[Senate Hearing 117-]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



 
  COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2023

                              ----------                              


                        WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2022

                                       U.S. Senate,
           Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
                                                    Washington, DC.

    The subcommittee met at 2:00 p.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen 
Senate Office Building, Hon. Jeanne Shaheen (Chair), presiding.
    Present: Senators Shaheen, Feinstein, Reed, Schatz, Van 
Hollen, Moran, Murkowski, Collins, Capito, Hagerty, and Braun.

                         DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
                         


              opening statement of senator jeanne shaheen


    Senator Shaheen. Good afternoon. The Subcommittee on 
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will come to 
order.
    We are delighted to have the Secretary of Commerce, Gina 
Raimondo here, to speak to the President's fiscal year 2023 
funding request for the Department. It is great to have you 
back before the subcommittee.
    We have three votes that are supposed to be starting at 
2:30, and in the interest of time I am going to submit my 
opening statement for the record.

    [The statement follows:]
               Prepared Statement of Hon. Jeanne Shaheen
    Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today's hearing to review 
the President's fiscal year 2023 funding request for the Department of 
Commerce. Our witness today is Secretary Gina Raimondo.
    Secretary Raimondo, it's great to see you again.
    At its core, the Department of Commerce's mission is to help 
American workers and businesses thrive.
    To achieve this goal, the Department relies on a talented workforce 
spread across all 50 States, every U.S. Territory, and dozens of 
countries around the world. I want to thank the more than 40,000 
Department employees for their work.
    With its unique tools, the Department is often called upon to meet 
our country's most complex challenges.
    The Department's trade experts enforce sanctions that are the 
lynchpin of our county's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Its 
world-class scientists are on the front lines of responding to the 
climate crisis.
    And the Department's economic development staff are helping 
communities bounce back from the recession caused by the COVID-19 
pandemic. The Department really is America's Swiss Army knife.
    To maintain the Department's diverse capabilities, this 
Subcommittee must ensure that the Department has the resources it needs 
to succeed.
    To that end, the fiscal year 2022 omnibus spending bill included 
$9.9 billion for the Department of Commerce.
    This year, the President's fiscal year 2023 budget request for the 
Department of Commerce is $11.7 billion--an 18 percent increase 
compared to the fiscal year 2022 enacted level for the Department.
    This proposal builds off of the Department's ongoing work to help 
American workers and businesses compete.
    To do so, this budget proposes increasing funding for NIST by 
nearly $240 million.
    This investment would boost advanced manufacturing research and 
strengthen manufacturers around the country--all to support good-paying 
American jobs and improve U.S. competitiveness.
    The budget also proposes a nearly billion dollar increase for the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    With this investment, NOAA will expand climate and weather research 
and operations, upon which New Hampshire's Seacoast communities and 
fisheries rely.
    Turning to international trade, I was especially pleased to see the 
budget propose a $26 million increase to support small- and medium-
sized American businesses through Global Markets at the International 
Trade Administration.
    This is a big deal for small states like New Hampshire, which were 
adversely impacted by the trade policies of the previous 
administration, and are trying to recover as we fight to put COVID-19 
in the rearview mirror.
    Every effort should be made to assist our local businesses.
    When I was Governor of New Hampshire, I led the first trade mission 
outside of North America, so never count the little guy out--we're 
always looking for ways to increase the size of our footprint in the 
global market, and international trade programs allow us to do that.
    And on that note, this office helps American businesses tap into 
new markets abroad. The potential return on investment for this funding 
is enormous.
    In 2020, New Hampshire exported $5.5 billion in goods to the world. 
Increasing that amount by even a fraction would benefit my entire 
State.
    The budget proposal also would strengthen the Bureau of Industry 
and Security's efforts to stop illegal exports to Russia and to enhance 
trade export control partnerships with allies.
    As you know, we included $22 million for these efforts in the first 
Ukraine supplemental appropriations bill, which passed as part of the 
omnibus earlier this year.
    Because the situation with Russia continues to evolve, I would be 
interested in knowing whether the resources requested fully capture the 
Department's needs to administer and enforce the export sanctions.
    Finally, turning to the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, I know that many members of this Subcommittee would 
like an update from our hearing earlier this year regarding the 
Department's progress in administering the broadband programs from the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
    On Monday the White House announced that 20 Internet providers 
committed to reducing prices and increasing speeds for households 
enrolled in the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program.
    This was welcome news for millions of Americans.
    And while the FCC is not under this subcommittee's jurisdiction, as 
an author of the broadband provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure 
law, I was glad to see this progress.
    However, more must be done if we are to truly address longstanding 
issues to close the digital divide and ensure broadband access for 
unserved and underserved regions of the country.
    Secretary Raimondo, as you can see, there is plenty to discuss 
today, and we very much look forward to your testimony.
    With that, I now would like to recognize the CJS Subcommittee Vice 
Chair, Senator Moran, for his opening remarks.

    Senator Shaheen. And Senator Moran is on his way, so we 
will give him the option when he gets here, of either 
submitting for the record, or speaking. But that will allow us 
to move to questions, hopefully, before we get to the votes 
that are being called.
    So with that, Secretary Raimondo, I will turn the 
microphone over to you.
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE GINA RAIMONDO, SECRETARY, 
            DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
    Secretary Raimondo. Okay. Thank you. Good afternoon, and 
thank you, Chair Shaheen, for this opportunity, and to the 
Members of the Committee.
    The priorities funded in this budget build upon the 
investments that you--
    Senator Shaheen. Excuse me, Madam Secretary; maybe you 
could pull the microphone a little closer, so that everyone can 
hear better?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Sorry. Is this better?
    Senator Shaheen. Yes.
    Secretary Raimondo. Much better. Sorry. I apologize.
    Okay. So, as I was saying, the priorities funded in the 
budget build upon the investments that you all enacted in 
fiscal year 2022. And I will say, I am so very grateful for 
your support, as we look forward to accomplishing even more in 
2023.

                      COMMERCE FUNDING PRIORITIES

    The budget request includes $11.7 billion for the 
Department, which is an 18 percent increase above fiscal year 
2022 enacted. And I would just like to go through the six key 
priorities in areas of investment that comprise the $11.7 
billion.
    First, the President's budget strengthens the Nation's 
supply chains by investing in domestic manufacturing. 
Specifically it calls for $1.46 billion to support the work of 
NIST, including $275 million for NIST Manufacturing Extension 
Program (MEP), and $97 million to expand NIST's role in 
Manufacturing USA. This, as you all know, will help small and 
medium-sized manufacturers improve their competitiveness.
    The budget also proposes $16 million to augment the 
Commerce Department's data tools and expertise to support more 
secure and diversified supply chains.
    Second, the budget positions us to compete globally, 
protect our national security, and continue to lead a global 
coalition, united in condemnation of Russia's aggression 
against Ukraine. Specifically, it calls for $630 million for 
ITA to enhance commercial diplomacy, it provides BIS $200 
million to apply and enforce export controls, and strengthen 
efforts to counter new threats from Russia and China.
    Third, the budget invests in equitable and inclusive 
economic growth for all Americans. I believe that America's 
greatest strength and core to our competitive advantage, is our 
diversity. Accordingly, the budget proposes $500 million for 
the EDA to help communities experiencing economic distress take 
control of their future and position themselves for future 
prosperity.
    It also proposes $110 million for the Minority Business 
Development Agency, which will meet the full authorization that 
was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And very 
importantly, for those of you representing rural States, part 
of this funding will be used to open new regional offices, and 
establish rural business centers.
    Fourth, the budget takes historic action to combat the 
climate crisis. It includes $7 billion for NOAA to continue 
providing data, strategies, and expertise necessary to address 
the climate crisis. The request also supports programs to 
catalyze wind energy, restore habitats, protect oceans and 
coasts, and improve NOAA's ability to predict extreme weather 
associated with climate change.
    An area that I know is of interest to this committee, the 
budget also proposes $87 million for the Office of Space 
Commerce. This is a significant increase, and this increase in 
funding will be dedicated to standing up civil operational, 
space situational capability at NOAA.
    Fifth, the budget expands opportunity and discovery through 
data. Timely data is crucial to supporting American 
competitiveness, innovation, and growth. The budget provides 
the Census Bureau with $1.5 billion to continue its 
transformation to a 21st century data-centric model. It also 
calls for $141 million for the Bureau of Economic Analysis to 
support new data on the supply chain, income distribution 
statistics, and the growth in Space Commerce.
    Sixth, and finally, the budget ensures that the Department 
can provide 21st century service to the American people. It 
proposes new funds to enhance our own cybersecurity, and 
increase the diversity and equity of our own workforce.
    Before concluding on this budget, I would be remiss if I 
didn't take just a second to thank you for the $22 million that 
you provided to the BIS in the Ukrainian supplemental to 
implement and enforce the increased export controls on Russia. 
And I would be happy to talk about that today.
    And I would also be remiss if I didn't thank you for your 
work to advance the United States Innovation and Competition 
Act (USICA). I cannot emphasize enough the urgency with which 
we must move to pass USICA. And I will tell you that I and my 
team are fully and totally committed to do anything that we can 
to assist you as you get that critical piece of legislation to 
the President's desk.
    The Commerce Department has key priorities in the bill, 
including the tech hubs, supply chain authorities, and the 
CHIPS funding. And I will say chip manufacturers have made 
clear that they are going to build new chip facilities, the 
question is: Will they be built in the United States of 
America? And the answer will depend on how quickly we can move 
forward with the USICA bill.
    So, I am delighted to be here, and of course happy to take 
all of your questions.

    [The statement follows:]
             Prepared Statement of Secretary Gina Raimondo
    Chair Shaheen, Ranking Member Moran, and members of the Committee, 
thank you for this opportunity to discuss President Biden's fiscal year 
2023 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Commerce. The priorities 
reflected in this Budget build upon the important investments you 
enacted in fiscal year 2022 through annual appropriations, the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Ukraine Supplemental 
Appropriations Act. I am grateful for your support of the Department as 
we look forward to accomplishing even more in fiscal year 2023.
    The President's Budget Request includes $11.7 billion for the 
Department of Commerce, an 18 percent increase above the fiscal year 
2022 enacted level. The investments proposed in this budget will 
position us to continue fulfilling the Department's mission to create 
the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all communities, 
implement the recently published 2022-26 Departmental Strategic Plan 
(Innovation, Equity, and Resilience: Strengthening American 
Competitiveness in the 21st Century), and support the President's 
economic vision for America--to build our economy from the bottom up 
and the middle out.
    Today, I will focus on six key areas of investment within the 
President's Budget for the Department of Commerce.
First, the Budget strengthens the Nation's supply chains by investing 
        in domestic manufacturing.
    Rising costs for working families and ongoing supply shocks 
underscore the urgency of building long-term resilience across critical 
supply chains, strengthening domestic manufacturing, and beginning to 
institutionalize supply chain resilience within the Department of 
Commerce.
    The Budget calls for $1.46 billion to support the work of the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, including $275 
million Manufacturing Extension Program, or MEP, which is an increase 
of $117 million over fiscal year 2022. Today, there are 51 MEP centers 
that work with manufacturers to help them develop new products and 
customers, expand and diversify markets, adopt new technology, and 
enhance value within supply chains. The additional investment in MEP 
will enable the centers and their clients to respond quickly to new 
market opportunities by working at all levels of the supply chain, from 
original equipment manufacturers to suppliers, and with state and 
Federal governments. It will also facilitate initiatives to expand the 
pool and diversity of workers in the manufacturing sector, by 
partnering with workforce organizations to coordinate and tailor 
services to meet the needs of local manufacturers.
    The Budget also includes $97 million to expand NIST's role in 
Manufacturing USA. The U.S. government currently funds 16 Manufacturing 
USA Institutes, one of which is sponsored by the Department of 
Commerce. Each Manufacturing USA Institute is a public-private 
partnership with a distinct technology focus, such as advanced 
composites, additive manufacturing, biofabrication, smart 
manufacturing, and sustainable manufacturing. Each institute works to 
secure the future of U.S. manufacturing through innovation, education, 
and collaboration. With this request, the Department of Commerce will 
maintain funding for our current institute, which focuses on 
biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and sponsor four new Manufacturing USA 
Institutes that will promote collaboration on industry-relevant 
research and development to spur manufacturing innovation in the U.S.
    The Budget also proposes $16.1 million to augment the Commerce 
Department's data tools and expertise to support more secure and 
diversified supply chains. This investment will provide Bureau of 
Economic Analysis (BEA) $5.2 million and 15 positions to better collect 
data on U.S. participation in global supply and distribution chains and 
will provide the International Trade Administration (ITA) $10.9 million 
for 38 positions for additional capacity needed to strengthen supply 
chain resilience by allowing us to track the supply of goods and 
services and respond to acute disruptions.
Second, the Budget positions us to compete globally, protect our 
        national security, and continue to lead a global coalition 
        united in condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
    The Budget calls for $630.8 million for the International Trade 
Administration (ITA), $72 million above the fiscal year 2022 enacted 
level. Within this, the Budget calls for investments to strengthen 
commercial diplomacy in targeted areas of high economic and 
geostrategic value, including the Indo-Pacific region, which will 
assist U.S. companies competing in these important markets.
    The Budget provides the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) 
$199.5 million, representing an increase of $58.5 million, or 41 
percent more than the fiscal year 2022 enacted level, to apply and 
enforce export controls to advance our national security objectives. 
Within this, the Budget includes $36 million to secure the information 
and communications technology and services (ICTS) supply chain and $10 
million in new funding to strengthen national security efforts to 
counter current and emerging threats from Russia and China.
Third, the Budget continues a focus on equitable and inclusive economic 
        growth for all Americans.
    We fail to meet our full potential as a nation if we are not 
investing in all underserved communities, workers, inventors, and 
entrepreneurs.
    The Budget provides $502.5 million for the Economic Development 
Administration (EDA) to help communities experiencing economic distress 
take control of their future and position themselves for economic 
prosperity and resiliency. Within this, the Budget includes $50 million 
for the new Recompete Pilot Program, which will provide grants to 
communities experiencing high prime-age employment gaps. It also 
increases funding for the Assistance to Coal Communities program, to 
continue to assist communities economically impacted by changes in the 
coal industry. The most directly comparable portion of EDA's American 
Rescue Plan Act Coal Communities Commitment was the Economic Adjustment 
Assistance portion, and this was significantly oversubscribed with 
applications totaling more than twice the $200 million in funding 
available. With additional funding, we would be able to better support 
these and so many other communities.
    The Budget proposes $110 million for the Minority Business 
Development Agency (MBDA), double the fiscal year 2022 enacted level, 
necessary to meet the full authorization this Committee put forth in 
the Minority Business Development Act included in the Bipartisan 
Infrastructure Law. This funding will build MBDA's capacity and expand 
existing grant programs, including the flagship business and specialty 
center programs, opening regional offices, and establishing a Rural 
Business Center program.
Fourth, the Budget takes historic action to combat the climate crisis.
    The coast-to-coast devastation caused by extreme weather events has 
been heartbreaking to watch. Extreme winds, tornadoes, hurricanes, 
wildfires, heat, and floods threaten lives, families, homes, and 
businesses. Addressing the climate crisis is an essential component of 
the Department's mission to create the conditions for economic growth 
and opportunity.
    The Budget includes $6.9 billion for the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an increase of $986 million from the 
2022 enacted level to ensure the Department is providing decision-
makers across the public and private sectors with critical, actionable 
data, strategies, and expertise to address the climate crisis. The 
Department will bolster equity in its service delivery to ensure that 
our most vulnerable communities, including tribal, rural, and other 
underserved populations, have access to the information and tools they 
need to make climate- smart decisions. The Budget includes additional 
funding for the Climate Competitive Research Program to provide 
decision-makers with the information and tools they need to respond to 
climate change, and to provide climate change projections out to 2050. 
Our budget request for NOAA also supports programs to catalyze wind 
energy, restore habitats, protect the oceans and coasts, continue 
education and outreach efforts in local communities, and improve NOAA's 
ability to predict extreme weather, including events associated with 
climate change. It also includes $2.3 billion to support the nation's 
weather and space weather satellite enterprise, which is a $667 million 
increase above the fiscal year 2022 enacted level, to ensure the 
continuity of our world-class weather observation capability. The next 
decade is a critical time to address the climate crisis, and with this 
Budget, NOAA has a once in a generation opportunity to advance climate 
resilience and promote economic growth.
    Additionally, the Budget proposes $87.7 million for the Office of 
Space Commerce, a $71.7 million increase above the fiscal year 2022 
enacted level. The U.S. commercial space industry pioneers innovative 
technologies that transform our daily lives, gather critical data, 
enable communications, and help secure the Nation. This significant 
increase in funding for the Office of Space Commerce will be dedicated 
to standing up a civil, operational Space Situational Awareness (SSA) 
capability at NOAA that meets the industry's needs.
Fifth, the Budget expands opportunity and discovery through data.
    The Nation's economy, technology, and demographics are changing 
rapidly and profoundly, making timely data crucial for developing the 
insights needed to support American competitiveness, innovation, and 
growth of quality jobs. The Budget provides the Census Bureau with $1.5 
billion to enable it to continue its transformation from a 20th century 
survey-centric model to a 21st century data-centric model that provides 
more timely and relevant data products to our stakeholders. The Budget 
also calls for $141 million for BEA, $25 million more than the fiscal 
year 2022 enacted level, to support new data on the supply chain, 
income distribution statistics, healthcare spending, and growth of the 
space economy to better inform decision-makers.
Sixth, and finally, the Budget ensures the Department can provide 21st 
        century service to the American public.
    The Budget proposes new funds to enhance cybersecurity and increase 
the diversity and equity of our workforce. It also proposes investments 
to improve technology and customer experience. These investments will 
ensure that the Department can provide best in government services to 
the American public. The mission of the Department could not be carried 
out without our dedicated employees. They have persevered through new 
challenges and emerged more resolute to help the Department achieve new 
heights.
    Together, in the face of extraordinary challenges, we are building 
a 21st century economy that is keeping America competitive globally and 
positioning America's workers and businesses for success. We are 
already witnessing historic levels of job creation and economic growth. 
But there is more work to do. I look forward to working with you to 
enact the President's fiscal year 2023 Budget for the Department of 
Commerce to do that work. I am happy to take your questions.

    Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you very much. Again, when 
Senator Moran arrives we will go to him. But in the meantime we 
will open for questions based on order of arrival; 5 minute 
question rounds. And I want to begin where you concluded, which 
is talking about the action to impose export controls on Russia 
and Belarus in response to their invasion in Ukraine.
    And I know that we provided funding earlier this year in 
the supplemental to help do that, but can you speak to the 
scope of these efforts? How they are progressing? If you see 
any signs that it is having an impact? And then also, what are 
the needs of the Department as we go forward, recognizing that 
the situation is going to be changing? And we need to make sure 
you have the resources you need.

                            EXPORT CONTROLS

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you. So as it relates to the 
scope, the scope is unprecedented, it is broader than anything 
the United States has ever done with respect to export controls 
insofar as the United States, the Department of Commerce led a 
coalition of 37 other countries to join us in aligning our 
export controls.
    And our approach was to deny Russia technology which would 
cripple their ability to continue a military operation and that 
is exactly what we are doing. U.S. exports of technology to 
Russia have fallen by nearly 70 percent since we imposed these 
export controls. And you are starting to see it.
    You see two tank manufacturing facilities have shut--Lada, 
the auto manufacturer, has furloughed workers and closed down. 
I met a few weeks ago with the Prime Minister, and we have 
reports from Ukrainians that when they find Russian equipment, 
military equipment, on the ground, it is filled with 
semiconductors that they took out of dishwashers and 
refrigerators.
    And so, the point is, we are having a very serious effect. 
What we need to do in order to continue this is enforcement, 
enforcement, enforcement.
    As I said, thank you for the resources. We will come back 
to you if we think we need more. I would just say, I am 
extremely proud of the team. And I am deadly serious about 
enforcing, and have been crystal clear, particularly with 
China, that we won't tolerate any circumvention of these export 
controls.
    Senator Shaheen. I am delighted to hear that. And so 
pleased to hear also that you are seeing the impact of what we 
are doing.
    Senator Moran, just so you are up to date on where we are. 
Because of the votes, I submitted my statement for the record.
    Senator Moran. No peer pressure. But I will do the same.
    Senator Shaheen. So I was going to go ahead and finish my 
questions, and then turn it over to you, for either your 
statement, or to start your questioning, whichever you prefer.
    Senator Moran. Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen. I want to go to another issue that I 
recognize you don't have control over, but I do think you have 
an important voice in this discussion. And that is the 
increasing challenges that we are having in New Hampshire, in 
particular industries around workforce.
    It is a general challenge throughout the State, but when it 
comes to our seasonal businesses, the tourism industry, they 
are facing severe workforce challenges, and a key reason for 
that is because of the lack of sufficient H-2B visas being 
available to them.
    And I had the opportunity to ask Secretary Mayorkas about 
this issue last week, and he said that they are moving in the 
Department of Homeland Security with--he used the term 
``lightning speed''--now, I have to say that is a disturbing 
characterization of what has been an alarmingly slow process.
    Tell me what we can do to speed this along? How can your 
agency help us as we try and support those businesses that are 
really desperate for workers? And, you know, we have lost two 
seasons because of the pandemic, our season starts on Memorial 
Day. I know you know this because you were governor of Rhode 
Island, so you were dealing with these same issues. What can we 
do to move this debate?

                   WORKFORCE FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So first of all, I appreciate you 
bringing it up. As you said, Rhode Island is heavily, heavily 
dependent on tourism, particularly in the summer. These 
businesses make all of their living between Memorial Day and 
Labor Day, and they are utterly reliant on visas--short-term 
visas, work visas, student visas.
    So, I sympathize with where you are coming from. As you 
mentioned Secretary Mayorkas, he and Secretary Walsh 
temporarily increased the visas, 35,000 additional. I will tell 
you, I convened the TTAB, the Travel and Tourism Advisory 
Board, and I heard an earful from industry that we need to do 
more, we need to go faster, and we should consider a statutory 
increase on the cap.
    What I am doing, and what I will continue to do even more 
so at your urging, is make sure the voices of industry are 
heard in the administration that we do go faster, but also we 
ought to think about longer term solutions.
    Senator Shaheen. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate 
that and look forward to working on those longer term 
solutions.
    Senator Moran?

                OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR JERRY MORAN

    Senator Moran. Chair, I would ask unanimous consent that my 
opening statement be made a part of the record.
    Senator Shaheen. Without objection.
    [The statement follows:]


 
                    INSERT SENATOR MORAN'S STATEMENT

    Senator Moran. And Madam Chair, I would yield to the 
Senator from Alaska so that you and I can spend time and figure 
out who is going to be chairing when the votes actually occur.
    Senator Shaheen. Very good point. Senator Murkowski.
    Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you 
Senator Moran, appreciate that.
    Madam Secretary, welcome. Good to see you. I want to start 
my questions with fisheries surveys. You know I always want to 
talk about fish first.
    As you are well aware, we are still trying to address this 
mismatch between survey coverage and the stocks that NOAA is 
trying to quantify. Going forward more funding is going to be 
needed to maintain both the historic survey coverage in Alaska, 
and support new survey missions within the North Bering Sea, 
and even the Arctic.
    But I want to thank you and NOAA for the work that you have 
done to prioritize fisheries surveys in the Bering Sea, and in 
the Gulf. And I would ask that you keep us updated on any 
challenges that you may be encountering with regards to this 
year's survey plan.
    We had one vessel, the Oscar Dyson, that was held back a 
little bit, but you know full well we have had the opportunity 
to discuss what happens when we have those gaps in data. Lost 
surveys are more harmful than ever as we are seeing these 
changes in our marine environment. We missed a year of crab 
data in 2020, and then next year the Bristol Bay Red King Crab 
Fishery was closed for the first time in decades. And believe 
me, I am hearing from fishermen and managers on this issue.
    Can you share with me what resources NOAA needs in either 
manned or unmanned technology, to really help us gather this 
data in a more reliable way so that we can work to address 
these challenges that we are seeing with the resources in our 
oceans due to the impact from climate change?

                           FISHERIES SURVEYS

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, thank you. We have talked about 
this. And I have to say, even listening to you, it is tough to 
hear, because slow data, lack of data I know affects people's 
livelihoods. The budget calls for $3.3 million for additional 
resources into the surveys, and we believe that this will help 
us, significantly with our data collection, with the speed with 
which we do it, with the continued modernization with which we 
do the work.
    We are, as you mentioned, un-crewed. We are very definitely 
looking at that, and I think that the team thinks that that has 
great potential in the future. Another thing that we are doing, 
as you know, we have had issues with--mechanical issues with 
vessels, and while it is tough to predict these things, what we 
have instituted now is a kind of a proactive maintenance review 
of the vessels, in an effort to prevent maintenance failures of 
the vessels which was what happening in the past.
    So, I guess what I can tell you is, the investment of the 
millions should help, we are committed to it. And I would just 
ask that we stay in close contact so that I can continue do 
what I can to manage the team.
    Senator Murkowski. Well, we will certainly let you know 
where those issues are arising. I want to shift now to 
broadband. We had the opportunity in the Senate Committee on 
Indian Affairs last week to be able to inquire a little bit 
more from some of your team on the Tribal Broadband 
Connectivity Program.
    We were looking for a little more granularity on the 
program funding levels, and so today I would ask for your input 
here, when you combine the previous appropriations, as well as 
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have got available 
funding for the TBCP at about $3 billion. We also understand 
that the subscription rate is well above $5 billion.
    So what I was hoping to get last week, and what I would ask 
for your help today is, is more details on this difference 
here, between what we have made available, and then really what 
that need is, what that subscription rate is. And when you look 
at redundant applications that have come in, and then the non-
qualifying applications, how does this all factor out?
    So in this year's budget you have asked for about another 
billion, but what I am hoping to understand is how you came to 
this one billion dollar figure. Is it really going to cover the 
difference that we see after you take into account the non-
qualifying applications, the redundant applications, is this a 
space where we think we are actually going to be addressing the 
need?

                               BROADBAND

    Secretary Raimondo. Okay. I tried to capture all that. I 
will follow up with your team to get into the details. I think 
the answer is yes, but I do want to clarify something which is 
very important. The final allocation for Alaska, for all of 
your States, cannot be made until we have the Federal 
Communications Commission, FCC maps.
    Senator Murkowski. And we have talked about those, yes.
    Secretary Raimondo. And the FCC is starting to collect data 
to go into the maps June 30. And they are forecasting possibly 
November for the maps. So, I guess what I am trying to say is, 
our intention is to make sure that every State gets enough 
money so that everyone is covered. And if you have a large, 
unserved population, as you currently do, you will receive, 
more money through the formula, and the intention would be that 
you would, receive enough.
    Also, the program includes a 10 percent set aside for high-
cost locations, and I have to believe, that given your 
geography, it would be a high-cost location. So, in any event, 
I will follow up specifically, but we are very committed to 
making sure whoever is not now served, will get served.
    Senator Murkowski. Thank you for your responsiveness. Thank 
you.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you Senator Murkowski. Senator 
Feinstein.
    Senator Feinstein. Thanks very much, Madam Chairman. And 
welcome.
    As you are aware, job growth has been excellent, however 
the public, I think, is more focused on inflation which has 
been at the highest level since the 1980s. And much of this has 
been brought on by dynamics the administration can't solve in 
the short run, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 
global supply chain crisis, et cetera.
    There has been some debate about whether reducing the 
substantial tariffs the Trump administration put into place, 
would reduce inflation. But whether or not tariffs cause 
inflation, they significantly raise prices on U.S. families and 
businesses, so even if tariffs are not inflation, per se, they 
similarly impact on people's finances.
    I think there may be cases where tariffs can make sense. 
However, the costs we impose are mostly borne by U.S. 
businesses and families, reducing them would leave people more 
resources to deal with rising prices. If so, what is the 
administration's plan to reduce the burden of tariffs?

                                TARIFFS

    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you for the question. Let me say 
since I have been Commerce Secretary, we have been able to 
eliminate the Trump 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from the 
EU, Japan, and the U.K. And I have heard from industries that 
consume steel and aluminum that this has been a benefit.
    What the President has said with respect to the 301 
tariffs, the China tariffs, is that we don't believe Trump's 
process was strategic. And so, as the President said yesterday, 
we right now, as a team, are in the middle of an evaluation of 
those 301 tariffs to see, you know, whether any changes might 
be warranted.
    Obviously, it is the USTR that leads in that effort but, 
the President has been clear, we need to look at every single 
tool in our toolbox to fight inflation. It is the number one 
priority, and so we are looking at it holistically.
    Senator Feinstein. So it is not inconceivable that you 
could reduce tariffs; is that right?
    Secretary Raimondo. It is not inconceivable, right.
    Senator Feinstein. How positive might the thought be?
    Secretary Raimondo. I can't say. I can't say, and I would 
defer to the White House and USTR, but the President has been 
clear that the Trump tariffs imposed on China were not done in 
a thoughtful way, and so we are, as a team, taking a look at it 
and considering a more strategic approach.
    Senator Feinstein. Thank you very much. And I might follow 
up in writing, and perhaps you can inform us with what you do. 
I would appreciate that very much.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.
    Senator Feinstein. Thank you. Thank you Madam Chairman.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you Senator Feinstein.
    Senator Moran.
    Senator Moran. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
    And Secretary, welcome. Thank you for the conversation we 
had when you were working, and I was working on Saturday 
morning last.
    I want to talk about a pilot program, not a pilot program, 
but a program for pilots. Congress provided appropriations in 
the fiscal year 2022 Omnibus Bill to sustain an Aviation 
Ascension Training Program, as authorized in the NOAA 
Commissioner Officer Corps Amendment Act.

