Press Releases
Committee Cliff Notes: Weekly Recap – Week of June 3, 2024
Washington,
June 6, 2024
Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:
Appropriations On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Homeland Security held a markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 Homeland Security Bill. Led by Subcommittee Chairman Mark Amodei, Appropriators marked up the FY25 Homeland Security Bill, which directly targets the Biden Administration’s neglect of the chaos at our southern border and provides necessary resources for the hardworking men and women of DHS who keep our country safe. The bill provides $600 million for border wall construction, sustains funding for 22,000 Border Patrol agents, and devotes $4.1 billion for custody operations, which is more than ever previously appropriated, to fund 50,000 detention beds. On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs held a markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Bill. The Subcommittee marked up its Fiscal Year 2025 bill, drafted by the Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart. The bill fights to advance global freedom, reinforces strong solidarity with our allies, and holds wasteful international organizations accountable. The bill continues to establish American leadership across the globe.   On Wednesday, June 5, the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government held a markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Services and General Government Bill. Subcommittee Chairman Dave Joyce ushered his FY25 bill through subcommittee. The bill provides the resources necessary to protect the integrity of our financial and judicial systems. At the same time, this bill reins in wasteful spending and takes steps to prevent agencies like the IRS from unfairly targeting hardworking Americans. Armed Services The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act is focused on improving the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families. The FY25 NDAA gives junior enlisted servicemembers a 19.5% pay raise; boosts funding for housing maintenance accounts; expands access to specialty medical care providers and supports employing more mental health providers; expands DoD programs that help military spouses find and retain employment; and improves access to childcare by mitigating staffing shortages and fully funding fee assistance programs.  The FY25 NDAA restores the focus of our military on lethality by requiring military promotions to be based on merit; ending affirmative action at service academies; abolishing DEI bureaucracy at DoD Schools; and preventing a military Green New Deal.  Deterring China is the greatest challenge our nation faces. The FY25 NDAA prevents CCP espionage in our military, supply chain, and research institutions; expedites the fielding of innovative technologies; bolsters Taiwan’s defense; supports our Indo-Pacific allies and partners; and increases funding for U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific.  Budget   Education and the Workforce On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing called "The Consequences of Biden's Border Chaos for K-12 Schools." The flood of illegal aliens across the Southern Border is a lose-lose-lose situation—for the school districts stretched thin, for the taxpayers footing the bill, and for the young migrants themselves. Republicans used this hearing to highlight the horrendous effects Biden’s border chaos has had on K-12 students. The Committee’s Ranking Member asked a gotcha question that backfired when he asked if the witnesses support increases in funding. “NYC spends $39,000 per child. We don’t need more resources … We are number one in funding but middle of the pack in learning outcomes for children,” responded Mrs. Egorov. “I’m never going to advocate for more spending when it’s not going to solve the problem itself,” replied Ms. Rodriguez. “I don’t believe it’s additional funding. We have good funding in Orange County as well,” added Ms. Barke. It’s not a funding issue. If the Biden administration continues to fail to secure the border, children will continue to be exploited and taxpayer dollars will continue to be abused.    Energy and Commerce On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security held a hearing called "Powering AI: Examining America’s Energy and Technology Future." Members discussed the importance of reliable energy for maintaining American technology and manufacturing leadership. As new technologies emerge, we must ensure the United States can meet the energy needs of these technologies, while continuing to maintain an affordable, reliable electric grid.   On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing called "Oversight of 340B Drug Pricing Program." Members discussed the state of the 340B program and whether it is meeting its intended mission and goals. The 340B Program was created by Congress to ‘enable covered entities to stretch scarce federal resources to reach more eligible patients and provide more comprehensive services.’ However, a lack of transparency, paired with explosive program growth has undermined the effectiveness of the 340B program, leading to patients not reaping the benefits of this program. Financial Services  On Wednesday, June 5, the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion, led by Chairman French Hill (AR-02), held a hearing called "Next Generation Infrastructure: How Tokenization of Real-World Assets Will Facilitate Efficient Markets." Lawmakers explored where it makes sense for the consideration of tokenization to be utilized and the necessary regulatory and legal considerations that have to be amended or considered in order to make that more of a reality.   