Press Releases
Committee Cliff Notes: Weekly Recap – Week of June 10, 2024
Washington,
June 14, 2024
Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:
Appropriations On Tuesday, June 11, the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies held a markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill. Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris led his FY25 appropriations bill through the subcommittee markup process. This bill strengthens our national security and food supply while rejecting the harmful overreach of the Executive Branch. Critical agricultural investments and America-first policy will better support our rural and low-income communities across the nation.  On Wednesday, June 12, the Appropriations Committee held a full committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs and Homeland Security Bills. The Committee considered and approved the Fiscal Year 2025 State and Foreign Operations and Homeland Security bills. The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Act prioritizes agencies and programs that ensure our national security, safeguard our global economic interests, support our allies and partners, and promote democracy and freedom abroad. The Homeland Security Bill directly addresses the chaos at the southern border by allocating $600 million for construction of the southern border wall, providing the highest level ever appropriated for 50,000 detention beds, and sustaining funding for the hard-working DHS men and women.  On Thursday, June 13, the Appropriations Committee held a full committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense, Financial Services and General Government, and Legislative Branch Bills. The Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense, Financial Services and General Government, and Legislative Branch bills, emphasizing the Committee’s commitment to funding our nation’s needs while exercising fiscal discipline. The Defense bill strategically redirects funds away from unnecessary programs and uses them to counter China and other foreign adversaries. The other bills reign in federal spending and empower Congress to exercise the necessary oversight of various Executive Branch programs.  Armed Services On Friday, June 14, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) released a statement following House passage of H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.  Budget On Thursday, June 13, the Budget Committee held a full committee hearing called "Medicare and Social Security: Examining Solvency and Impacts to the Federal Budget."   Education and the Workforce On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing called "NLRB Overreach: Trampling on Workers' Rights and Fostering Unfairness." The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is one of the most activist federal agencies in the Biden administration. Republicans used this hearing to highlight that under Chairman McFerran, who Biden recently renominated, the NLRB has issued decisions that exceed its authority and unfairly tilt the playing field in favor of labor unions all at the expense of the American worker. On Thursday, June 13, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a full committee markup of the following legislation:
   Energy and Commerce On Wednesday, June 12, the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a full committee markup of 13 Health bills to address waste, fraud, and abuse as well as to help make health care more affordable. The bipartisan slate of bills all passed with overwhelming support.
  On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials held a hearing called "Securing America’s Critical Materials Supply Chains and Economic Leadership." Members discussed the importance of American-controlled critical materials supply chains for important energy and other commercial technologies. Through excessive regulations and other rush-to-green policies, the Biden administration is jeopardizing our supply chains and our national security. If America is going to continue its manufacturing and energy leadership, we must increase our domestic mining and avoid dependence on China. Financial Services On Tuesday, June 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 537, the Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act. U.S. Representative Mike Flood (NE-01) led Republicans on the House floor as lawmakers debated H.R. 537 which would award the Congressional Gold Medal to 60 diplomats posthumously in recognition of their brave and vital service of saving Jews from the Nazis during the Holocaust. On Tuesday, June 11, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) issued a statement after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a notice of proposed rulemaking that would prevent the consideration of medical debt when constructing credit reports, upending American credit and health care systems to score political points. On Wednesday, June 12, the Financial Services Committee held a full committee hearing to conduct oversight of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) failed leadership and toxic workplace culture. Lawmakers heard testimony from FDIC Special Review Committee Co-Chairs Michael Hsu and Jonathan McKernan, as well as independent investigators from Cleary Gottleib, as Republicans dig deeper into the failures of FDIC Chair Gruenberg and misconduct at the agency.  On Thursday, June 13, Chairman McHenry issued a statement after the White House announced its intent to nominate Christy Goldsmith Romero to succeed Martin Gruenberg as Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) following widespread reports of toxic workplace culture and misconduct at the agency under his leadership.  On Thursday, June 13, the Financial Services Committee, led by Chairman McHenry, held a full committee hearing with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra. Republicans took Director Chopra’s CFPB to task for its politicized agenda and unaccountability.  