                    PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NOAA

    Secretary Raimondo. Okay.
    Senator Moran. So Congress authorized that pilot training 
program for NOAA, what we are really talking about is, 
hurricane hunters; that type of pilot. Last fall I had the 
opportunity to have Rear Admiral Hahn, and the K-State Salina, 
Dean, Dean Starkey, they signed a memorandum of understanding 
to create a unique program involving those two entities to 
train pilots.
    This partnership leverages some existing experience while 
ensuring a pipeline for NOAA to have pilots. NOAA has relayed 
that they are currently working on establishing guidelines and 
regulations to move this program forward. I am not certain that 
you would know about this program, but I am asking you, would 
you share with me when these will be established allowing this 
memorandum of understanding between NOAA and K-State Salina to 
move forward. And if you don't know about it--
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Moran [continuing]. Then the purpose of my question 
is to give you the chance to get acquainted with this topic.
    Secretary Raimondo. Exactly, I will get you an answer, by 
the end of the day. I don't have an answer. I am familiar--I 
have been in a hurricane hunter, and I can tell you we do need 
help upgrading, and getting new ones. But with respect to this 
training program, I have to get you a proper answer.
    Senator Moran. The Senate Commerce Committee worked with me 
to get legislation to increase the pipeline of pilots.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, yes.
    Senator Moran. Which, there is a tremendous shortage 
everywhere, but evident that NOAA, and hugely important. Let me 
ask an anti-circumvention inquiry. I think we have had a 
conversation, and several of us have introduced legislation, 
and written you about what is going on in the solar panel 
industry.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Moran. I won't go into the description of the 
problem. But why is there no industry-supported threshold to 
initiate this anti-circumvention inquiry? Would legislation be 
helpful? When I have asked you this question I think the answer 
has been: Our hands are tied.
    Secretary Raimondo. Mm-hmm.
    Senator Moran. And I am trying to figure out how to untie 
your hands, because there is a process, at least on solar 
panels, that is being utilized to keep tariffs in place to the 
detriment of the industry, by one small company who made the 
claim. And you know, should a small, single company, without 
access to confidential information, actually provided necessary 
data to meet the statutory requirements to initiate the 
inquiry?
    So I am suggesting to you that the Department may have an 
opportunity to deny this kind of inquiry, specifically: Did the 
Department of Commerce staff make a finding, also required by 
the statute, that the investigation itself met the 
appropriateness criteria? So there is criterion in statute, did 
the make the finding that the company met that criteria? And I 
guess if the answer is yes, then what more can we do to keep 
this kind of thing from occurring, which I think is pretty darn 
damaging to businesses in the United States?

                           SOLAR SUPPLY CHAIN

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Okay. There was a lot in that, and 
I will do my best in a minute. First of all, I have heard from 
many of you, and many in the industry, and I share the sense of 
urgency. I understand how fragile the solar supply chain is, 
and how we need to move forward quickly.
    Having said that, as you well know, Senator, this 
particular statute, which we are obligated to implement, is 
very circumscribed; there are five criteria, and five criteria 
only, that ITA can look at in deciding whether to initiate. And 
if they find that the case meets the threshold of the five 
criteria, we are obliged to initiate, which is what we are 
doing, and we are going to move as fast as we can.
    Having said that, you know, I have been asked: Why don't 
you consider climate as a factor? Why don't you consider policy 
as a factor? Why don't you consider the disruption to the 
supply chain as a factor? The answer is, statutorily, there is 
no discretion.
    So the answer to your question, could you help? That is of 
course your decision, but were you to institute some 
discretion, then we could implement it according to those 
changes.
    Senator Moran. I would ask you, if the Department would 
like to work with us to provide some legislative suggestions 
that might address the discretion, or at least create greater 
list of criteria, for the decision to be made on. And then I 
would ask you to make certain that the findings that are 
required by the statute have actually been met--
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Moran [continuing]. In this solar panel 
circumstance. Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Senator Reed.
    Senator Reed. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
    Let me just follow up briefly on Senator Moran's question, 
which is important now, because there has been a lot of 
rhetoric suggesting that this is an indication of the 
administration's lack of support for green economy, for 
alternate energy.
    As I understand it, and you can confirm it, Madam 
Secretary, that the President is proposing the most ambitious 
climate package in the history of the United States, with $555 
billion in tax cut spending, and other incentives, to promote 
wind, solar, power, and other renewables. And I believe that is 
accurate. Can you confirm that?

                                CLIMATE

    Secretary Raimondo. Absolutely, yes.
    Senator Reed. Yes. And you are a strong supporter of this 
effort?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Reed. And I am also, not only from the perspective 
of the economy, but also national security, as we are 
witnessing now, if we weren't as reliant on hydrocarbons we 
would have much more leverage in many places than we need it. 
So thank you.
    You have answered, I think in detail, the particular 
important question Senator Moran asked, and I think that answer 
stands.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you.
    Senator Reed. One other area that we are concerned about, 
again it comes from a national security perspective; the 
President was down in Alabama at the factory manufacturing 
Javelin Missile systems, and one of the issues that came up is 
the lack of semiconductors.
    But again, from my chairmanship on the Armed Services 
Committee, practically every system we have in the military 
today has a microchip somewhere in it. And I presume, and you 
can confirm that, the lack of domestic supply, or a reliable 
supply from an ally, is a great concern to the administration, 
as it is to the contractors.

                       CHIPS AND SEMI-CONDUCTORS

    Secretary Raimondo. Absolutely. I hear regularly from 
contractors that chips are a rate-limiting factor, for their 
ability, over time, to continue to replenish. There are just 
over 200 chips in every Javelin launching system. There are 
hundreds of chips in every satellite, and on, and on.
    And even more worrisome, the most sophisticated chips, of 
which we make none in the United States, and are totally 
dependent on Taiwan for, are exactly the kind of chips that are 
needed in sophisticated military equipment, which is why, in my 
opening statement, I am saying to the Committee, I really 
believe it is time to take action on this. I have also heard, 
Senator, from semiconductor companies, who tell me they are 
going to expand their facilities, and they have to make those 
decisions this year in order to meet the demand.
    Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Spain, France are all 
putting huge subsidies in front of these companies, and if we 
don't pass this USICA bill this year they will have no other 
choice but to build overseas, which does us no good.
    Senator Reed. Well, thank you. I have the same observations 
from the perspective, to not only the economy, but I suggest to 
national security.
    One issue that is a little close to home is that we have 
been working closely with NOAA about infrastructure at Newport, 
which would support their operations in a much more efficient 
way than currently they conduct them, were 100 percent 
designed, but we have to get into the next phase. And I would 
ask if you could look at that, and any support would be deeply 
appreciated.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes; absolutely. I have talked to you 
about it. I, of all people, know how important it is to the 
state, and we are going to work with you.
    Senator Reed. We talked about semiconductors, and we also 
talked about, you know, alternate energy, and one of the areas 
where you have very personal experience is offshore wind. And 
do you think that NOAA and BOEM have the tools they need to 
maintain, and indeed accelerate the pace of offshore wind being 
deployed?

                        OFFSHORE WIND DEPLOYMENT

    Secretary Raimondo. It is an excellent question. I think, 
yes, yes I think is the answer, although I will go back and ask 
if we need more tools. But we need to do a better job of 
accelerating the permitting process, I think we have the tools, 
I think we need to continue to increase our sense of urgency, 
and frankly, kind of just break down the bureaucracy between 
BOEM at the Department of Interior, and NOAA, and that is what 
we are doing.
    In fact, Janet Coit, who ran the Department of 
Environmental Management for me in Rhode Island, has come here. 
She is Head of Fisheries, and that is what we are doing. We 
have executed an MOU, between Interior and Commerce, and it is 
just a constant push to make sure we move more quickly.
    Senator Reed. Thank you very much.
    Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Reed.
    Senator Hagerty, I am told that you were here at the gavel 
before you left. So you are next.
    Senator Hagerty. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    And Secretary, it is good to have you here.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.
    Senator Hagerty. I would like to just follow up on the 
discussion you have the Senator Reed for a brief moment. You 
and I have talked about this before, but every Member in this 
Committee, and every Senator here, has actually supported a 
piece of legislation that is essentially a fast-track 
permitting process for chip fabrication facilities here in 
America. It takes roughly a 5 year program--

                  CHIP FABRICATION FACILITIES PROCESS

    Secretary Raimondo. Mm-hmm.
    Senator Hagerty [continuing]. A 5 year permitting process 
down to about 18 months. So I would encourage and appreciate 
any help from the Department as well getting support in the 
House to move this through. I think it fits right in line with 
what you are talking about from a strategic standpoint.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. I would be happy to work with you 
on that. It is an issue. For these facilities, permitting often 
holds them up.
    Senator Hagerty. Yes, and I think we are--
    Secretary Raimondo. For 1, 2 years at a time.
    Senator Hagerty. I think we are very aligned on that. I 
would like to turn just a minute to talk about the census, 
excuse me. It is a function that is required, you know, by the 
Constitution. In looking at the 2020 Census, there are a lot of 
questions about the statistical methods and the assumptions 
that are used to supplement the actual data that is collected. 
There are methods like group quarters imputation, or 
differential privacy that are employed. I am not sure if you 
are familiar with these methodologies.

           STATISTICAL METHODS AND ASSUMPTIONS USED BY CENSUS

    Secretary Raimondo. Somewhat, I mean, obviously I am not a 
statistician, but somewhat.
    Senator Hagerty. Yes. I am, like you, somewhat familiar 
with, I understand the principles of them, but it seems to me 
that the employees at the Department of the Census, are really 
the only ones that fully understand and appreciate the 
assumptions, the models, what goes into them; and you know, 
they are the ones that are actually charged with looking at the 
actual numbers, making adjustments, changing the numbers, and 
coming up with the final report.
    I just feel the American public, certainly the Congress, 
would be well served to have a little more oversight and more 
visibility into what those methods are, and how they are being 
deployed.
    And I wanted to bring this up to you, if you could be 
supportive of perhaps putting in place a bipartisan panel that 
would overlook the way the census is conducted, the 
methodologies. Again, this should be a nonpartisan issue I 
think for us, and a bipartisan panel has been done before, it 
strikes me this may be a way to get some more transparency and 
oversight in place.
    Secretary Raimondo. You know, this is the first I am 
hearing of it, but I am open to following up with you. What I 
can tell you, is I have set the tone at the top of the Commerce 
Department, that the Census Bureau should be fact-based, data-
based, science-based, statistical-based. And Rob Santos, who is 
the new Census Head, has a strong statistical background.
    And I feel confident that is the way he is running the 
Bureau. Having said that, more transparency is always better.
    Senator Hagerty. I will provide a few more questions for 
the record on that, but I look forward to working with you in 
that regard. And I appreciate the Chair, perhaps, having an 
oversight meeting soon about what the Census is doing, and it 
would be great to get that on our agenda.
    The next place I would like to turn has to do with our 
competitiveness in the Indo-Pacific. And I know you have spent 
a good deal of time on that. Our economic leadership in that 
region I think is terribly important for a national security 
interest, it is important for good jobs here in America. As a 
former governor you appreciate that, I am certain, very much.
    I just led a bipartisan delegation to Japan a couple of 
weeks ago, worked very closely with my successor, Ambassador 
Rahm Emanuel, we visited with the Prime Minister, with his 
cabinet, with a number of business leaders, and in all of those 
meetings it was clear to me that it is as important as ever 
that we continue to find ways to deepen our economic ties in 
the region, particularly given what is happening with the 
Chinese Communist Party, their aggressive posture, whether it 
be from a diplomatic standpoint, a military standpoint, and 
certainly from an economic standpoint, we see the Chinese 
Communist Party moving in every direction in that region.
    Also, when I served as Ambassador, prior to Ambassador 
Emanuel, I worked very hard to put in place a trade agreement 
between the United States and Japan. That helped deepen our 
agricultural ties, help deepen our industrial ties. And 
importantly, it had an element in it of digital trade, a high-
standard digital trade component to it, that I think could 
serve as a model for the broader region. And I would look 
forward to working with you on that to get your thoughts on how 
that might be rolled out. I have discussed this with Ambassador 
Emanuel, and I think it holds, it holds some real promise.
    My first question for you specifically is, under the aegis 
of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, that has been discussed 
heavily, and I think it will be discussed much more as 
President Biden visit the region; what are your plans to 
advance our economic leadership in the region?

                    COMPETITIVES IN THE INDO-PACIFIC

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So, a few things: One, I agree 
with everything you have said, and will be happy to follow up. 
I have already been to Tokyo once. The President will be there 
next week. We can't do enough to shore up our economic presence 
in the region.
    The good news is--by the way, Emanuel Rahm has me on speed 
dial, we talk several times a week. We are a digital supply 
chain, aligning on export controls, investments.
    Senator Hagerty. Okay.
    Secretary Raimondo. There's a lot there. If you think about 
semiconductor export controls, there are only three countries 
that have toolmakers, the U.S., Japan, and the Netherlands. So 
if we could align on that it could be incredible.
    I am one of the co-leads, along with Ambassador Tai, on the 
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. In fact, I met this morning 
with the Prime Minister of Vietnam to get them on board. I 
hosted Minister Hagiuda last week, because he is my 
counterpart, and we are kicking off an economic dialogue, as 
between our Commerce Department and Ministry Economy Trade and 
Industry.
    So you know, time doesn't permit here, but suffice it to 
say, this is a top priority of mine. I share your 
prioritization, and frankly your concern. We need an economic 
strategy there, but frankly, we also need to be a counterweight 
to China.
    Senator Hagerty. Indeed. And I think there is great 
potential. I have watched with great interest what you are 
doing with the U.S.-EU Technology Council. I would encourage 
you to look at Japan, perhaps, as a way to continue to find 
means of agreement and cooperation there. And if there are any 
things that you need from this Committee to support that; 
please let us know.
    Secretary Raimondo. Great; thank you.
    Senator Hagerty. Thank you, Secretary.
    Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you. Senator Schatz.
    Senator Schatz. Thank you, Chair. First of all, I want to 
just make sure we have a meeting of the minds on this solar 
hold up. I want to know that you are alarmed, and I want to 
know that you are going to update the Members of the Senate who 
have expressed their concerns on a bipartisan basis, with some 
pace. Maybe weekly that either you or an assignee can 
communicate with us about where we are in the process.
    So first, are you alarmed? And second, will you communicate 
with us regularly on where we are?