Foreign Affairs On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Oversight & Accountability held a hearing called "Money is Policy: Assessing Shortcomings in the State Department’s Foreign Assistance Grants Process." During the hearing, Members questioned witnesses on the impact of American taxpayer dollars on foreign assistance projects and pathways to promote greater transparency while combatting Biden administration efforts to politicize the foreign grant process.    Homeland Security On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology held a hearing entitled, “Stakeholder Perspectives on OSHA’s Proposed Rule to Update the Fire Brigades Standard.” Members heard stakeholder perspectives on OSHA’s proposed rule to replace the Fire Brigades standard to provide workplace protections for all personnel who respond to emergencies as part of their regular duties. Witnesses testified to the need for updates to the Fire Brigades standard, while also acknowledging the rule’s potential impacts to local fire services.  On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security held a hearing entitled, “Combating the Gray Zone: Examining Chinese Threats to the Maritime Domain.” In this hearing, members examined ways the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard can combat growing maritime threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party, which continues to test the Biden administration and our allies through acts of gray-zone aggression in the Pacific.  Judiciary On Tuesday, June 4, the Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing called "Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice," to examine how the DOJ has become politicized and weaponized under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland.    Natural Resources On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held an oversight hearing titled “Examining the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Forest Service.” The USFS FY 2025 budget request seeks more taxpayer funding requests in return for less acres of forest land being treated and properly managed. USFS has struggled to confront the agency's myriad of challenges, most notably a lack of forest management leading to our current historic wildfire crisis. Burdensome regulations and frivolous litigation remain the primary obstacles hindering better forest management outcomes. Meanwhile, the wildfire crisis continues to destroy lives and property, degrade air and water quality and irreparably damage millions of acres of forest land and wildlife habitat. At the hearing, committee members expressed further displeasure with the agency’s mismanagement of our federal forests including missed timber targets, diminishing access, and the Biden administration’s failure to confront the crisis at our southern border. On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on the following bills:
On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held an oversight hearing titled “Biden’s Border Crisis: Examining Efforts to Combat International Criminal Cartels & Stop Illegal Drug Trafficking Targeting Indian Country.” In a recent Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on April 10, 2024, witnesses provided shocking testimony depicting a dire situation in Indian Country. Criminal cartels have placed tribes under constant threat and enlisted tribal and non-tribal residents to distribute illegal drugs within Indian communities. Fentanyl and meth are poised to devastate entire Indian communities, leading to rampant addiction and overdoses and an increase in violent crimes such as homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault and robbery. This hearing examined the challenges and opportunities for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security to collaborate with tribal and local law enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute cartel activities on Indian lands, ensuring these communities are secured and protected against coercive activities.    Oversight and Accountability On Monday, June 3, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing called "A Hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci." Members held Dr. Fauci to account for pandemic-era failures and questioned his facilitation and promotion of a singular COVID-19 narrative, his clearly misleading statements before Congress and the public, and his gross mismanagement of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. During the hearing, Dr. Fauci reaffirmed shocking testimony that the “six feet apart” social distancing recommendation that he promoted was arbitrary, not based on science, and “sort of just appeared.” This week, the House Oversight Committee, along with the House Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees, sent criminal referrals to the Department of Justice recommending Hunter and James Biden be charged with making false statements to Congress about key aspects of the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden. These false statements implicate Joe Biden’s knowledge of and role in his family’s influence peddling schemes and appear to be a calculated effort to shield Joe Biden from the impeachment inquiry.   Rules On Monday, June 3, the Rules Committee considered two bills focused on supporting military personnel and sanctioning the International Criminal Court for their assault on Israel’s sovereignty. The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act ends wasteful government spending on radical programs and instead supports those who serve. This legislation reaffirms our commitment to veterans and upholds American values and principles. The committee also considered the Illegitimate Court Countertraction Act that requires the President to impose sanctions on ICC officials who are attempting to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute U.S. citizens, or citizens of a U.S. ally country.
