Press Releases
Committee Cliff Notes: Week of May 6, 2024
Washington,
May 11, 2024
Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:
Appropriations On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a public witness hearing called "American Indian & Alaska Native: Day 1, Morning Session." On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Subcommittee invited American Indian and Alaska Native leaders and stakeholders to discuss important topics facing their communities. Subcommittee Chairman Simpson reaffirmed the Committee’s longstanding efforts to increase the federal commitment to honor our treaty and trust responsibilities with Indian Country. On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs held a budget hearing called "Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporations." The CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation met with the Subcommittee to discuss the agency's efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy. Rep. Juan Ciscomani focused his line of questioning on our critical mineral supply chain, highlighting the need to end our reliance on China. On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government held a budget hearing called "Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Internal Revenue Service." In his first Subcommittee hearing as Financial Services and General Government Chairman Rep. Dave Joyce questioned Commissioner Danny Werfel on the IRS’s duplicative programs, particularly the wasteful Direct File system. Other questions focused on the Agency’s slow turn around times and efforts to improve customer service. On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies held a budget hearing called "Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Drug Enforcement Administration." The Administrator of the DEA addressed the issues and concerns of the Subcommittee Members, including the influx of fentanyl coming across our border and the role China is playing to facilitate the crisis.  On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and Related Agencies held a public witness hearing called "American Indian & Alaska Native: Day 1, Afternoon Session." On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a public witness hearing called "American Indian & Alaska Native: Day 2, Morning Session." On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies held a budget hearing called "Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of Commerce." Appropriators pressed the Commerce Secretary on the Department’s efforts to protect U.S. intellectual property (IP) and innovation amid increased efforts by adversaries to steal America’s IP. Many Members discussed the implications of the influx of illegal immigrants on the 2023 census, noting the crisis could affect Congressional representation.  On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing called "Member Day." To ensure that Members have an opportunity to provide input into the annual appropriations process, the Committee held a Member Day hearing. On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a public witness hearing called "American Indian & Alaska Native: Day 2, Afternoon Session." Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) introduced the Servicemember Quality of Life Act which will serve as the base text for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The FY25 NDAA will improve the quality of life for servicemembers and their families by increasing pay, fully funding housing maintenance accounts, expanding access to healthcare and childcare, and providing employment support for military spouses. More information on how the FY25 NDAA will improve the quality of life for servicemembers and their families can be found HERE.  In the FY24 NDAA, House Republicans successfully fought to restore the focus of our military on lethality by gutting Biden’s DEI bureaucracy, prohibiting funding for Critical Race Theory, eliminating funding for the politically biased Countering Extremism Working Group, and enacting a Parents Bill of Rights for parents of children at DoD schools. A one pager can be found HERE.  Following news that the Biden administration is withholding arms shipments to Israel, U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released a statement saying, “We are appalled that the administration paused crucial arms shipments to Israel. Withholding arms to Israel weakens Israel’s deterrence against Iran and its proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. Moreover, this disastrous policy decision was undertaken in secret and deliberately hidden from Congress and the American people. At a time when Israel continues to negotiate in good faith to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, the administration’s shortsighted, strategic error calls into question its ‘unshakeable commitment’ as an ally. The administration must allow these arms shipments to move forward to uphold the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and ensure that Israel can defend itself and defeat Hamas." Budget On Wednesday, May 8, the Budget Committee held a full committee hearing called "The Cost of the Border Crisis."   Education and the Workforce On Tuesday, May 7, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee hearing called "Examining the Education Department's Policies, Priorities, and FY 2023 Financial Audit Failure." During this hearing Chairwoman Foxx again called on Secretary Cardona to resign and pressed him on whether he would forgive the student loans of antisemitic campus protestors. This hearing also gave Members the opportunity to highlight the Department of Education’s many failings including: failing to combat antisemitism engulfing, transferring student loan debt to taxpayers and snubbing SCOTUS, botching FAFSA, crushing women's rights, and failing an audit two years in a row.  On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing called "Confronting Pervasive Antisemitism in K-12 Schools." One of the most shocking and disheartening consequences of October 7: the rise of antisemitism in K-12 schools. A day before the hearing Biden warned about the “ferocious” surge in antisemitism across the U.S. This hearing bolstered that statement. Members questioned the heads of three school districts for being hotbeds of antisemitism, challenged district leaders to explain why bad actors have not been held accountable, and urged leaders to create safer environments for Jewish students.   Energy and Commerce On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials held a hearing called "EPA’s RMP Rule: Failures to Protect the American People and American Manufacturing." Members discussed the EPA’s new RMP rule which is expensive, over-the-top, and not rooted in reality. The rule would further harm U.S. manufacturing and reduce our ability to make products necessary for modern life, costing businesses over $250 million per year.  On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing called "Examining Accusations of Ideological Bias at NPR, a Taxpayer Funded News Entity." NPR is entrusted with Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. Serious allegations from a then-senior editor who spent decades at NPR reveal NPR engages in viewpoint discrimination and ideological bias that caters to a narrow, leftwing audience. Members discussed ways to return NPR to its core mission and represent the viewpoints of all Americans.  On Friday, May 10, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a field hearing in Bakersfield, California, called "Perspectives from the Fields: The State of Rural Broadband in America." Members discussed the importance of rural broadband.