                             SOLAR STATUTE

    Secretary Raimondo. So I would say yes, and yes.
    Senator Schatz. Okay.
    Secretary Raimondo. You know, as I said to one of your 
other colleagues we have to move forward quickly to meet our 
climate goals, but as I also said to Senator Moran, there is a 
process, there is a law, I have to implement the law.
    Senator Schatz. Yes. I got it. I don't want to get into an 
argument with you about the law. I will say that this five-part 
test in the statute has to meet all five parts, and I would 
argue that the allegation that what is happening in terms of 
the manufacturing process in Southeast Asia is minor or 
insignificant, is just facially not true.
    And if you can't go through a fact-finding process on the 
frontend, then you are stuck, essentially, having to open up an 
investigation, and grind an entire industry to a halt while you 
do your fact-finding. So that is one point I would like to 
make.
    But the crux of this is, Commerce has already asked and 
answered the critical question here, which is that what is 
happening in Southeast Asia is not minor or insignificant. It 
has affirmed this in multiple scope rulings, March 2012, 
October 2020, June 2021 that adding a positive-negative 
junction is a highly technical production process. And I and I 
know you are not looking at revisiting the question of whether 
turning a wafer into a cell is minor or insignificant. So first 
of all, are we in agreement about that?
    Secretary Raimondo. So let me say this. I am not involved. 
We are sitting, as essentially, a judge, in a quasi-judicial 
capacity. And it is the professionals at ITA who are going 
through this analysis.
    So, as I said earlier I don't have discretion, or ability 
to weigh in on their fact-finding process. And, you know, we 
are not permitted even to talk about this extensively. But I 
would be happy, I suppose, to let you speak to them with 
counsel on the phone, if that would be useful.
    Senator Schatz. Yes, a couple of things. First, the 
administrative authority in the statute is the Secretary, 
right. So it is not, like, assigned to some independent panel 
of civil service professionals, that authority is vested in 
you, and there is nothing inappropriate about you being more 
engaged in the process.
    They may not like that but I get that you don't get to 
weigh climate goals, or public policy, or anything else. But 
what I am saying is the thing that was alleged is just facially 
not true, and the manufacturing process that is occurring in 
Southeast Asia is not minor or insignificant, because the 
Commerce Department has already decided that.
    So now the only thing that the Commerce Department is in a 
position to make a determination on is, is the thing that is 
happening in Southeast Asia actually what is happening in 
Southeast Asia. Like, can you just confirm that turning wafers 
into cells is what is happening?
    And my worry is that although the statute reads you have 
150 days to come to a preliminary determination, and then 
another--and I think either another 300 days, or a total of 300 
days, those are not statutory minimum numbers of days, that is 
a maximum.
    Secretary Raimondo. Mm-hmm.
    Senator Schatz. And so what I want for you to contemplate 
is that you do have the discretion to get a little more 
personally engaged, it doesn't jeopardize the independence of 
the investigation. Informing Congress as to the status of it, 
also is not, I think, in any way improper; and finally, that we 
are in a major, major hurry because the solar industry in the 
United States is at a halt.
    I know the pushback you are getting from within the 
Department, and I respect the independence of these civil 
servants, but the authority is vested in the Secretary.
    Secretary Raimondo. Mm-hmm. All right, let me respond to 
this. I hear you. You know, I think it is August 29 or mid-
August is the outside limit. There is nothing that prevents us 
from going faster, and I assure you we are going to go as fast 
as possible, making sure we tick and tie the process and don't 
cut corners. But yes, if we can do better than August, we 
certainly will.
    Secondly, you know, respectfully, having been a governor 
and run organizations I know that this is an urgent matter. I 
also know how to respect regulators, and make sure that they 
have the freedom to do their job. This is complex, and there 
are two sides to the story, which is not to say I don't share 
the urgency, and I am engaged in an appropriate way.
    But there is a point I do want to make. A lot of the--I 
think Senator Reed said, rhetoric, or rumor, et cetera, is very 
focused on, you hear it, you know, a 200 percent tariff. And I 
really want to address that for a second, if I might.
    While it is true Commerce would be permitted to impose a 
tariff at that excessive level, that is exceedingly unlikely. 
That level of a tariff is only reserved in outside cases, where 
you can tell the difference between the company and, say, the 
Communist Party of China.
    The last 150 times we have done this since 2012, we have 
come out in the 10, 11, 12 percent range, under 20 percent. 
Now, I am in no way, like, predetermining what this will be, if 
it will be anything. I do think it is important, though, to say 
the 200 percent is an extreme case, and not fitting with the 
precedent that we have had.
    But, listen, I share your urgency, and I am happy to update 
you as regularly as you would like.
    Senator Schatz. Thank you very much.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Schatz. Senator 
Collins.
    Senator Collins. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Secretary Raimondo, it is good to see you. I am going to 
start by asking you a very quick question on the implementation 
of the Infrastructure Broadband Development Grants that you, 
Chair Shaheen, and I worked so hard on, and that are targeted 
first for unserved areas and then underserved areas.
    My question is this: the NTIA has until May 16 to publish 
the Notice of Funding Opportunity for this program, and many 
States are eagerly awaiting that notice. In my State, the Maine 
Connectivity Authority stands ready to pursue this 
transformational assistance. My question is this: will NTIA 
meet that deadline?

                      BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, we will. And there is even a 
chance we will beat that deadline.
    Senator Collins. I am very glad to hear that. Now, I am 
going to switch to our usual contentious issue which we 
discuss, and that is the onerous new regulations on Maine's 
lobster men and women. May 1 marked the first day of these--
implementation of these regulations. It was a dark day for the 
industry.
    NOAA denied an entirely reasonable request from the 
governor, the entire Maine delegation, to delay implementation 
of the rules, which we do not think are valid in the first 
place, until July 1. What is interesting is NOAA's denial of 
this modest extension, was opposed by another Federal agency, 
the Small Business Administration's Office of the Advocacy.
    And here what the office said: it asserted that NOAA was 
putting lobster men and women in quote, ``An impossible 
scenario'', and if they are quote, ``Not granted a short delay 
of the compliance deadline, they may stand to lose significant 
amounts of revenue, or in some instances, their entire 
business.''
    And this is because of supply problems where the gear being 
mandated by NOAA is simply not available. Now, I know that NOAA 
has announced a graduated enforcement approach, but that is a 
very small comfort. The industry estimates it will lose $7 
million in lost fishing time that would have been saved by just 
granting that 2 month extension.
    Each of Maine's more than 4,500 commercial lobster men and 
women, are small, self-employed business owners. That is why 
the SBA advocated for them, but NOAA totally ignored what the 
SBA asked for, in reinforcing what the industry, the entire 
delegation, and the governor also requested.
    So now, we are also hearing that NOAA may impose further 
regulations on the industry. So how can the industry trust that 
NOAA is not going to regulate them out of existence, given that 
the agency has rejected recommendations from the SBA's Office 
of Advocacy? Not just those of us who represent the State, but 
an independent office within the SBA, another Federal agency.

               FISHERIES ENFORCEMENTS ON LOBSTER INDUSTRY

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So, I appreciate you bringing it 
up. And as I said last time, I will say again, I really, truly 
admire your advocacy on behalf of the lobstermen. I do.
    I have a bit of good news in this regard which is that our 
Head of Fisheries, Janet Coit, is in weekly, if not daily, 
contact with the Maine Commissioner, Pat Keliher, and they have 
worked hard to find local suppliers of the new kind of gear, 
including Maine Mold, it is a small company you may know, that 
they are providing the new gear at an affordable price for the 
lobster fishers.
    You say that the graduated enforcement isn't much, but I 
will assure you that along with our goal of enforcement, we are 
trying to assist with compliance, and we will be as lenient as 
we can to assist with compliance, instead of a ``gotcha'' sort 
of approach.
    The final thing I will say is we are on path to have the 
$14 million out by the end of June which should help with the 
cost for the lobstermen to comply.
    Senator Collins. Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Collins.
    Senator Van Hollen, I am going to turn the questioning over 
to you, and ask you to take the gavel so I can go vote, and I 
will be right back.
    Senator Van Hollen. Will do. Thank you Madam Chair.
    Madam Secretary, it is great to see you. I just want to run 
through a couple of shared priorities, to underscore my support 
for items in the budget to begin with. EDA we look forward to 
working with you to make good use of those funds. I can tell 
you in the State of Maryland, especially cities like Baltimore, 
they have been very important for economic development 
purposes.
    NOAA, lots of important tools, like the Digital Coast and 
Coastal County Snapshot being used by coastal communities in 
Maryland, to identify risks from climate change, and prepare 
for necessary mitigation. And look forward to working with you 
on the NIST budget--excuse me--the NOAA budget.
    NIST, I was pleased to see a large request for the 
construction research facilities. I know that you and the 
President are big supporters of what we are working on here, in 
terms of the USICA Bill, the America COMPETES Bill, this is a 
critical part of that investment, so I am glad to see it 
included here. And the budget requests for Scientific Technical 
and Research Services, with respect to NIST, and America's role 
in standard setting.
    And I am going to get back to that in one second. I do want 
to say amen, and I will not go over the comments made by my 
colleagues, Senator Schatz and Senator Moran, with respect to 
the solar panel issue, this uncertainty is creating havoc. I 
heard your testimony but I will leave it at just seconding 
their comments.
    I know you are not responsible for overseeing our travel 
rules, and our visa processing system, but I know that you 
recognize the great benefit to our economy and commerce of 
international travel here to the United States.
    We have huge backlogs in our visa processing offices. I 
have raised this issue with the State Department and DHS, but 
since can look at it from the hat of, you know, the benefit to 
our economy, and not just sort of international relations, and 
only security, I am going to ask you to go back on that. We can 
clearly meet our security concerns and our health care concerns 
and still do a lot better, in my view.
    So on the issue of our representation on very important but 
little known, at least to the American public, international 
standard setting organizations. One of them as you know is the 
ITU. The ITU helped set rules governing--international rules 
governing control of the Internet, and right now there is a 
Russian candidate seeking to be the chair of this, at a time 
when we are witnessing, the world is witnessing Putin, 
essentially put Russia on lockdown, when it comes to any 
freedom of the Internet.
    So let me just ask you, Madam Secretary, what is your 
assessment of where we are in that international, that vote 
that will be taking place with respect to that very important 
position?

              INTERNATIONAL STANDARD SETTING ORGANIZATIONS

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. I appreciate you bringing this up. 
It is something not a lot of people talk about, but it is 
incredibly important. China is showing up, more and more 
aggressively in technical standard setting bodies 
internationally, and NIST is planning to really reassert 
ourselves.
    We are backing a candidate, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, for the 
ITU. We are putting our all into helping her, and supporting 
her. In fact, I was in Estonia just trying to shore up support 
for Doreen. It is a campaign, it is an election. You cannot 
predict the outcome, but I assure you this, it is a priority of 
ours, the stakes are high, and I really hope we win.
    Senator Van Hollen. Well, I appreciate that. And I think 
what we have been, you know, witnessing with Putin's War in 
Ukraine, and his shutdown of all, sort of, freedom of the press 
and the Internet in Russia, should be a reminder to most in the 
world, that we need an open Internet. But obviously there are 
countries that have an interest in the authoritarian model as 
well.
    Secretary Raimondo. No doubt about that.
    Senator Van Hollen. So I appreciate your focus on this. My 
last questions relate to the export control restrictions and 
sanctions, to go after Russia's military and key industries. I 
have heard Senator Shaheen ask about that, and I have been 
following the progress we are making with respect to some of 
Russia's tank manufacturing, and the aircraft industry.
    I know you announced some additional restrictions. My 
concern here, on the financial side, has been the need to plug 
more holes with secondary sanctions, which I don't think we are 
doing enough of. On this side I know you are vigilant about it, 
but I worry about, you know, Russia's efforts to use shell 
companies, especially when they are looking for highly 
important military technology.
    Can you talk about what we are doing to make sure that they 
don't open that back door while we close the front door?

               EXPORT CONTROL RESTRICTIONS AND SANCTIONS

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. It is an awesome question, and 
something we spend a lot of time on, and it is why we are 
requesting more money for enforcement and agents. Look, what we 
know now; first of all, Russia has an extensive network. They 
have been doing this for decades, trying to get around export 
controls. As far as we can see, there is no, like, systemic 
backfilling by China, by any particular countries, but we will 
monitor it.
    Here is one thing that I take comfort in, because we have 
done this, multilaterally, with 36 other countries that means 
we have 37 countries on enforcement which is unprecedented. And 
that, from what we can tell, is like vastly enhancing our 
ability to enforce. So, it is a vigilance, it is a constant 
vigilance, but at this point in time I feel quite confident 
that we are on top of it; and again, because we are not doing 
it alone.
    Senator Van Hollen. Yes. Thank you. Thank you for your 
efforts on that.
    Senator Capito.
    Senator Moore Capito. Thank you. And welcome, Madam 
Secretary. Thanks for being here.
    There have been reports in Reuters, and elsewhere, that 
China has been pressuring our U.S. executives, companies, and 
business groups against the USICA Bill. To your knowledge, is 
there any truth to these reports, and the threats that our U.S. 
companies are receiving from our Chinese emissaries--from the 
Chinese emissaries?

                   CHINA OPPOSITION TO THE USICA BILL

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you. So, like you, I have 
seen the reports. There have been more than one report, and it 
doesn't surprise me at all. China doesn't want us to pass this 
bill. They know that this bill will enable us to out-compete 
them. And in the past handful of years, China has invested $160 
billion in increasing their own domestic semiconductor 
production, so the last thing they want is for us to invest $52 
billion, which will make us stronger.
    So, yes, I have heard the report. They are deeply 
concerning to me, and it just means we have to act, we have to 
act now. As I said to Senator Reed, it is an issue of national 
security. And I think the reason China is so against it, is 
because they know how important it is for us.
    Senator Moore Capito. Right. Thank you. Would you say the 
crux of their objections would be that semiconductor portion of 
it, because that is going to have the most economic benefits--
it does have the most economic benefit?
    Secretary Raimondo. You know, it is a good question. I 
don't know. I would say certainly that is what they have 
explicitly been against, but the rest of it, increases in 
research and development, the tech hubs, all of it goes to 
enhancing America's competitiveness.
    Senator Moore Capito. Right.
    Secretary Raimondo. And so I think they would probably 
oppose the whole thing.
    Senator Moore Capito. Well, as a supporter of that bill.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.
    Senator Moore Capito. And I am on that very small 
conference committee that is meeting tomorrow. So I appreciate 
that.
    Today, NOAA has 40 petaflops of supercomputing capability 
for weather predicting and research. So I looked up 
``petaflop'', because I have no idea what that is. And for our 
viewing public, a ``petaflop'' is one thousand million-million 
flashing--let us see--floating point operations per second. Or 
another way to say it, a quadrillion, which is a thousand 
trillion, that is how fast it is.
    So I am sure we will all remember that, but I didn't want 
to say ``petaflops'' without knowing what it was. As you know, 
NOAA's facility in Fairmont, West Virginia, is one of NOAA's 
five research and development supercomputers. We are very proud 
of that.
    In addition, the IIJA provided NOAA with another $80 
million for research, supercomputing. We have placed a big 
emphasis on the supercomputing capabilities, for a lot of 
reasons, for NOAA. So I am proud of the work that we do in 
Fairmont. And I guess, could you speak to the vision that you 
have for supercomputing, and how West Virginia may play a role 
there?