   Science, Space, and Technology On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing called "An Overview of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2025." Dr. Rick Spinrad, NOAA Administrator, joined to discuss how the FY25 budget request advances NOAA’s core mission of protecting lives and property and discussed with members specific research areas NOAA is prioritizing to improve both short-term and long-term weather forecasting. Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party On Monday, June 3, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, alongside U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Coons (D-DE), sent a letter to MSCI's President outlining significant concerns after the firm removed its forced labor red flag for Volkswagen's factory in China. On Tuesday, June 4, the Select Committee held a bipartisan press conference to commemorate the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre titled "Tiananmen at 35 - The Ongoing Struggle for Human Rights and Democracy in China". On Wednesday, June 5, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released a statement on the appointment of Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) to serve on the Select Committee. On Thursday, June 6, in two letters to the Department of Homeland Security, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), alongside U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), House Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), revealed shocking new evidence implicating major Chinese battery manufacturers, Gotion and CATL, in Chinese Communist Party state-sponsored slave labor and the ongoing Uyghur genocide. Despite CATL and Gotion holding these ties to Chinese paramilitary organizations and state-sponsored slave labor programs, the companies have operated and expanded their presence in the United States.    Small Business On Tuesday, June 4, the Committee on Small Business held a full committee hearing called "Weaponizing Federal Resources: Exposing the SBA’s Voter Registration Efforts." During the hearing, members heard how the Small Business Administration has strayed from its mission to support small businesses and is now engaging in electioneering efforts in Michigan.    Transportation and Infrastructure On Tuesday, June 4, Committee members received a briefing by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker on Boeing’s plan to improve manufacturing processes and aircraft conformity.  Veterans Affairs On Tuesday, June 4, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a full committee oversight hearing titled “Bonus Blunder: Examining VA’s Improper Decision to Award Senior Executives Millions in Incentives.” The Full Committee conducted an oversight hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs recent critical skills incentive bonus scheme, which included testimony from the VA Secretary Denis McDonough and the VA Inspector General Michael Missal. The VA Secretary’s undersecretaries, Mr. Josh Jacobs (VBA) and Dr. Sheeref Elnahal (VHA), improperly authorized over $10 million dollars in bonuses to DC bureaucrats without regard for merit or any reasonable justification. These critical skills incentives were meant for frontline healthcare and benefits support staff, outside the beltway, who are critical to VA’s mission following implementation of the PACT Act. House Republicans demanded Secretary McDonough and the Biden administration hold its VA undersecretaries accountable for this coordinated bonus distribution effort as veterans and VA employees have completely lost trust in VA leadership. This hearing is part of the Committee's ongoing investigation into this failure by the Biden administration and their refusal to hold VA employees who are not serving veterans with the level of respect and service they have earned accountable. Ways and Means On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing titled “The Social Security Trust Funds in 2024 and Beyond.” By the end of the decade, Social Security is scheduled to cost more than all discretionary spending, including the nation’s national defense. When the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund is totally exhausted as is expected to occur in 2033, seniors will face at least a 20 percent cut in benefits. Meanwhile, President Biden’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025 would further weaken the program and put hard-earned benefits in jeopardy with a $17 billion cut in revenue to the OASI Trust Fund.  On Tuesday, June 4, the Subcommittee on Work & Welfare held a hearing titled “Reforming Unemployment Insurance to Support American Workers and Businesses.” In the wake of the waste and fraud that characterized the unemployment insurance (UI) program during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has the opportunity to prevent a repeat of this theft of taxpayer dollars and strengthen the program. According to the Government Accountability Office, an estimated $100-$135 billion was lost to UI fraud, meanwhile Democrats are proposing to push the program further from the reach of Congressional oversight by adding it to the list of 80-plus federal welfare programs. Expert witnesses identified key areas ripe for reform in the UI program to make it more efficient and accountable. Strengthening program integrity to prevent future fraud, expanding reemployment services, and ensuring states receive funds intended to help them administer the program were all touted as ways to improve the program.   |