 Financial Services On Monday, May 6, Representative Mike Flood (NE-01) appeared before the House Committee on Rules to speak in support of his resolution, H.J.Res. 109, “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to ‘Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121.’” H.J.Res. 109 overturns the SEC’s SAB 121 under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, led by Chairman Ann Wagner (MO-02), held a hearing called "SEC Enforcement: Balancing Deterrence with Due Process." Members examined ways to improve the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) enforcement function, which must strike the right balance between deterring and punishing securities fraud, preserving due process rights, and protecting the interests of those who rely on our markets to invest and save for their retirement. On Tuesday, May 7, the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry (NC-10), issued a statement in response to the independent report released today by Cleary Gottlieb regarding allegations of entrenched and widespread misconduct at the FDIC. Notably, Chairman McHenry called for FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg’s resignation in the wake of the report’s publishing.  On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, led by Chairman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), held a hearing called "Mission Critical: Restoring National Security as the Focus of Defense Production Act Reauthorization, Part II." Lawmakers pressed witnesses to gain crucial insight into the factual applications of the DPA. On Wednesday, May 8, Chairman McHenry delivered remarks on the House floor in support of H.J.Res. 109, “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to ‘Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121.’”  On Wednesday, May 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Representative Flood’s bipartisan H.J.Res. 109, “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to ‘Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121.’” By overturning SAB 121, the bipartisan resolution ensures consumers are protected by removing roadblocks that prevent highly regulated financial institutions and firms from acting as custodians of digital assets.  Foreign Affairs On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations held a hearing called "Brazil: A Crisis of Democracy, Freedom, & Rule of Law?" During the hearing, members examined the human rights violations in Brazil, especially judicial malfeasance and government crackdowns on freedom of expression and freedom of the press. On Tuesday, May 7, the Foreign Affairs Committee held a full committee hearing called "Reviewing DFC’s Efforts to Out Compete China’s BRI." During the hearing, members questioned the witness, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation CEO Scott Nathan, about DFC efforts to promote international partnerships with the United States and counter the Chinese Communist Party’s Belt and Road Initiative. The hearing also informed members on the ongoing effort by the committee to reauthorize the DFC this Congress.    Homeland Security On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security held a hearing entitled, “Building the Fleet: Assessing the Department of Homeland Security’s Role in the United States Coast Guard’s Acquisitions Process.” Members received a vital update from the administration and the Coast Guard on these lagging programs, and learned construction on the first new icebreaker will not begin until potentially later this year––even though the ship was supposed to be operational by that time. This delay is concerning, as these ships are crucial to maintaining a presence in the Arctic and defending U.S. sovereignty and freedom of navigation amid increased threats from Russia and China.   On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence held a hearing entitled, “Silent Weapons: Examining Foreign Anomalous Health Incidents Targeting Americans in the Homeland and Abroad.” Experts and former government officials provided testimony regarding anomalous health incidents (AHIs), also known as ‘Havana Syndrome,’ the symptoms of which have been reportedly experienced by an increasing number of Americans that have been targeted abroad and in the homeland.  House Administration On Wednesday, May 8, the Committee on House Administration held a full committee hearing called "Looking Ahead Series: Oversight of the Office of the Clerk."  House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence On Monday, May 6, Congressman Brad Wenstrup, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, moderated a “Beyond the SCIF” panel focused on biosecurity and the weaponization of artificial intelligence in collaboration with the American Enterprise Institute.  At the panel, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner praised Congressman Wenstrup’s leadership on health security and his work on the origins of COVID-19.  