                    SUPER COMPUTING IN WEST VIRGINIA

    Secretary Raimondo. I think West Virginia will play a very 
important role. For fiscal year 2023 we are requesting $20 
million in the President's budget to recapitalize and maintain 
the high-performance computing capacity. And that will enable 
consistent capacity increases in R&D through computing sites, 
specifically like the one in West Virginia.
    Senator Moore Capito. In Fairmont, yes.
    Secretary Raimondo. In Fairmont. So, I think artificial 
intelligence, high performance computing, these areas are areas 
of increasing economics, national security, and climate change. 
You know, we need this, we are depending on it, we are 
investing in it, and I can firmly say that Fairmont will stand 
to benefit from these investments.
    Senator Moore Capito. Great. Well, we are very pleased to 
have NOAA there and look forward to further investment. Let me 
ask you, go back to a quick clarification on a question that 
Senator Collins asked about the deadline, you know how 
interested I am in--
    Secretary Raimondo. I know.
    Senator Moore Capito [continuing]. In the digital divide, 
you are probably surprised I didn't start with that. But you 
mentioned a May 17 deadline. Just so I can clarify for my 
Broadband Council at home. That is the deadline that you are 
going to then come forward with a request for proposals, or 
does the proposal have to be in--

                BROADBAND--NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Exactly, so it is May 16.
    Senator Moore Capito. Mm-hmm.
    Secretary Raimondo. Monday. It is what the NOFO, so it is a 
Notice of Funding Opportunity.
    Senator Moore Capito. Okay.
    Secretary Raimondo. And it will go out the 16TH. The way it 
is going to work, you can tell us to your folks, we will ask 
every State to then apply for the money, all they have to do is 
submit to us an intention to apply.
    Senator Moore Capito. Okay.
    Secretary Raimondo. Which they should do quickly. Then we 
will be sending them a $5 million dollar planning grant, and 
then we will get to work right away on the back and forth of 
putting together the proposal.
    Senator Moore Capito. Okay. So the planning grant, okay 
great; great news. I did have a question on the supply chain 
that is needed to deploy all this broadband.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Moore Capito. But I will save that for question for 
the record. And thank you.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. May I say something?
    Senator Moore Capito. Yes.
    Secretary Raimondo. You asked me last time I saw you, a 
week or two ago, what happens if RDOF says someone is covered, 
but if they are not covered for 5 years?
    Senator Moore Capito. Right, running with this all over the 
place, yes.
    Secretary Raimondo. The answer is, you are counted as 
unserved until you are actually served.
    Senator Moore Capito. Really?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So I wanted to make sure to get 
back to you.
    Senator Moore Capito. Okay. That is a great clarification. 
Thank you.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Moore Capito. And Senator Braun, I am turning it 
over to you. And I am going to go vote. Thank you.
    Senator Braun. I guess, I will recognize myself here, so.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Moore Capito. It is a little strange.
    Senator Braun. The first time that has occurred in a little 
over 3 years, but it is the nature of how this place works.
    Secretary Raimondo. Here we go. Here we are.
    Senator Braun. So back on March 15, I introduced a letter 
about the labor negotiations with the West Coast folks, in 
terms of having those done by July 1. I understand they may 
have started yesterday. So last time there has been a dispute 
there, it ended up lasting 10 months, and it probably had more 
latitude in terms of how long you could go.
    I think that would be devastating for supply chain, 
everything else we have come through. I was hoping to get your 
opinion as to whether you think we will get these negotiations 
done, so that we don't, you know, pass that July 1 deadline.

                LABOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH WEST COAST PORTS

    Secretary Raimondo. I am sorry; which negotiation?
    Senator Braun. Okay. So it would be the upcoming contract 
negotiations for the West Coast ports. So it is a labor 
negotiation.
    Secretary Raimondo. Okay. Okay, sorry. I am not involved in 
that, so--
    Senator Braun. No. I think I am raising the point in that, 
you know, supply chain is part of what you are concerned with.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. No, yes.
    Senator Braun. That has been a major bottleneck on supply 
chain. And I, and about 17, 18 other Senators put it in a 
letter to President Biden, and really have not heard back. 
Although I am told that they may have started yesterday. So why 
don't you find out how they are going.
    Secretary Raimondo. Okay. Fair enough. Yes.
    Senator Braun. And to make sure that we don't pass the July 
1 threshold, because that would add, you know, right when we 
are starting to get a little fluidity.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Yes.
    Senator Braun. You know back, I guess, from the frying pan 
into the fire. So I will discuss something--
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Braun [continuing]. That we both share a concern 
with. My business was logistics, distribution. I know how 
supply chains have been really rattled, displaced, main trading 
partner for many. The Chinese have now done some things in 
their own country that look like they are going to be less 
dependable when it comes to how it is going to work on key 
things we get from their semiconductors.
    We know what that has done to many, many different 
industries. Those are issues I am hoping that we are going to 
somewhat, reflexively bounce back into something that is going 
to be more workable. I know you are working on some of the 
particulars. We have talked about it before. So I won belabor 
that.
    I think what I am concerned about mostly, in our American 
economy, no one else seems to be, is the fact that the 
President put out a blueprint on a budget 10 years out, that 
shows us actually growing our structural deficits, taking our 
debt from $30 trillion where it is currently, record high in 
our country's existence, to $45 trillion.
    Love to know how you view that, in terms of being a viable 
blueprint. And when do we have to start addressing the 
underlying causes, which are tough issues, Social Security, 
Medicare, that drive the structural deficits? Or whether it 
makes a difference? Whether we can have a blueprint for our 
country out there that says, hey, we are going to be $45 
trillion, that is taking us into territory way exceeding where 
we were post-World War II?

                          THE AMERICAN ECONOMY

    Secretary Raimondo. So, I can assure you that the President 
is concerned about fiscal responsibility. In fact, the deficit 
shrunk significantly this past year, under his leadership. And 
he will be the first to tell you that he is for responsible, 
efficiently run government. But we also think it is important 
to make investments.
    You know, like the investments that we made in the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, investments in broadband, 
investments in clean water, et cetera. So I think that like all 
things, it is a balance. But I can tell you the President is 
committed to running a responsible government, and fiscal 
responsibility.
    Senator Braun. Well, I know he said that. To me, the proof 
is in the practice and the pudding, so to speak, and pre-COVID 
we were borrowing about 23 percent of every dollar we spend 
here, marginally. Now, that is up to 30 percent, and we created 
the largest deficits in our country's history. Some in a 
bipartisan way, in trying to navigate through the pandemic, and 
be careful about touting that we are bringing the deficits down 
because, still, huge deficits that we created, so the law of 
gravity would bring you down.
    What I am more concerned about is putting a formal 
blueprint out there that averages between now and then, you 
know, $1.5 trillion deficits times 10, 15 trillion added to our 
debt. I don't think it is a business plan that is sustainable.
    I think politicians, including Jay Powell at the Fed, 
through whatever this modern monetary theory is supposed to be, 
I think it runs us into the ditch in a hard way. And I would 
hope that there might be some modification to our country's 
business plan that does something other than that; or do you 
like, or are you comfortable with a blueprint that shows us 
being 45 trillion in debt?
    Secretary Raimondo. I am comfortable with the President's 
plans but I agree with you that we have to continue to work to 
live within our means.
    Senator Braun. I guess we will live with that today. Thank 
you.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Braun. I think Senator 
Moran is still coming back, and I have a few more questions. We 
still have two more votes which could take a while. So since 
you are here, I get to ask questions.
    And I want to go back to NOAA, because, as you know, last 
year NOAA required increased observer coverage for the 
Northeast Groundfish Fishery, which has been an ongoing 
challenge for us in New Hampshire, as for other groundfish 
fisheries, and throughout New England.
    This year with NOAA increasing the coverage requirement to 
100 percent from about 40 percent, every fishing trip is going 
to have to have an observer on board, and the program costs are 
going to significantly increase.
    So I have been pleased, over the last 5 years, when we have 
worked to see that we cover the cost of at-sea monitors for our 
fishing boats. And I was disappointed this year that the budget 
request for NOAA actually proposed to cut the funding for this 
program from the enacted level. So can you talk about that 
decision? And has NOAA actually estimated the full cost of at-
sea monitoring for the 2022 fishing year?

                   NOAA FUNDING FOR AT-SEA MONITORING

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So, first of all, thank you for 
your support of the at-sea monitoring. It is important to all 
the New England States. And yes, they have. I know there has 
been a cut, but we have $11 million left over from prior years. 
So it is our estimation that the $7.6 million which we have 
requested, plus the 11 which we have, will be adequate.
    Senator Shaheen. So will you commit to me that NOAA will 
cover the full cost of at-sea monitors this year?
    Secretary Raimondo. That is the plan, yes.
    Senator Shaheen. Great. Thank you. I appreciate that, and 
also look forward to seeing how we can help some vessels move 
to electronic monitoring.
    Secretary Raimondo. Mm-hmm, yes.
    Senator Shaheen. Of which I know there has been some 
reluctance to do, but I think the more the fishing industry 
sees what is happening in that area, and is able to understand 
how that would affect them, the more likely they are to be 
willing to switch over. So I think that is also a significant 
piece of this.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. I agree. Senator Murkowski and I 
chatted a little bit about the un-crewed. I mean there is all 
sorts of technology that we need to adopt to make this easier.
    Senator Shaheen. Great. Sticking with NOAA; the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides about $3 
billion over 5 years for programs for NOAA, and I was very 
pleased to work to try and ensure that the majority of this 
funding goes to improve coastal resilience, and restoring 
habitat, something that is very important to us as, you know, 
in coastal States.
    And I know that communities are very eager to receive these 
funds, but it has been almost 6 months since the passage of the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, and yet NOAA has only released 
two of at least ten notices of funding opportunities.
    So can you talk about what the reasons are for the delay, 
and when communities can expect that they may see more of those 
funds?

                 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So, as you say, it was nearly $3 
billion, $2.96 billion. That is an unprecedented amount of 
money for NOAA to have received, which is not an excuse; it is 
just a reality that it is more than they have ever done. We 
plan and will have all the Notice of Funding Opportunities out 
by the end of June. So that is a commitment, end of June.
    Senator Shaheen. Great.
    Secretary Raimondo. And we are just going to work towards 
that.
    Senator Shaheen. And there are ways that we can help alert 
our communities that these notices are coming, and they should 
be watching for them, and encourage them to be paying 
attention, and seeing how we can help communities.
    Secretary Raimondo. You know, that is a good question. I 
will have my staff follow up with you specifically.
    Senator Shaheen. That would be great.
    Secretary Raimondo. So I can give you a more specific sense 
of when New Hampshire, for example, should start looking for 
it.
    Senator Shaheen. That would be really helpful. As you know, 
one of the--one of the things that I have been very impressed 
with in the Seacoast of New Hampshire, is the extent to which 
communities are looking towards the impacts of climate change, 
and getting ready to address that. And so I know these funds 
are going to be very important as they think about what is 
coming down the pike.
    One final question before I turn it over to Senator Moran. 
Is through the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress has made 
historic investments in the Commerce Department, as well as 
many other areas of government and in States, to help get 
through the pandemic. And we may soon pass some form of the 
U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, hopefully that will add 
more funding at the Department, that you are not expecting. And 
just as with NOAA, that that is great news, but it presents 
challenges for the Department.

               ENSURING SUCCESS OF DEPARTMENT INVESTMENTS

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Shaheen. And a lot of us are watching because we 
are very anxious to see these programs be successful. So can 
you talk about how you are ensuring that the Department is 
coordinating those investments, and what we can do to ensure 
that you have the support you need to do that?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Look, like you, I don't want to 
say anxious about it but I have a real sense of focus to make 
sure that we implement all this money correctly. It is over a 
$100 billion, which is an extraordinary amount. I hope you take 
some confidence in the fact that NTIA, which is implementing 
almost $50 billion, is going to get that out on time, if not 
ahead of time. By the way, by this Friday, every State will 
have a State point of contact for broadband.
    Senator Shaheen. That is great.
    Secretary Raimondo. And I have personally communicated with 
all the governors. So what is my point? My point is, we are 
gearing up, we are ready, we will implement, we are hiring. I 
hope you do pass USICA, and that will send $52 billion for 
chips, and we already have done a lot of the work related to 
what is the org chart, what kind of talent do we need.
    So it will be a partnership between you, and this 
Committee, and our team, but I want you to have confidence that 
we know it is a heavy lift, and we are prepared.
    Senator Shaheen. Great. We look forward to that.
    I will turn it over to Senator Moran.
    Senator Moran. Thank you. I don't know I was of much help 
to you today, but it was unintentional on my part.
    Senator Shaheen. Ships through the night.
    Senator Moran. Yes. Madam Secretary, Russia's invasion of 
Ukraine has created new and complex trade challenges. While the 
administration has requested emergency Ukraine-related funding 
for the Bureau of Industry and Security, it has not done so for 
the International Trade Administration. What is the Department 
and ITA doing to promote exports, rural exports in particular, 
so U.S. farmers can help meet the emerging global food crisis 
that has arisen as a result of the evil Russian invasion?

                       ITA AND PROMOTING EXPORTS

    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you for that question. We are 
requesting an increase in the President's budget for ITA, and 
that it is specifically for export promotion. And there is a 
team within ITA looking at strategies specifically to respond, 
as you just said. And with respect to food, there is a great 
deal of work going on within the Administration, in the 
interagency, around how we can meet the needs that have been 
created by the invasion.
    Senator Moran. Is there money within the budget to help 
U.S. industries address emerging supply chain challenges and 
disruptions that have arisen as a result of the war in Ukraine?

                FUNDING FOR THE SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. We are requesting $16 million 
additional for supply chain work, whether that is specifically 
for Ukraine, no, is the answer. But it will be used for that. I 
will say this, that $16 million is what we are asking for to 
address the existing crisis. The crisis you are referring to 
the existing crisis.
    What this country really needs is what is in USICA, or 
whatever we call it; the Competition Bill, which is a permanent 
supply chain management operation within the Department of 
Commerce. If we have learned one thing through COVID, we are 
woefully under-resourced as it relates to the Federal 
government's ability to map, monitor, manage, and support our 
supply chain.
    We have lost 25 percent of our small manufacturers in the 
last 25 years, probably many in your State, many in my State, 
but one of the only countries, industrialized countries, that 
doesn't have this. And so that is why I have so much passion 
for the supply chain portion of the USICA Bill.
    We ought to be continuously monitoring, continuously 
providing loans, and such, to small manufacturers, so we are 
not constantly reacting to these supply chain disasters.
    Senator Moran. Does that provision exist in either the 
House or Senate version in one or--
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes it does, in both.
    Senator Moran. In both?
    Secretary Raimondo. In both, yes.
    Senator Moran. Okay. So your testimony is you support that 
provision that is in those bills?
    Secretary Raimondo. Strongly.
    Senator Moran. Okay. And then the Department of Commerce, 
do you have the capability or--and are you doing so, if you do, 
to engage with U.S. companies that--to help them find a role to 
play in reconstructing Ukraine?

          ROLE OF U.S. COMPANIES IN RECONSTRUCTING THE UKRAINE

    Secretary Raimondo. Ah. Thank you for that question. So I 
had the opportunity, a couple of weeks ago, to meet with the 
Prime Minister, he came to visit with me. We talked mostly 
about export controls, because I was trying to gather 
information about whether we are being effective. But the 
conversation quickly turned to the rebuilding of Ukraine.
    And so the answer to your question is, yes, we are already 
in process, engaging the private sector, looking at our own 
tools within ITA, to figure out how we can lean into the 
rebuilding effort. I will tell you this, we are very early 
stages, the initial outreach to U.S. industry has been 
excellent. And I would say more broadly the U.S. private sector 
has stepped up in ways that have supported the administration's 
work.
    Senator Moran. I just, in between voting, and the State and 
Foreign Ops Appropriations Subcommittee that is meeting at the 
same time today, where the topic is food aid globally.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Moran. But certainly Ukraine is maybe a need, and 
is a contributing factor, a significant factor in the hunger 
that is occurring, or will occur around the world, one of the 
answers that Ambassador Beazley provided was that there is no 
way to truck grain out of Ukraine to world markets. Does that 
make sense to you?
    He was responding to someone else's question, and I didn't 
have a chance to follow up. But the goal--I mean most of that 
grain is shipped out by ship.