On Thursday, June 13, the House Committee on Appropriations considered Financial Services General Government (FSGG) appropriations legislation at a full committee markup. The fiscal year (FY) 2025 bill includes several Committee Republican priorities to rein in Biden’s rogue financial regulators, restore fiscal responsibility, and protect Americans’ financial privacy. Foreign Affairs On Wednesday, June 12, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a full committee hearing called "Great Power Competition in the Western Hemisphere." During the hearing, members questioned officials from the Biden administration’s State Department on efforts to promote greater collaboration between the U.S. and Latin American partners as America’s adversaries – including the Chinese Communist Party, Russia, and Iran – continue to deepen ties in our hemisphere. Members also underscored the serious failings of the Biden administration to deter our adversaries’ attempts to undermine America in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the administration’s failure to address the southern border crisis.” On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Oversight & Accountability held a hearing called "The Plight of Americans Detained Abroad." During the hearing, members highlighted the cases of Americans – such as journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, humanitarian Ryan Corbett, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan – who are wrongfully detained overseas. The hearing happened the day after a memorial service for Majd Kamalmaz, a humanitarian and psychotherapist, was reportedly killed while being held by the Assad regime in Syria.    Homeland Security On Wednesday, June 12, the Committee on Homeland Security held a full committee markup to consider legislation critical to enhancing the security of the homeland.
  House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence On Tuesday, June 11, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence passed the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, which authorizes funding for the United States Intelligence Community.  Judiciary On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust held a hearing called “Climate Control: Decarbonization Collusion in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing,” to examine whether existing civil and criminal penalties and current antitrust law enforcement efforts are sufficient to deter anti competitive collusion to promote ESG-related goals in the investment industry. On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet held a hearing called “The U.S. Intellectual Property System and the Impact of Litigation Financed by Third-Party Investors and Foreign Entities,” to examine recent developments with respect to intellectual property (IP) litigation financed by third party investors and foreign entities, including the impact of those developments on the U.S. IP system and our national security. On Thursday, June 13, the Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing called "Hearing on the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office," to examine Alvin Bragg's political prosecution of President Trump.    Natural Resources On Wednesday, June 12, the Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee markup on the following bills:
On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing titled “Examining GAO’s Findings to Address Data Gaps and Improve Data Collection in the Territories.” In a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report titled U.S. Territories: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to Better Address Data Gaps, the GAO discovered significant gaps in the existing data. This is primarily because federal agencies do not include the U.S. territories in many statistical products. This hearing was an important step in uncovering the reasons for existing data gaps, to find comprehensive measures to close these gaps in a fiscally responsible manner and ensure data collection by relevant agencies is thoroughly conducted and reported. On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held an oversight hearing titled “Destroying America’s Best Idea: Biden’s Border Crisis, Desecrating National Park Lands and Damaging Communities.” This hearing continued to hold Biden administration officials accountable for this disaster and hear from Brooklyn community members and leaders about the destruction of this beloved local landmark because of Biden's unchecked border crisis. The Committee remains committed to holding the Biden administration accountable for the unprecedented act of housing migrants on National Park Service lands. Oversight and Accountability On Tuesday, June 11, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic conducted a transcribed interview with former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Members and staff pressed Mr. Cuomo to answer questions related to the issuance of deadly guidance that forced New York nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit contagious COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing called "Addressing Oversight and Safety Concerns in the Department of Defense’s V-22 Osprey Program." Members discussed how Department of Defense (DoD) officials have stonewalled congressional oversight into the recent string of deadly Osprey crashes involving U.S. servicemen and women. The members also highlighted the litany of operational issues with the Osprey aircraft and pressed DoD officials testifying before the subcommittee what plans are in place to ensure the viability and safety of the aircraft moving into the future.  On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce held a hearing called "What We Have Here…is a Failure to Collaborate: Review of GAO’s Annual Duplication Report" to examine the effectiveness of federal agencies’ efforts to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse through findings from the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) annual duplication report.  Rules On Tuesday, June 11, the Committee on Rules met on a measure that supports our national defense and servicemembers. The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 authorizes $9 billion in funding for national defense and strengthens U.S. national security. The Committee considered over 1,350 amendments to ensure our servicemen and women have all the tools they need to defend our nation from foreign adversaries. Additionally, the Rules Committee considered two resolutions that hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not complying with committee subpoenas.
