Press Releases
Committee Cliff Notes: Weekly Recap – Week of December 11, 2023
Washington,
December 15, 2023
Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:
Armed Services On Thursday, December 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act. Chairman Rogers applauded the bill’s passage saying, “Our nation faces unprecedented threats – the National Defense Authorization Act has never been more vital. With today’s passage of the FY24 NDAA, Congress has sent a strong message to our adversaries. The FY24 NDAA provides our military with the vital authorities, resources, and capabilities that our warfighters need to stay ahead of our adversaries. The FY24 NDAA supports our servicemembers, guts Biden’s woke agenda, deters China, and strengthens our military. I urge President Biden to quickly sign this bill into law.” On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces held a hearing to receive updates on the F-35 acquisition program. In his opening statement, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) said, “My friends, the F-35 is a technological marvel but the delays in fielding required capabilities are disturbing. As the Department of Defense’s largest acquisition program, I am committed to providing rigorous oversight to deliver required capability at a reasonable cost.” On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a hearing on perceptions of the military across the media landscape, and how the military services are adapting to generational, societal, and cultural shifts with messaging, advertising, and other efforts to sustain the All-Volunteer Force and increase trust in the institution. In his opening statement, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) said, “I want to understand how each service plans to update their recruiting strategy to address Gen Z expectations, to familiarize a distant public with military service, and to improve servicemember quality of life.” Education and Workforce On Tuesday, December 12, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee markup on the following legislation:
  On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing called "Protecting Workers and Small Businesses From Biden's Attack on Worker Free Choice and Economic Growth." The hearing covered the partisan National Labor Relations Board’s systematic attack against long-standing employee rights. Under the Biden administration, the NLRB has weakened the union election secret ballot process, threatened the franchise model supporting millions of workers, and undermined independent contracting and other nontraditional work arrangements. Committee members took the NLRB to task for its anti-growth, anti-worker, and anti-business policies.  Energy and Commerce On Wednesday, December 13, the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a full committee hearing called "Leveraging Agency Expertise to Foster American AI Leadership and Innovation." Members discussed how America must remain the global leader in artificial intelligence. Members also highlighted how a national data privacy standard is key to protecting Americans’ data as we work to secure American leadership in AI. Financial Services Last week, the Chairman of the Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Subcommittee, Rep. Andy Barr (KY-06), Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-04), and Chairman of the Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion Subcommittee, Rep. French Hill (AR-02), sent a letter to Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Michael Hsu following reports that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) hired an individual with falsified credentials as Deputy Comptroller and Chief Financial Technology Officer. The lawmakers are demanding a briefing from the agency to address concerns related to OCC hiring practices and departmental restructuring in the wake of the former employee’s departure. On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, led by Chairman Ann Wagner (MO-02), held a hearing called "Examining the Agenda of Regulators, SROs, and Standards-Setters for Accounting, Auditing." Members pressed witnesses from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) on the ways these regulators can continue to uphold transparency, accountability, and stability within our markets.  On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, led by Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), held a hearing called "Restricting Rogue-State Revenue: Strengthening Energy Sanctions on Russia, Iran, and Venezuela." Lawmakers questioned witnesses on the ways the United States and our allies can return to an approach of strongly enforcing energy sanctions against these rogue regimes. On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations led by Chairman Bill Huizenga (MI-04), held a hearing called "Moving the Money Part 2: Getting Answers from the Biden Administration on the Iranian Regime’s Support of Terrorism." This hearing builds upon prior efforts from members to investigate how the Iranian regime accesses money around the world due to relaxed sanction enforcement and waivers.   Foreign Affairs On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Oversight & Accountability held a hearing called "Reviewing the Bureau of Industry and Security, Part II: U.S. Export Controls in an Era of Strategic Competition." During this hearing, Members examined the Bureau of Industry & Security’s lack of oversight of the export of national security technologies to CCP-controlled companies, which is in-turn fueling the growth of the CCP’s military. During his opening statement, Chairman Mast said, “The Bureau of Industry & Security is tasked with keeping American technology out of the hands of our adversaries via export controls, and any failure to do so… is largely the failure of the Office of the President and their failure to use this tool to actually counter China.” On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Europe held a hearing called "Addressing the Scourge of Anti-Semitism in Europe." Members engaged with a panel of expert witnesses on how anti-Semitism is manifesting, particularly after the horrific October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, and heard recommendations on how the issues can be addressed. On Wednesday, December 13, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a full committee markup on the following legislation:
   Homeland Security On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection held a hearing entitled, “Considering DHS’ and CISA’s Role in Securing Artificial Intelligence.” During this hearing, members and witnesses discussed DHS' responsibilities related to the Biden administration’s new executive order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence through CISA. On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence held a hearing entitled, “From Festive Cheer to Retail Fear: Addressing Organized Retail Crime.” This hearing highlighted the rise in organized retail crime across the country, often conducted by national and international criminal enterprises—including cartels—and the soft-on-crime policies that have incentivized this dangerous trend.  On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability held a hearing entitled, “Censorship Laundering Part II: Preventing the Department of Homeland Security’s Silencing of Dissent." Members examined the Department of Homeland Security’s role at the center of a federal government scheme to censor the voices of Americans online.  House Administration On Tuesday, December 12, the Committee on House Administration held a full committee hearing titled, “Looking Ahead Series: Oversight of the Smithsonian Institution,” with Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch III testifying. It has been three years since the Committee has held a wide-ranging oversight hearing of the Smithsonian.   