                        FOOD AID IN THE UKRAINE

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Moran. I didn't say that very well as, you know, 
realizing that--
    Secretary Raimondo. No, no. I know what you mean. It does 
make sense to me; having said that, I would have to look into 
it further to verify it.
    Senator Moran. We ought to be--I mean, transportation in 
Ukraine may be--that every industry is important in the 
rebuilding, and the restructuring, but to help meet global 
hunger, agriculture and transportation seem to me to be of huge 
importance, as you, and the private companies that you just 
mentioned, discuss what the next steps are, those might be the 
places that are so valuable, not only to Ukraine, but also to 
the world.
    Secretary Raimondo. That is an excellent point.
    Senator Moran. When we were on the border of Ukraine, the 
Ukrainians were particularly asking for diesel fuel, so that 
they could actually produce the crops, which captured my 
attention. It would be so sad to have crops in a field, or seed 
to plant, or crops to harvest, and the absence of diesel fuel 
prevents them from doing so.
    Assure me, Madam Secretary. It appears to me that there 
is--as I would expect--there is significant emphasis in the 
administration's budget, in your Commerce Department budget, on 
climate change. Having just been in Kansas a weekend ago, and 
saw the results of a tornado in Andover, assure me that the 
priorities on climate change do not diminish the necessity, or 
the capabilities, of providing the current weather, and the 
warnings necessary, and the knowledge necessary for people to 
protect themselves, and for farmers to make decisions about 
planting, and harvesting? And are we--or we make sure we are 
not diminishing what we need to do otherwise?

             CLIMATE CHANGE AND CURRENT WEATHER PRIORITIES

    Secretary Raimondo. No. In fact, we are expanding what we 
need to do. In fact I was just meeting with Dr. Spinrad the 
other day, around what more investments we are making to 
improve our weather forecasting, improve our wildfire 
forecasting. And how we can continue to develop data products 
that we can provide to businesses, to States, to cities, to do 
an even better job with drought forecasting, which of course 
leads to fires, et cetera.
    So no, I would say if anything we are doubling down on 
this, and some of the investments in satellites, and such, are 
exactly for that.
    Senator Moran. Thank you for your answers.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you, Senator Moran. I actually only 
have one more question. And that has to do with Anomalous 
Health Incidents. The Omnibus budget included a provision that 
allowed the Department to have up to $5 million to assist 
certain employees and family members who may have been affected 
by anomalous health incidents. Can you tell us if that funding 
has been used? If you have--if you think it is going to be 
adequate to address the concerns that you are hearing from 
employees, or if you need additional help?

                       ANOMALOUS HEALTH INCIDENTS

    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, I need--permit me to get back to 
you on that. I have not heard that it is not enough. And I have 
been in close contact on all of these issues, but I will get 
back to you, and give you a better answer.
    Senator Shaheen. That would be great. Thank you.
    Senator Moran, do you have any further questions?
    Senator Moran. No. Thank you. I do, but I don't have time 
for them.

                     ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE QUESTIONS

    Senator Shaheen. In that case, if there are no further 
questions. Senators have until Wednesday, May 18, to submit 
additional questions for the official hearing record, and we 
would request the Department responses within 30 days of any 
questions for the record.
    [The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but 
were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the 
hearing:]

                 QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY CHAIRMAN LEAHY
Questions Submitted to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Department 
                              of Commerce
    Question 1. Through the enactment of the Infrastructure Investments 
and Jobs Act (IIJA) in November 2021, the National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration (NTIA) received $48.2 billion in funding 
to augment the efforts of its Office of Internet Connectivity and 
Growth to provide communities with the resources and tools necessary to 
deploy broadband infrastructure. For largely rural states like Vermont, 
where tens of thousands of households do not have broadband access, 
these funds will make a substantial difference in their work to ensure 
that everyone has affordable and dependable Internet service.
    Since negotiations of the IIJA began almost a year ago, the cost of 
raw materials and labor needed for deploying broadband have increased 
considerably. Further, shipping delays for certain materials and 
components have the potential to hinder ability of telecommunications 
providers to quickly make use of Federal funds and address the most 
immediate broadband needs of their communities.

          A.  What effect does the NTIA expect the compounding 
        challenges of higher costs and supply chain constraints to have 
        on the effectiveness of the broadband funding set aside by the 
        IIJA?

    Answer. The DOC has taken a leading role in addressing supply chain 
challenges facing our nation. The Department and NTIA are well 
positioned to engage with the telecommunications sector and 
manufacturers to ensure that there is sufficient supply of fiber, 
equipment, and other necessary materials to implement the broadband 
programs. We leverage the resources and expertise within the Department 
and work closely with industrial stakeholders to address this critical 
issue.
    For the BEAD program, each Eligible Entity may choose its own means 
of competitively selecting subgrantees for last-mile broadband 
deployment projects, though that process must incorporate certain 
principles to satisfy the Infrastructure Act's mandates and the BEAD 
Program's goals.

          B.  What steps does the NTIA plan to take to address any 
        negative impacts, and how can Congress assist in these efforts?

    Answer. See response above.

    Question 2. On March 28, 2022, the Department of Commerce announced 
the launch of an investigation into alleged circumvention of duties for 
solar panels imported from four Southeast Asian countries. The 
investigation is in response to a petition from Auxin Solar, which 
alleged that Chinese manufacturers shifted some production to these 
countries in an effort to evade 2012 duties. Solar panel imports from 
these four countries account for 80 percent of all solar panel imports 
to the United States. The Commerce Department is considering up to 250 
percent tariffs on these solar panel imports to be applied 
retroactively.
    The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is forecasting that 
solar installations for 2022 and 2023 will be cut by 46 percent due to 
these circumstances, resulting in a drop of 24 gigawatts of planned 
solar capacity. If this capacity is replaced by fossil fuels, the 
United States will emit an additional 364 million metric tons of carbon 
by 2035. The SEIA is also projecting that 100,000 American solar 
workers will lose their jobs. The consequences to this investigation 
contradict President Biden's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas pollution 
and support good-paying American jobs in the renewable energy industry.
    In SEIA's Broad Industry Survey, 88 percent of Vermont solar 
companies responded that the investigation will have severe or 
devastating impacts to solar business, and that $10 million worth of 
projects have already been impacted in Vermont alone. I have heard from 
a number of Vermont solar companies that this investigation threatens 
their long-term viability, which would not only result in a loss of 
jobs in Vermont, but would also stymy the state's ability to address 
carbon emissions moving forward.
    In May 2021, the Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies 
Office released a Multi- Year Program Plan to accelerate the 
advancement and deployment of solar technology. One of the Plan's goals 
was to expand the solar workforce to 300,000 employees by 2025.

          A.  What will the Department of Commerce do to negate the 
        economic and environmental impacts of the market disruption in 
        the domestic solar industry caused by this investigation?

    Answer. Anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) proceedings 
are a quasi-judicial process, subject to review in U.S. courts. AD and 
CVD proceedings are in response to dumping or state-sponsored subsidies 
that harm U.S. industry. The Commerce Department bases its findings on 
the factual information on the record of its proceedings, following 
methodologies provided under the law, regulations, and long-standing 
practices.
    When dumping and subsidization cause harm or injury to our domestic 
industry, AD/CVD duties are imposed on imports to offset those negative 
effects and ensure a healthy system of international trade in which 
everyone can compete on a level playing field. With respect to the 
specific case you referenced, Commerce was originally scheduled to 
announce its preliminary and final determinations in these 
circumvention inquiries by August 30, 2022, and January 27, 2023, 
respectively. Commerce's determinations will be made in accordance with 
U.S. law and be based on the facts on the record as well as in 
consideration of comments filed by interested parties. Based on the 
complexity of this case, we extended the preliminary determination 
until November 28, 2022.
    On Monday, June 6, the White House announced that it was invoking 
the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic production of clean 
energy technologies, including solar panel parts, grid components, 
building insulation, heat pumps and more. The proclamation also calls 
for up to a 24-month hold on potential duties on solar cells from 
Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam which may come as a result of 
the ongoing circumvention inquiries. On July 1, Commerce published a 
notice in the Federal Register with a proposed rule to implement 
certain aspects of the Proclamation. In the meantime, Commerce's 
ongoing circumvention inquiry will continue. To the extent 
circumvention is found to be occurring, the White House proclamation 
authorizes a temporary exception to the requirements to collect certain 
estimated duties and duties on imports of certain solar cells and 
modules from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

          B.  Does the Department of Commerce support the Department of 
        Energy's plan to expand the solar workforce and open new solar 
        markets?

    Answer. Commerce is supportive of DOE's efforts to expand the solar 
workforce and open new solar markets. Growing a strong domestic 
workforce throughout all facets of the solar value chain will be key to 
delivering economic prosperity to American families while combatting 
climate change and creating the conditions for the U.S. solar industry 
to thrive in a competitive global market.

    Question 3. Congress is working toward a final agreement to make 
substantial investments in microelectronics, which the Department of 
Commerce will use for long-needed investments in the United States' 
ability to domestically produce critical semiconductors. The United 
States has need for both for more advanced chips for processing at 
smaller nodes, as well as more capable chips to manage the tremendous 
power requirements that 5G wireless connectivity and beyond requires. 
In fact, the importance in networking systems has become as significant 
a requirement for future technology as the processing capability.

          A.  How does the Department of Commerce assess the need for 
        what used to be considered ``legacy'' node chips in light of 
        the increased demand for connectivity?

    Answer. I applaud the members of Congress who worked hard to get 
the CHIPS and Science Act to President Biden's desk. My staff have hit 
the ground running to operationalize this historic investment in 
America's global economic leadership. To assess industry's needs from 
legacy to leading-edge node chips, the Department issued RFI on the 
chips shortage. Respondents from all organization types noted that if 
investments in manufacturing leading-edge nodes and legacy nodes were 
equivalent, the return on investment for legacy nodes would be higher 
due to the current growing demand and broader capacity in certain 
applications. Accordingly, we recognize that investments are needed 
across the industry.

          B.  How in demand are trusted supply chains for chips that 
        enable 5G wireless networking?

    Answer. Building out trustworthy supply chains for chips that 
enable cutting-edge applications, including 5G, artificial intelligence 
and machine learning, and autonomous vehicles, is critical to the 
success of the CHIPS program. This is why it's crucial that we bring 
chip production home and construct a semiconductor ecosystem here in 
the U.S. My hope is to help bolster our chips supply chains for 5G 
networking through the CHIPS program.

          C.  What value do advanced techniques and materials such as 
        Gallium Nitride and epitaxial growth provide?

    Answer. New materials and processes enable dramatic new properties 
and performance of integrated circuits, which are especially important 
in areas such as extending battery performance in mobile devices and 
electric vehicles, greater reliability in the electric grid, or harsh 
environment performance in aerospace.
    Leading-edge nodes and compound semiconductor nodes (such as 
silicon carbide and gallium nitride) are key areas of focus needed to 
maintain future competitiveness, and where aligning facilities, 
equipment, and other capacity are critical. In response to the 
Department's RFI on the chips shortage, large businesses highlighted 
the need for wide bandgap semiconductors, including silicon carbide and 
gallium nitride. Scalable end-to- end compound semiconductor 
manufacturing facilities with advanced, flexible tooling were thought 
to enable the broadest array of semiconductors for applications in 5G/
6G wireless, broadband rural/urban access, data centers, and emerging 
augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) products.
    Epitaxy, a method of depositing or growing a monocrystalline film, 
enables a high-purity starting point for building a semiconductor 
device. Epitaxy facilities generally specialize on a limited family of 
compound semiconductors. Thus, several facilities are needed to provide 
the range of materials and structures needed for a diversity of 
essential high performance devices and related technologies.

          D.  What domestically-available advanced techniques and 
        materials for chips that 5G wireless networking exist?

    Answer. As discussed above, building out trustworthy supply chains 
for chips that enable cutting- edge applications, including 5G, is 
critical to the success of the CHIPS program. The CHIPS program will 
enable more domestic production of these critical chips and restore 
U.S. leadership in semiconductor production and innovation.

                                 ______
                                 
            Questions Submitted by Senator Dianne Feinstein

    Question 1. As you know, the Commerce Department's inquiry 
regarding the import of solar cells and modules is causing uncertainty 
in the market. A California company is alleging market practices by 
some companies that would result in tariffs up to a 250 percent 
increase.
    While I understand your department's process calls for an 
investigation, California is anticipating delays of over 400 megawatts 
of hybrid solar plus storage projects that were to come online this 
year. This includes 163 megawatts of storage in September, which falls 
amid peak wildfire season when the need for renewable energy is even 
more important.

          A.  Secretary Raimondo, how is the Commerce Department going 
        to provide certainty about the cost of solar panels while the 
        investigation is ongoing so California can meet its clean 
        energy goals? And, what is being done to ensure an expeditious 
        investigation?

    Answer. Anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) proceedings 
are a quasi-judicial process, subject to review in U.S. courts. AD and 
CVD proceedings are in response to dumping or state-sponsored subsidies 
that harm U.S. industry. The Commerce Department bases its findings on 
the factual information on the record of its proceedings, following 
methodologies provided under the law, regulations, and long-standing 
practices.
    When dumping and illegal subsidization cause harm or injury to our 
domestic industry, AD/CVD duties are imposed on imports to offset those 
negative effects and ensure a healthy system of international trade in 
which everyone can compete on a level playing field. With respect to 
the specific case you referenced, Commerce was originally scheduled to 
announce its preliminary and final determinations in these 
circumvention inquiries by August 30, 2022, and January 27, 2023, 
respectively. Commerce's determinations will be made in accordance with 
U.S. law and be based on the facts on the record as well as in 
consideration of comments filed by interested parties. Based on the 
complexity of this case, we extended the preliminary determination 
until November 28, 2022.
    On Monday, June 6, the White House announced that it was invoking 
the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic production of clean 
energy technologies, including solar panel parts, grid components, 
building insulation, heat pumps and more. The proclamation also calls 
for up to a 24-month hold on potential duties on solar cells from 
Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam which may come as a result of 
the ongoing circumvention inquiries. On July 1, Commerce published a 
notice in the Federal Register with a proposed rule to implement 
certain aspects of the Proclamation. In the meantime, Commerce's 
ongoing circumvention inquiry will continue. To the extent 
circumvention is found to be occurring, the White House proclamation 
authorizes a temporary exception to the requirements to collect certain 
estimated duties and duties on imports of certain solar cells and 
modules from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

    Question 2. Since President Biden took office, the U.S. economy has 
created 8.3 million jobs, which is a record pace. At 3.6 percent, the 
unemployment rate is near historical lows. However, the economy is 
still several million jobs short of pre-pandemic levels in large part 
because nearly 1.5 percent of the labor force that existed in early 
2020 still has not returned to the job market since the pandemic began.

          A.  Secretary Raimondo, what are the main reasons that this 
        substantial number of individuals has not returned to the 
        workforce and should we be concerned about it? What is the 
        Administration doing, and what should Congress consider doing, 
        to make it easier for people to return to the workforce?