   Science, Space, and Technology On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight held a hearing called "Environmentalism Off the Rails: How CARB will Cripple the National Rail Network."On April 27, 2023, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a rule that aims to achieve zero emissions from diesel-powered locomotives and increase zero-emission technology in the rail industry. The hearing focused on the national impact the CARB rule will have and discussed the feasibility of making freight rail zero-emissions should the rule receive a Clean Air Act waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency. On Thursday, June 13, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a full committee markup on the following bills:
 Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party On Wednesday, June 12th, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party co-sponsored the No American Land for the Chinese Communist Party Act alongside Select Committee member Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) to prevent the CCP from purchasing land adjacent to federally owned land. On Wednesday, June 12th, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) today sent a letter to Department of Commerce Under Secretary Kathi Vidal urging the Administration to provide a full accounting of the national security damage already caused by the United States and China's Science and Technology Agreement (STA). Despite the Biden Administration claiming that the STA has resulted in no dual-use technology transfer, we know that the Chinese Communist Party has previously leveraged the STA to advance its military objectives and will do so again. Alarmingly, the Biden Administration has extended the agreement twice. On Thursday, June 13th, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party wrote to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, requesting that the Department consider regulating Chinese drones operating in the United States that pose an espionage, data collection, and national security risk.  Transportation and Infrastructure This week, the House welcomed Rep. Vince Fong (CA-23) to the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee.   On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing called "Recapitalization of the United States Coast Guard." In the afternoon, the Subcommittee on Railroad, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a hearing entitled “Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Oversight: Promoting Performance, Safety, and Accountability.” Subcommittee Members questioned witnesses about the elaborate bonuses that have been awarded to Amtrak executives despite losing roughly $1 billion per year by its own predictions.  On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing to discuss post-pandemic lessons in public transit. In his opening remarks, Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Rick Crawford discussed how high crime rates in major cities are impacting transit ridership. Crawford stated, “The overwhelming sense of fear and danger for many transit users escalates the challenge of increasing ridership to pre-pandemic numbers.” Veterans Affairs On Tuesday, June 11, the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization held an oversight hearing titled “The VA Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System: Mission Accomplished?” During this hearing, the subcommittee examined the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) web-based self-service system that eligible veterans use to submit claims for travel reimbursement when they attend distant medical appointments. The Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS) was launched in 2020 to streamline and automate processing of veterans’ travel reimbursements. According to VA’s testimony and reporting from the VA Office of Inspector General, four years later the system has failed to meet its utilization and auto-adjudication goals. Due to the system’s shortcomings, its budget has tripled and VA has been forced to add 148 employees to process claims manually. In particular, BTSSS is still unable to auto-adjudicate any community care travel reimbursements. Witnesses from the Veterans Health Administration and the VA Office of Information and Technology presented the progress they have made since 2020 but struggled to explain how the system will be able to accomplish VA’s internal performance goals. The witness from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) testified about veterans’ struggles to log into and navigate the BTSSS website, sharing their confusion and frustration. Chairman Rosendale questioned the VA witnesses about whether the system was poorly designed or whether the contractor has failed to perform per its contract. Rep. Self examined how the project’s managers have balanced cost, speed, and quality while seeking to limit improper payments and process veterans’ travel reimbursements in a timely fashion. Rep. Hageman questioned the VA witnesses as to why they implemented the system with so little communication and training offered to the veterans who would be expected to use it. All members expressed frustration that VA mothballed and removed the popular VetLink kiosks, that veterans used to apply for travel reimbursements and perform other functions, from most facilities shortly after introducing BTSSS. The VA witnesses