Vice Chairman French Hill (AR-02) and Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) reintroduced their bipartisan Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act, which would require the Department of the Treasury to brief Congress on the finances of Iranian leadership and require financial institutions to close accounts connected to these individuals. The legislation will also provide a valuable window into the corrupt business practices of Iran’s top kleptocrats and limit their financial holdings which are used to support and sponsor terrorism. On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion, led by Chairman Hill, held a hearing called "Modernizing Financial Services Through Innovation and Competition." At the hearing, lawmakers discussed the state of FinTech and the innovative products and services that financial technology enables for consumers. On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, led by Chairman Luetkemeyer, held a hearing called "How America and Its Allies Can Stop Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran from Evading Sanctions and Financing Terror." At the hearing, lawmakers questioned witnesses on Iran’s role in financing the ongoing war against Israel and recommendations to stymie the Iranian regime’s efforts.  On Thursday, October 26, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led by Chairman Huizenga, held a hearing called "Moving the Money: Understanding the Iranian Regime’s Access to Money Around the World and How They Use It to Support Terrorism." At the hearing, the lawmakers examined how restricted Iranian funds are held around the world and how the Iranian regime accesses them, the genesis of the $6 billion used as negotiating terms to release hostages in Iran, and how the Biden Administration helped the Iranian regime more easily access an additional $10 billion paid by Iraq for electricity.  Foreign Affairs On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Oversight & Accountability held a hearing called "The Global Engagement Center: Helping or Hurting U.S. Foreign Policy." The State Department's Principal Deputy Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center (GEC), Daniel Kimmage, testified before the committee to help Congress examine whether the GEC's actual operations align with its intended mission of countering disinformation abroad. Congress must ensure that the GEC, which is up for reauthorization next year, is advancing U.S. foreign policy efficiently and effectively. On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere held a hearing called "The U.S.-Honduras Bilateral Relationship: Analyzing the Socialist Government of President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya." Members gained insight from State Department and USAID witnesses on the U.S-Honduras bilateral relationship, illegal migration, and Honduras’s recent change in recognition from Taiwan to China. It’s critical to monitor the socialist government of President Xiomara Castro in Honduras, along with China’s influence in the Western Hemisphere to ensure the security and safety of the US and our partners.    Homeland Security On Monday, October 23, the Committee on Homeland Security obtained documents regarding the abuse of the CBP One app by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ department to release hundreds of thousands of otherwise inadmissible aliens into the United States.  On Wednesday, October 25, the Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing entitled "An Examination of the Iranian Regime’s Threats to Homeland Security." In the first hearing held by the House of Representatives since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, members questioned witnesses in order to examine and assess the threats posed by the Iranian regime to U.S. homeland security and that of our partners.   On Wednesday, October 25, the Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing entitled "Evaluating Federal Cybersecurity Governance." Members inquired about the status and measure of success of CISA’s current federal cybersecurity programs. Natural Resources On Tuesday, October 24, the Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee markup on the following bills:
On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on the following bills:
On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held a legislative hearing on the following bills:
   Oversight and Accountability On Tuesday, October 24, the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services and the Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce held a joint subcommittee hearing called “Oversight of the Internal Revenue Service” with IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel to examine the Internal Revenue Service’s plans to utilize an additional $80 billion in long-term funding allocated by Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. Oversight Committee Republicans outlined their priorities to guard against over-zealous tax enforcement by the IRS, improve customer service, and protect taxpayer data.  On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing called “Faith Under Fire: An Examination of Global Religious Persecution.” Subcommittee members discussed with subject matter experts how the Biden Administration has been largely silent regarding religious persecution globally. Subcommittee members also discussed how the numerous foreign policy blunders of the Biden Administration have emboldened hostile groups around the globe, enabling them to increase their attacks and persecution of religious and ethnic minorities.  On Wednesday, October 25, the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs held a hearing called “The Power of Apprenticeships: Faster, Better Paths to Prosperous Jobs and Less Waste in Higher Education,” to discuss challenges surrounding the rising cost of higher education and examine the importance of apprenticeships and career technical programs as cost-effective solutions to prepare students for the workforce.  Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party On Monday, October 23, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, delivered remarks to 70 university presidents at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Universities, urging the leaders to be clear-eyed about the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party to their universities. On Wednesday, October 25, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo Pacific, today sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, calling on the Navy to speed up the production and sale of weapons Taiwan needs to defend itself in the instance of a Chinese Communist Party invasion, like Harpoon and SLAM-ER missiles.   Small Business    Ways and Means On Tuesday, October 24, the Subcommittee on Work & Welfare held a hearing called "Measuring Poverty: How the Biden Administration Plans to Redraw the Poverty Line and Rob Resources from Rural America." The Official Poverty Measure affects federal funding intended to help millions of families living in poverty through programs such as the Social Services Block Grant, child welfare programs, food stamps, energy assistance, school lunches, and Medicaid, among a slew of others. At a hearing of the Ways and Means Work & Welfare Subcommittee, witnesses testified that changing the current poverty measure in ways the Biden Administration has sought to undertake, will hurt poor families living in low-income and rural states, while ballooning taxpayer spending by up to $124 billion. Members urged the Biden Administration not to play politics with programs designed to help low-income Americans and reject this misguided proposal.  On Wednesday, October 25, the Committee on Ways and Means held a full committee hearing called "Educational Freedom and Opportunity for American Families, Students, and Workers." At a hearing on empowering parents to choose the school that best fits their child’s needs, witnesses shared powerful stories of how more educational options changed the course of their lives, created better educational options for their kids, and helped their fellow Americans learn the skills and enter the workforce. Members and witnesses discussed how expanding the potential uses of 529 education savings accounts to cover expenses like books, tutoring to help students catch up after online school, educational therapies for students with disabilities, and homeschooling costs, can help the wave of families who are searching for educational alternatives after multiple years of virtual learning exposed the failures of our nation’s schools. Beyond K-12 education, members also explored allowing parents and students to pay for a skilled labor or licensing program with a 529 account to end America’s shortage of skilled labor.  On Thursday, October 26, the Subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing called "One Million Claims and Growing: Improving Social Security’s Disability Adjudication Process." More than 1 million Americans are stuck in the Social Security disability claim backlog. At a Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee hearing, members urged the Social Security Administration (SSA) to significantly speed up processing times. Witnesses shared examples of how the Social Security Administration fails to use tools it already has, including the agency’s continued use of labor data from 1977 despite spending $300 million to upgrade that information, removing pandemic-era efficiencies, not updating cases in an online portal leading to long wait times for beneficiaries calling the 1-800 customer service line, and sitting on system automation after more than a decade of review.  |