    Answer. There are about 600,000 fewer workers in the labor force 
before the pandemic, and nearly the entire gap is from women. This 
frustrates me but does not surprise me at all because accessible 
childcare, elder care and family leave policies are essential for 
supporting labor force participation, particularly among women. And the 
United States falls short on all three.
    Women shoulder the burden of caregiving in the United States, and 
many had to leave the workforce to take care of their children and 
elderly family members full time. Unavailable and unaffordable care is 
an economic crisis driving current workforce and economic challenges 
across the country. Across the world, affordable childcare is generally 
connected to higher maternal rates of employment.
    We see the impacts of paid family leave in states that have passed 
more robust leave laws. For mothers taking leave to care for children, 
paid leave nearly closing the workforce participation gap between women 
with young children and other women. For caregivers accessing leave to 
care for other family members, paid leave increases workforce 
participation.
    Caregivers often sacrifice their careers and financial futures by 
reducing work hours, taking on debt and tapping into their own 
savings--ultimately jeopardizing their own financial security.

    Question 3. In recent years, there has been a significant increase 
in the amount of space debris orbiting Earth due to collisions and 
anti-satellite tests, now totaling more than 30,000 individual objects. 
With tens of thousands more satellites proposed to be launched soon, 
mitigating the impacts of this debris is increasingly important. 
Multiple Federal agencies currently track space debris, including the 
Defense Department, NASA, and Commerce. The Commerce Department has 
requested a significant increase in its budget for the Office of Space 
Commerce this year, from $16 million to $87.7 million.

          A.  Secretary Raimondo, can you explain how the Office of 
        Space Commerce plans to spend this funding increase? How does 
        the Department of Commerce plan to collaborate with other 
        agencies to set regulations for debris, satellite construction, 
        and orbital paths?

    Answer. The fiscal year 2023 Budget request is based on a thorough 
review of the National Academy of Public Administration study and what 
it would cost to develop a sound and robust Open Architecture Data 
Repository (OADR) and fully staff the Office of Space Commerce (OSC). 
The increase is going towards achieving Initial Operating Capability 
(IOC) no later than fiscal year 2024, and Full Operational Capability 
(FOC) expected by 2025. Without this funding, NOAA cannot meet these 
critical milestones.
    Receipt of the full request of $87.7 million will allow OSC to 
maintain the OADR development schedule, including:

  --Continue to hire key staff.
  --Support partnerships among OSC and DoD and other Federal agencies, 
        academia, and commercial industry to share space situational 
        awareness (SSA) information through the OADR. The additional 
        funding reflects the importance the Administration places on 
        the SSA mission and will support NOAA's efforts to accelerate 
        the development of the OADR from a pilot demonstration to FOC 
        in 2025.
  --Award a contract to a cloud infrastructure and data integration 
        service provider which would provide cloud services to host the 
        OADR and deliver SSA products and services, procure commercial 
        data, services, and infrastructure to populate the OADR; and to 
        build out the proving ground (or test area) for use by 
        government, industry, and academia for innovation activities.
  --Acquire a variety of commercial capabilities (products, services, 
        and technologies) that will make key contributions to the OADR, 
        consistent with the guidance of Space Policy Directive-3.

    In addition to the implementation of the OADR, the funding will 
allow OSC to maintain its prior commitment to domestic and 
international advocacy of the U.S. commercial industry, and to continue 
licensing of the operations of private space-based remote sensing 
systems commercial licensees.
    With respect to our plans to collaborate with other agencies, OSC 
is collaborating with DoD, NASA, and other bureaus within the 
Department of Commerce as it develops the OADR to provide SSA 
information and basic spaceflight safety services to civil and private 
spacecraft operators. As the current provider of this information and 
services, the DoD is the most critical partner, and OSC is working to 
conclude an agreement with the U.S. Space Command and the US Space 
Force to govern our collaboration. OSC is currently working with the 
White House Space Council and other interested agencies to investigate 
what steps might be necessary to reduce orbital debris, and ensure the 
future safety of spaceflight operations, pursuant to Space Policy 
Directive 3.

    Question 4. I continue to be deeply concerned about industrial 
waste dumped off the California coast between the 1930s and 1960s that 
still remains in our ocean. This toxic waste includes DDT--a chemical 
so harmful it was banned in 1972.
    We now know that oil and gas-related chemicals are also likely to 
have been dumped there as well. Scientific studies point to decades of 
detrimental impacts to the marine life, including cancer in dolphins 
and sea lions.
    The survey conducted by NOAA and partners in March 2021 mapped 
approximately 36,000 acres at 3000 feet depth of the sea floor. This 
area, known as dumpsite #2, revealed around 26,000 dumped barrels of 
industrial waste, and over 100,000 other debris objects. We also know 
based on historical record, there are a total of 14 known offshore 
dumpsites off the California coast. This is alarming.
    Both EPA and NOAA have informed my office a number of times that 
they have more questions than answers on this problem and a follow-up 
survey mission is the best next step to understand the state of the 
barrels, as well as the chemicals in them and around them in the water 
and on the sea floor. Yet, more than a year later, neither agency has 
provided a funding estimate despite repeated requests by my staff, nor 
a plan of action for next steps.

          A.  Secretary Raimondo, I ask that NOAA and its partners act 
        with urgency and prioritize this issue. NOAA's expertise is 
        critical to address this major problem. Can you describe the 
        next steps NOAA will take to help us better understand the 
        impacts of this historic ocean dumping?

    Answer. NOAA is part of a State/Federal interagency group, led by 
EPA, further assessing dumpsite #2. NOAA's technical representatives 
have supported two products to better delineate dumpsite #2 and its 
potential risks. First, the interagency technical team developed a side 
scan sonar survey plan to supplement the March 2021 survey areas. 
Additionally, the technical team developed a sediment sampling plan 
based on a conceptual model of exposure and risk at the site. The next 
steps are to budget the two plans and proceed with implementation. EPA 
is the lead for budgeting and implementation with support from NOAA. At 
the same time, NOAA is administering fiscal year 2022 Congressionally 
Directed Spending for Scripps. NOAA provided timely technical review of 
the Scripps proposal and award is expected in the fourth quarter of 
fiscal year 2022. The information and data generated by the Scripps 
work will further inform and potentially address some of the 
interagency needs.

          B.  This historic toxic dumping is a major problem off the 
        California coast, but it is coming to light that California's 
        coastline is not the only place where historic ocean dumping 
        took place. Although the United States outlawed this practice 
        decades ago, major problems and risks from these lingering 
        chemicals still exist.

          C.  Does NOAA have the statutory authority it needs to 
        monitor or conduct testing on the impacts of the DDT and other 
        toxic waste that was dumped decades ago but remains active in 
        our environment?

    Answer. NOAA has sufficient statutory authority to provide support 
to lead agencies, primarily under the National Oil and Hazardous 
Substance Pollution Contingency Plan and environmental response 
statutes, such as Oil Pollution Act (OPA) and Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This 
authority is the principal mechanism for NOAA's current engagement in 
the Southern California site supporting EPA and collaborating agencies 
in the development of the plan that allows for improved understanding 
of potential risk to human health and the environment posed by Dump 
Site #2. Also, as a Trustee under CERCLA, OPA, and National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act (NMSA), NOAA has the authority in appropriate 
circumstances to conduct natural resource damage assessment and seek 
damages for restoration.

    Question 5. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA) released two studies highlighting the detrimental impacts of 
ocean acidification on the West Coast. NOAA scientists confirmed in a 
December 2019 study on acidification variability in the California 
ecosystem that California's waters are rising in acidity at twice the 
global average, threatening marine life and adding to a growing number 
of costly fishery disasters.
    A second NOAA study, published in January 2020 on Dungeness crab 
larvae in the Pacific Northwest, documented for the first time (outside 
of lab conditions) that ocean acidification can damage the shells and 
sensory organ of Dungeness crab, threatening the long term growth of 
the one of the most valuable fisheries in U.S. coastal waters.

          A.  What efforts is the Department taking to combat ocean 
        acidification? What programs and plans does the Department have 
        in place as our oceans continue to acidify?

    Answer. NOAA is funding and conducting research and monitoring to 
understand how ocean chemistry is changing in U.S. waters and how 
organisms, like Dungeness crabs, are affected by those changes. This 
funding and research are primarily led by NOAA's Ocean Acidification 
Program and Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and coordinated 
across NOAA and other Federal agencies.
    NOAA is planning research to better understand the role the ocean 
might play in carbon sequestration (also known as marine carbon dioxide 
removal or mCDR). In fiscal year 2022, NOAA funded (with the Department 
of Energy and ClimateWorks) an mCDR research project. The project 
focused on ocean alkalinization as a method of ocean acidification 
mitigation and long-term carbon sequestration. Additionally, the NOAA 
Carbon Dioxide Removal Task Force is finalizing a strategic plan which 
will include an evaluation of mCDR approaches and subsequent impacts. 
Subject to the availability of funds, NOAA is pursuing an expanded 
Federal funding opportunity on mCDR in fiscal year 23 through the 
National Oceanographic Partnership Program which would consist of 
funding from NOAA and other Federal agencies.
    While NOAA's efforts can help communities mitigate and adapt to 
ocean acidification, ultimately, ocean acidification is caused by 
rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere being absorbed by the 
ocean. The most direct solution to ocean acidification is for the U.S. 
and the world to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

    Question 6. Due to heightened impacts of climate change, extreme 
weather events and pollution, marine environments--as well as inland 
waterways and reservoirs--are experiencing prolonged and very harmful 
algal blooms. These blooms lead to human and animal illness and 
jeopardize commercial fisheries as well as drinking water resources.

          A.  How is the Department spending congressionally-
        appropriated funding related to mitigating impacts or 
        preventing harmful algal blooms?

    Answer. In fiscal year 2021, NOAA spent almost $28 million to 
understand, detect, monitor, and forecast HABs, helping communities 
with decisionmaking related to their prevention, control, and 
mitigation (PCM).
          1.  About $20 million of fiscal year 2021 spending was on HAB 
        mitigation--specifically detection, monitoring, and forecasting 
        to help coastal resource managers, public health officials, 
        drinking water managers, fishers, recreational users, the 
        tourism industry, and research scientists plan for and around 
        HABs. NOAA is developing a National HAB Observation System 
        (NHABON) and provides operational HAB forecasts for Lake Erie, 
        Texas, and Florida. Short-term (twice weekly) forecasts 
        identify which blooms are potentially harmful, where they are, 
        how big they are, and where they are likely headed.
          2.  $3.6 million supported the Prevention, Control, and 
        Mitigation Program (PCMHAB) within NOAA's National Centers for 
        Coastal Ocean Science's research funding to move promising PCM 
        technologies through development, to demonstration and 
        application. NOAA also funds socioeconomic research to assess 
        impacts of HAB events on coastal economies and societies, and 
        the costs and benefits of mitigation strategies to aid managers 
        in devising cost-effective management strategies.
          3.  $4.4 million was spent across NOAA on early-stage 
        research to understand the causes and impacts of HABs and their 
        toxins, which is fundamental to successful management and 
        mitigation.

    With these funds, NOAA actively works to identify cost-effective 
adaptive and mitigation strategies for communities to increase their 
resilience to future HAB events, identifying the environmental drivers 
of HAB events to inform responses to future climate change, including 
changes in HAB geographic range, seasonality, and toxicity. NOAA 
utilizes advanced technology for remote and autonomous monitoring of 
HABs in near real-time and develops forecasts to provide early warning 
of HABs for state, Federal, and tribal partners.

    In fiscal year 2022, NOAA solicited proposals to establish a HAB 
Control Technology Incubator to speed up the development of control 
methodologies. By supporting small proposals, the incubator will 
quickly and economically test the potential of new approaches. The most 
successful proposals could then be submitted to PCMHAB competitions for 
a more thorough evaluation. The incubator will also develop a 
clearinghouse of regulations and permitting requirements related to the 
testing and ultimately application of control technologies. NOAA 
anticipates announcing the awardee in late fiscal year 2022.

    Question 7. It is crucial we prioritize and accelerate sustainable 
fishing gear testing and authorization to protect our marine 
environments. Deep-Set Buoy Gear was approved by the Pacific Fishery 
Managements Council in September 2019, and provides a sustainable 
alternative to Drift Gillnets. I understand that the National Marine 
Fisheries Service is now going through the authorization process for 
Deep-Set Buoy Gear.

          A.  What is the current timeline for the authorization of 
        Deep-Set Buoy Gear and what are the steps that need to be taken 
        to authorize new gear?

    Answer. NOAA Fisheries is currently preparing a proposed rule to 
implement the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council's) proposed 
amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries 
for Highly Migratory Species, which NMFS anticipates publishing soon. 
We have been coordinating with the Council on regulations to accompany 
their transmittal of the amendment, which led to the Council revising 
its final preferred alternative for a proposed amendment in March 2021.
    In developing the proposed rule, NMFS must establish the 
infrastructure to permit, manage, and monitor the fishery. NMFS is 
currently working with agency partners to formalize these procedures 
and business rules to support the record of decisionmaking. Part of the 
effort has included developing and testing a system by which NOAA 
Fisheries can qualify individuals for limited entry permits according 
to the tiered criteria recommended by the Council, which incorporates a 
reliance on data prepared by the California Department of Fish and 
Wildlife (CDFW). Additionally, NMFS needs to complete a Section 7 
consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).. Revisions to data 
collection and permitting procedures under the fishery management plan 
that are necessary to implement the proposed action are also subject to 
the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    Upon publication of the proposed rule, there will be a public 
comment period. During that time and subject to completion of the 
Section 7 ESA consultation, NOAA Fisheries can respond to comments on 
its draft environmental impact statement (EIS), pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and prepare a final EIS for 
publication. Following a cooling off period on the final EIS, and 
consideration of public comments collected on the proposed rule and 
fishery management plan amendment, NOAA Fisheries will prepare a record 
of decision under NEPA and a final rule for publication.
    Upon publication of the final rule, and before limited entry 
permits can be issued, NMFS will take several steps to ensure a fair 
ranking of applications according to the Council's qualifying criteria 
and adherence to Council-recommended limitations on permit ownership 
and transfers.

          B.  How can this process be streamlined and/or accelerated?

    Answer. NOAA has been working to streamline implementation of deep-
set buoy gear authorization wherever possible. As discussed above, NOAA 
has been coordinating with the Council, as well as the California 
Department of Fish and Wildlife, to assess ranking procedures for 
qualification for limited entry permits, and to document such 
considerations for compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act. Continuing these effective 
partnerships is paramount to completing the remaining clearance and 
rulemaking processes to implement authorization of deep-set buoy gear.
                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Senator Brian Schatz
    Question 1. Less than 10 percent of the initial appropriation has 
been handed out of a program that was authorized in December 2020. What 
are you doing to ensure that broadband funding provided through the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) is 
distributed in a timely manner? Are you concerned about the pace at 
which NTIA has processed awards for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity 
Fund?