indicated that they have reintroduced the kiosks to a few locations and are exploring a plan to do so on a larger scale. On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held an oversight hearing titled “Does a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) Properly Compensate Today’s Veterans?” The hearing examined whether the TDIU benefit adequately compensates the veterans of today who are unable to work due to the disabilities they have because of service. GOP members discussed how certain key criteria for eligibility for TDIU are vague and as a result VA has issued inconsistent decisions on claims for TDIU for veterans with similar circumstances. GOP members also discussed how VA may award TDIU to veterans who earn income over the poverty level as long as their income is “low income” and in a “protected environment.” GOP members questioned VA what exactly “low income” and “protected environment” means. GOP members emphasized that VA must share with Congress the results of a VA internal study on TDIU that VA has failed to share. And witness testimony revealed that veterans generally wish to reenter the workforce and would benefit from improved access to VA vocational rehabilitation services. On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held a legislative hearing on the following legislation:
On Thursday, June 13, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a full committee oversight hearing titled “A Call to Action: Meeting the Needs of the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCI/D) Veteran Community.” In attendance was the Veterans Health Administration's Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Clinical Services, Dr. Erica Scavella. She was accompanied by Mr. Jeffrey London, Executive Director of the Medical Disability Examination Office at Veterans Benefits Administration. Mr. Steve Bracci, Director of the Claims and Medical Exams Benefits Inspection Division from the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Inspector General (OIG) was also in attendance. The non-governmental witnesses in attendance included: Mr. Robert Thomas, National President and Chairman of the Board at Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA); Mr. Carl Blake, Chief Executive Officer at PVA; Ms. Sonya Sotak, Chief Government Affairs Officer at I AM ALS; and Dr. Jenny Kiratli, Member of the American Federation of Government Employees. VA spoke about the unique challenges that SCI/D veterans face and gave an overview of the VA’s SCI/D system. OIG spoke about the deficiencies in contract disability exam facilities including accessibility challenges and cleanliness of the facilities. PVA spoke about the unique experiences that SCI/D veterans face as well as the staffing shortages at VA SCI/D centers. During opening statements and questioning, Chairman Bost pointed out Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance shortfalls in clinics where paralyzed veterans received disability examinations, and also touched on wait times for the installation of special housing adaptations for paralyzed veterans. Ranking Member Takano spoke on the importance of continued investment in VA's SCI/D system and the need to alleviate staffing shortages at these facilities. Ways and Means On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on Trade held a hearing titled “Looking Beyond 2025 for Trade with Sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti, and Others.” Ahead of the 2025 expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference program, the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee considered potential reforms to help the program better meet the interests of the United States, primarily expanding fair market access for U.S. exporters, like farmers, and combatting China and Russia’s aggressive moves on the African continent. Witnesses at the hearing, including a U.S. exporter and trade experts, urged the Committee to consider reforms to meet these goals, such as resuming the Trump Administration’s free trade agreement negotiations with Kenya, addressing rules governing when countries become ineligible for AGOA based on their per-capita income, and securing U.S. supply chains. The hearing also examined trade preference programs for Haiti, also set to expire in 2025.  On Thursday, June 13, the Committee on Ways and Means held a full committee hearing titled “Crisis on Campus: Antisemitism, Radical Faculty, and the Failure of University Leadership.” College and university leaders and administrators continue to cave to the demands of a loud, radical, disruptive minority on their campuses, putting the safety and security of Jewish students at risk. That was the clear conclusion from Thursday’s hearing that examined the state of antisemitism on college campuses today. One witness, a Cornell student who testified at the Committee’s November hearing about fearing for her life as a Jewish student, shared that antisemitism on campus is now worse than the initial outburst after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. Another witness, a professor at Columbia University, shared his firsthand accounts of how radical students, fueled by the hate taught by radical professors, brought the university to a grinding halt. The hearing is a part of the Committee’s ongoing investigation into several universities regarding their handling of violence and harassment of Jewish students.   |