House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence While members of the House continue to consider the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s bipartisan bill to extensively reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and reauthorize FISA Section 702, a short-term extension of FISA authorities was approved by Congress this week to ensure no disruption in our intelligence collection against foreign threats to the United States. This week, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2024, which included HPSCI's bipartisan Intelligence Authorization Act.  Judiciary On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet held a hearing called “Digital Copyright Piracy: Protecting American Consumers, Workers, and Creators,” to examine digital copyright piracy today, with an emphasis on solutions for online piracy of audiovisual works such as movies, TV, and live sports and entertainment on illegal download and streaming sites. On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held a hearing called “Second Amendment Rights Empower Women's Rights,” to examine how firearms ownership empowers women across America and assists in self-defense as violent crime continues to plague the nation.   Natural Resources On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held an oversight hearing titled "The Mineral Supply Chain and the New Space Race.” Critical minerals are essential to our supply chains and our national security. This hearing focused on the future issues related to mining critical minerals in space. The hearing featured experts on the topics who discussed with members the issues related to the technology needed to advance this new system of mining as well as the importance of what will be the next space race. On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on the following bills:
On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing titled “Left in the Dark: Examining the Biden Administration’s Efforts to Eliminate the Pacific Northwest’s Clean Energy Production.” For years left wing environmentalists have tried to shut down the lower snake river dams in Washington, this decision would have devastating consequences for the energy supply in the Pacific Northwest. The hearing focused on the impacts breaching the dams would have on the region and how important it is to reverse this decision. Earlier this year, committee members traveled to Richland, Wash. and held a field hearing on the importance of these dams to river commerce and reliable power.   Oversight and Accountability On Tuesday, December 12, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a full committee hearing called "Full Committee Member Day." The committee heard from members about their legislative proposals. On Wednesday, December 13, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing called "Reforming the WHO: Ensuring Global Health Security and Accountability." Members examined the effectiveness of the World Health Organization, assessed its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and explored areas for improvement. Rules The House Rules Committee held a markup for H. Res. 918, a resolution directing a framework for continued impeachment inquiry investigations. Members highlighted how the action, which follows precedent and upholds the House's constitutional authorities, supports transparency and accountability and enables subpoena enforcement. They reiterated the tenets of the measure: determining a process, asserting Article I responsibilities, and charting a path forward that unveils facts to the public. They also underscored the Republican commitment to fighting executive branch overreach, with H.R. 357 and H.R. 1147. They noted how the measures address the creep of the administrative state—both by instituting increased oversight into rulemaking and empowering schools—not Washington bureaucrats—to provide more nutritious dairy products to our students.    Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party On Tuesday, December 12, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party adopted nearly 150 policy recommendations in a bipartisan report that outlines a strategy to fundamentally reset the United States' economic and technological competition with the People's Republic of China and advance America’s interests. On Wednesday, December 13, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party held a hearing called "CCP Transnational Repression: The Party’s Effort to Silence and Coerce Critics Overseas.” In the hearing, Members heard harrowing firsthand stories of the CCP's intimidation targeting dissidents and activists here in the United States from Ms. Anna Kwok and Mr. Jinrui Zhang, and heard testimony from human rights expert, Dr. Sophie Richardson.   Small Business On Tuesday, December 12, the Committee on Small Business held a full committee hearing called "A Year in Review: The State of Small Business in America.” During this hearing, members heard from small business owners about issues affecting their businesses and potential ways to address those issues.    Transportation and Infrastructure On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management held a hearing focused on ensuring transparency in the GSA’s site selection for the FBI Headquarters. Subcommittee members asked witnesses from GSA and the FBI about the process and factors considered in choosing a location for the FBI’s new headquarters.   On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing on the Coast Guard’s national security missions. The hearing focused on the Coast Guard's military, regulatory, and law enforcement abilities in the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions. On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act oversight hearing with Biden appointed surface transportation officials. The hearing was the first time since 2019 that the Subcommittee heard from any modal administrators, and members pressed them about issues related to IIJA implementation.  The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment continues to hold hearings in preparation for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2024. On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee held a hearing focused on proposals for WRDA 2024 and stakeholder priorities. Veterans Affairs On Tuesday, December 12, the Subcommittee on Health held an oversight hearing titled “SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grants: Saving Veterans’ Lives Through Community Connection.” This hearing focused on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. It covered the program's role in assisting veterans and their families through various services, such as outreach, suicide prevention, VA connections, and broader mental health care access. Three nonprofits including Boulder Crest Foundation, America's Warrior Partnership, and Sheppard Pratt discussed their organizations' suicide prevention efforts and their effectiveness in helping veterans and their families. Both the nonprofits and the VA's Assistant Undersecretary for Health for Clinical Services highlighted areas where the grant program could be enhanced and offered suggestions for improving both the program and the outcomes for grantees and the veterans they assist. Ways and Means On Wednesday, December 13, the Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing called "Growth of the Tax-Exempt Sector and the Impact on the American Political Landscape." At a hearing of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, members focused on the total lack of transparency surrounding how money from foreign nationals can influence the American political system when funneled through 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations. Currently, these nonprofit organizations are not required to disclose donations from foreign sources, allowing millions of dollars from foreign nationals to move through the political system without a trace. One Swiss billionaire alone donated over $200 million to political groups that the New York Times found “helped Democrats in their efforts to win the White House and control of Congress.” These organizations include parts of the Arabella Advisors network – a for-profit philanthropy and nonprofit management consulting company that has been described by The New York Times as a leading vehicle for “dark money” on the left.   |