Judiciary On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet held a hearing called "Intellectual Property: Enforcement Activities by the Executive Branch" to examine enforcement of intellectual property (IP) in the United States, with a focus on agencies and U.S. government entities charged with IP enforcement-related tasks. The hearing covered a range of topics within the scope of the invited agencies' IP enforcement portfolios. On Tuesday, May 7, the Subcommittee on Responsiveness and Accountability to Oversight held a hearing entitled, "Compliance with Committee Oversight" to examine the compliance of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services with the Committee's document requests and subpoenas. On Wednesday, May 8, the Judiciary Committee held a markup session to consider the following legislation: This markup worked on legislation to enhance the protection of law enforcement officers by imposing stricter penalties for crimes against them as well as provisions relating to the carrying of concealed weapons. On Friday, May 10, the Committee on the Judiciary held a field hearing in Sahuarita, Arizona, called "The Biden Border Crisis: Arizona Perspectives," to examine the effects of the current southwest border crisis on Arizona's residents and communities.    Natural Resources On Tuesday, May 7, the Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee markup on the following bills:
On Wednesday, May 8, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing titled “Examining the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Health Service, and Office of Insular Affairs.” The BIA, IHS and OIA all provide services and programs to native communities and Insular areas. This budget hearing allowed members of the subcommittee to hear from the agencies’ leaders and conduct oversight on the agencies' past performance and upcoming priorities for the next fiscal year. Committee Republicans have and will continue to promote responsible operation of these agencies and the programs they administer. Congress must ensure that these agencies provide the services and support intended to the United States’ AI/AN communities and residents of the territories and Freely Associated States.   Oversight and Accountability On Wednesday, May 8, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability canceled its full committee hearing on "Oversight of D.C.’s Response to Unlawful Activity and Antisemitism” after Mayor Bowser finally allowed the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to clear out the unlawful encampment on the George Washington University’s campus just hours before the scheduled hearing. Last week, House Oversight Committee Republicans met with GWU leadership who requested MPD assistance in clearing out the camp. After the meeting, Committee Republicans called on Mayor Bowser and MPD to take action and announced a hearing. The House Oversight Committee will continue to hold D.C. officials accountable to ensure our nation’s capital is safe for all Americans.    Chairman Brad Wenstrup of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic sent a letter to the Department of State to request Secretary Antony Blinken take steps to declassify documents related to the origins of COVID-19 pandemic. Rules On Monday, May 6, the Committee on Rules met on the following measures:
   Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party On Wednesday, May 8, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and colleagues wrote to Air Force and Navy leaders, expressing concerns that U.S. military bases may not be able to defend against growing Chinese military threats. In the letter, the lawmakers highlight preliminary research showing that over the past decade, China built more than 400 hardened aircraft shelters while the United States built just 22 in the Indo-Pacific. On Thursday, May 9, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party launched his first investigation as Chairman alongside Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, demanding answers from Georgia Tech regarding its partnership with Tianjin University, a Chinese university with significant ties to the Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA).  Small Business On Wednesday, May 8, the Committee on Small Business held a full committee hearing called "Stifling Innovation: Examining the Impacts of Regulatory Burdens on Small Businesses in Healthcare." During the hearing, members heard from witnesses how regulatory burdens not only make it more difficult for small healthcare providers to survive, but also create a worse patient experience.    Transportation and Infrastructure On Tuesday, May 7, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a full committee markup to consider:
At the hearing, Members had the opportunity to ask witnesses about the pipeline safety reauthorization and what it means for PHMSA, industry, and the communities where the transportation of our energy products takes place.   Ways and Means On Wednesday, May 8, the Committee on Ways and Means held a full committee markup on the following bills:
 On Friday, May 10, the Committee on Ways and Means held a full committee field hearing in Scottsdale, Arizona, called "Empowering Native American and Rural Communities."   ###
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