    Answer. NTIA has met or exceeded every deadline established for it 
by Congress, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). 
Congress entrusted NTIA with a great responsibility in IIJA: to help 
ensure all Americans have access to high-speed Internet and the modern, 
digital society. We are working expeditiously to make sure the funds 
get to the places in need quickly and without delay.
    NTIA must also be good stewards of taxpayer funds and do everything 
in our power to ensure that grant recipients have strong plans in place 
that reach people in need and are equipped to follow through on their 
plans. We must also make sure that, before obligating any funds, robust 
oversight measures are in place to prevent any waste, fraud, or abuse.
    As we have been working tirelessly to expand our staffing and 
technical capacity in response to the new authority and trust granted 
to us by Congress, we will move as quickly as possible to obligate 
funds.

    Question 2. I appreciate NIST's efforts on mitigating AI bias and 
the development of the Risk Management Framework. What activities has 
NIST planned to provide actionable guidance to reduce the risks from AI 
bias? Will you ensure that NIST consults not only with developers and 
deployers of AI systems when creating this guidance but also with 
communities that are impacted by biased AI systems? What level of 
funding and staff is being provided to NIST for these activities?

    Answer. NIST contributes to the research, standards, and data 
necessary to advance characteristics of trustworthy artificial 
intelligence, including mitigation of harmful bias, in order to realize 
the full promise of this technology. NIST has significantly expanded 
its efforts to identify, understand, measure, and mitigate harmful 
bias, with a focus on a socio-technical approach. This reflects a 
recognition and increased awareness that AI operates in a larger social 
context, in addition to traditional efforts focused on computational 
elements. Working very closely with a diverse set of stakeholders, NIST 
is building guidance that is flexible and can be applied across AI use 
contexts and sectors. Specifically, NIST recently published ``Toward a 
Standard for Identifying and Managing Bias in Artificial Intelligence'' 
(NIST SP 1270), which identifies the concepts and challenges associated 
with bias in AI and provides preliminary guidance for addressing them. 
Managing bias is also included as one of the key trustworthiness 
characteristics outlined in the NIST AI Risk Management Framework which 
NIST is developing hand-in-hand with the larger community. This 
Framework will provide guidance to organizations on how to manage risks 
of AI systems. As a companion to the AI Risk Management Framework (AI 
RMF), NIST is developing a Playbook to assist the broad set of 
interested stakeholders with actions they can take to implement the 
framework, including concrete steps to mitigate the risks from harmful 
bias.
Will you ensure that NIST consults not only with developers and 
        deployers of AI systems when creating this guidance but also 
        with communities that are impacted by biased AI systems?
    Answer. Yes. NIST takes a transparent and stakeholder driven 
approach in its development of priorities, research, and guidance to 
advance AI trustworthiness. This includes engaging with a diverse range 
of stakeholders through multiple public workshops, opportunities for 
public comment and feedback on publications, and numerous meetings, 
listening sessions, and roundtables with stakeholders from as many 
sectors as possible. NIST continues to reach out beyond the U.S. to 
international and multinational organizations. Because of the impact AI 
can have on individuals, communities, and society, NIST has increased 
its outreach to and engagements with civil society organizations and 
other advocacy groups--including those focused on fairness, civil 
liberties, and the rights of individuals--to provide the perspective of 
those who may be impacted by AI bias. NIST seeks to identify new 
stakeholders, including those who are directly impacted, to help better 
understand this challenging area.
    NIST believes it is important for AI developers and deployers to 
understand the broader impact AI can have on individuals and society, 
in addition to the direct risks to the organization. This perspective 
is woven prominently into the guidance included in the draft NIST AI 
RMF.
    Moreover, NIST is managing the National Artificial Intelligence 
Advisory Committee, which reports to the President and the National AI 
Initiative Office. That committee's scope includes addressing issues of 
bias, and its membership include some of the nation's top experts 
concerned about issues of bias.
What level of funding and staff is being provided to NIST for these 
        activities?
    Answer. NIST is investing an estimated $30 million in fiscal year 
2022 on artificial intelligence activities across the agency, including 
$11 million dedicated to advancing trustworthy and responsible AI. The 
fiscal year 2023 President's budget includes an additional $15 million 
requested for AI activities to develop a new NIST AI Collaborative 
Institute and increase technical expertise in its laboratory research 
efforts. Trustworthiness and the issue of harmful bias and its 
potential impact on individuals and society are a key component of that 
research and are part of multiple programs and projects.

    Question 3. Stakeholders, especially those from minority 
communities, have raised a number of concerns on the use of facial 
recognition technology. The Facial Recognition Vendor Test is an 
important program to provide reliable and accurate information on the 
performance of commercial facial recognition products. What funding is 
being designated to ensure that the Vendor Test continues to expand its 
offerings and incorporate more real world scenarios in its testing?
    Answer. The NIST Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) program is 
funded at approximately $2.5 million in fiscal year 2022 through a 
combination funds from NIST and other Federal agencies. Since its 
initial development in 2000, the FRVT program has driven research 
priorities and standards for the face recognition community. The 
program also provides information to organizations so they can 
determine whether and how face recognition technology can be deployed.
    NIST tests face recognition algorithms for real world relevant use 
cases related to 1-1 and 1-N, image quality, morph detection, and 
demographic variations defined by sex, age, and race. The tests include 
real world data relevant to face recognition. NIST also conducts 
relevant research as part of its privacy engineering and artificial 
intelligence trustworthy efforts to provide direction on mitigation of 
harmful bias and enhancing privacy, which could also apply to the 
deployment of face recognition technologies in real world scenarios.
    More funding would allow for expanded focus that included needs of 
the broader facial recognition community such as additional real world 
data sources and relevant use cases.

    Question 4. The Commerce Department's Office of Native American 
Business Development has been authorized since 2000, but the office is 
not yet fully functional and it lacks leadership. What is the status of 
the office, including the appointment of a Director? What is the 
current funding for the office and what are the plans for the fiscal 
year 2023 funding?

    Answer. A search for a Director (GS-15) of the Office of Native 
American Business Development is in the final stages, and the 
Department hopes to be able to announce the director soon. The Office 
of the Secretary is preparing for the arrival of the director, and the 
important work of the Office of Native American Business Development 
continues in the meantime.
    The Office was formally transferred from the Minority Business 
Development Agency (MBDA) to Departmental Management (DM) in fiscal 
year 2022. Funding of $200,000 is requested in the fiscal year 2023 
Departmental Management (DM) Congressional Submission.

    Question 5. Despite the many challenges of the 2020 census, the 
population counts were sound for use in apportionment, and the 
Redistricting Data File also passed the Census Bureau's quality 
standards. However, that file is filled with impossible and improbable 
results due to underlying data quality issues or the new disclosure 
avoidance system applied to the 2020 Census. Demographers, budget 
officials, urban planners, public health officials, and program 
administrators rely on timely, reliable population tract-level data. 
Will the Census Bureau flag statistics with questionable reliability? 
And if so, how and for whom?

    Answer. The Census Bureau releases information about 2020 Census 
data quality (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/
decade/2020/planning-management/process/data-quality.html#metrics) in a 
number of ways, including comparing the results to population estimates 
, (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html) the Post-
Enumeration Survey , (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/
decennial-census/about/coverage-measurement/pes.html) and Demographic 
Analysis . (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/
about/coverage-measurement/da.html).
    As for the quality associated with the Census Bureau's use of 
differential privacy for the 2020 Census, the disclosure-avoidance 
error introduced is minimal compared to other known sources of error 
(https://www.census.gov/library/fact-sheets/2022/variability.html) in 
census counts because of operational and coverage issues. This means 
the local population counts and demographic information--often used to 
draw congressional districts and for other purposes-- are better 
protected, as well as fit for their intended use. The method used for 
protecting data in the 2020 Census is a more sophisticated and precise 
mechanism for injecting noise into published statistics than the 
swapping mechanism used in prior censuses.

    Question 6. Stakeholders, and in particular data users, have 
consistently raised concerns about the need to improve the American 
Community Survey (ACS). For example, the Census Project, an independent 
organization, published a report in March 2022, on the ACS. The report 
not only reinforces the ACS as the primary source of information 
regarding our nation's changing demographic and socio-economic 
characteristics for data users in the public, private, and non- profit 
sectors, but also raises awareness about the survey's challenges. Among 
other things, the report asks Congress and the administration to 
provide additional resources that could be used to enhance the survey's 
sample size (which has not occurred since 2011), strengthen its content 
by revising and adding questions, and improve the survey's response 
rate, which has fallen over 20 percent since 2017. What actions is the 
Department taking to support the Census Bureau so it can address 
challenges facing the ACS.

    Answer. The Department of Commerce supports the Census Bureau in 
its efforts to continue to modernize and improve the ACS data 
collection operations. The Census Bureau met with The Census Project 
staff to understand the suggestions in the report. The Census Bureau is 
evaluating the suggestions and formulating priorities for future 
research and implementation. The Census Bureau continually evolves its 
survey operations to balance the needs of individual respondents with 
the need for impactful data in our communities. The Census Bureau will 
keep improving by using a multipronged approach, focusing on:

  --Enhancing respondent mail materials.
  --Employing alternative data sources, such as administrative records.
  --Modifying the modes and design of the ACS.
  --Understanding the survey experience from the perspective of our 
        respondents.
  --Improving group quarters data collection and products.

    The Census Bureau explores new research and experimentation with 
ACS protocols while still meeting the multi-tiered demands of survey 
operations. The Census Bureau is continually building on exhaustive 
research to improve the ACS. The Census Bureau's Agility in Action 
series (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/operations-and-
administration/agility-in-action.html) provides more information on the 
research agenda.

    Question 7. Nearly 700 billion dollars are distributed annually in 
states based on population estimates. Over the next 5 years, what 
changes to the population estimates program and American Community 
Survey are being planned, researched, tested, or implemented? How are 
these changes or potential changes being evaluated by data users? How 
will outside stakeholders and researchers be included in these 
improvement plans or changes? What funding is designated to ensure that 
the Census Bureau has the staffing needed to undertake these plans and 
conduct meaningful engagement with outside parties?

    Answer. The Population Estimates Program (PEP) regularly engages in 
research designed to improve the annual estimates. Research tasks are 
determined each year based on priorities identified during the previous 
vintage of estimates and available resources. Over the next 5 years, 
research on potential improvements to the estimates base will be 
prioritized. To assist with this work, the Census Bureau has formed the 
Base Evaluation and Research Team (BERT), internal experts researching 
the feasibility of taking coverage measures from the Demographic 
Analysis and Post-Enumeration Survey into account in the development of 
the official population estimates. BERT consists of subject-matter 
experts in the areas of population estimates, age and sex statistics, 
coverage measurement, race and ethnicity, demography, and disclosure 
avoidance. The team is taking a phased approach to the research, 
beginning with an analysis of 2020 Census data and coverage measures. 
Ultimately, the team will make recommendations to the PEP regarding the 
incorporation of additional 2020 Census data or coverage adjustments 
into the population estimates base. Any proposed changes will be 
thoroughly tested and subject to rigorous review to determine whether 
the change produces plausible estimates across all demographic 
subgroups and geographies. Proposed changes will also be vetted with 
advisory groups and other stakeholders. Should changes be successfully 
incorporated into the estimates base, the population estimates 
developed from that base will also be used by the American Community 
Survey (ACS) and the Puerto Rico Community Survey as survey controls so 
that the population totals from the survey conform to the updated 
population estimates.
    The ACS program is actively investigating and enacting options for 
survey enhancements, as well as making research-based changes to how 
the program operates and engages with respondents. To ensure better 
data, the Census Bureau tests new and modified questions for the ACS 
approximately every 5 years to ensure the survey stays relevant as 
society changes and Federal agency data needs evolve. Starting in 
September 2022, the Census Bureau will begin the field test to gauge 
how new and modified questions perform. A variety of quality metrics 
will be used to determine which wording is best understood and produces 
the most accurate data. Ultimately, the results of the 2022 Content 
Test will determine the recommended revisions to questions and new 
questions to be included. Recommended changes will be submitted to OMB 
for approval and inclusion in the ACS in 2025. These results allow the 
survey to remain dynamic and responsive, capture our nation's trends, 
and meet Federal data needs. Additional future research includes plans 
to improve messaging, expand monitoring of near real-time operational 
and survey data, improve statistical methodology, and adjust the in-
person contact strategy. The Census Bureau publishes research plans for 
the ACS on a regular basis in our Agility in Action report series: 
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/operations-and-
administration/agility-in-action.html.
How are these changes or potential changes being evaluated by data 
        users?
    Answer. At this time, research conducted by the Base Evaluation and 
Research Team (BERT) is in a preliminary phase. Therefore, no specific 
changes have been proposed. BERT will prioritize transparency and 
stakeholder engagement throughout the research process and plans to 
offer webinars to data users regarding proposed changes.
    Proposed changes to ACS content follow an established process that 
includes scientific review and consultation with the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) and the Interagency Council for Statistical 
Policy (ICSP) Subcommittee for the ACS. Final question wording must be 
vetted by the ICSP Subcommittee and OMB before field testing as well as 
prior to implementing in the survey. Through Federal Register Notices 
the public (including data users) are given an opportunity to provide 
feedback on proposed changes. The ACS program also periodically 
conducts data user surveys in order to collect feedback on ACS data 
products and services.
How will outside stakeholders and researchers be included in these 
        improvement plans or changes?
    Answer. The Base Evaluation and Research Team will prioritize 
stakeholder engagement via briefings and webinars to a variety of 
groups including the Federal-State Cooperative for Population 
Estimates, Census Bureau advisory committees, and others. These 
presentations will include the status of the research and any proposed 
changes to the development of the estimates base.
    For the ACS Content Test, the Census Bureau, in coordination with 
the Office of Management and Budget Interagency Committee for the ACS, 
solicited proposals for question changes or additions from over twenty 
Federal agencies. The ACS program communicates continuously with 
stakeholders through Federal Register Notices, presentations, webinars, 
e-mail communications, and the online ACS data user community (https://
acsdatacommunity.prb.org). The Census Bureau has also worked closely 
with the National Academy of Sciences and other external experts to 
inform ACS research.
What funding is designated to ensure that the Census Bureau has the 
        staffing needed to undertake these plans and conduct meaningful 
        engagement with outside parties?
    Answer. The ACS program dedicates funds within its annual 
allocation to support ACS research and communications. The ACS 
program's engagement with stakeholders and external experts is 
supported with the current funding levels for the program.
    Question 8. The Census Bureau does not produce estimates of 
accuracy--i.e., undercounts and overcounts--for areas below the state 
level. Nevertheless, we know from independent analyses, as well as the 
national estimates of accuracy, that any number of cities, counties, 
towns, and Tribal areas were undercounted in the 2020 Census. If the 
census numbers are wrong, then annual population estimates--which are 
used to allocate Federal assistance to states, localities, individuals, 
and families--can be skewed for the next 10 years.
    Unfortunately, in the last decade, the opportunity for local and 
Tribal governments to challenge their annual numbers was very limited. 
Congress is considering support for additional funding for the Census 
Bureau's Population Estimates Program, to expand the role of state and 
local governments in improving the accuracy of their annual population 
estimates through an expanded Population Estimates Challenge Program--
which allows local and tribal governments to challenge their annual 
population estimates within 90 days of release of the estimates each 
spring. What steps will you take to help strengthen the critical 
population estimates program?

    Answer. The Census Bureau has formed the Base Evaluation and 
Research Team (BERT), a group of internal experts tasked with 
researching the feasibility of taking coverage measures from the 
Demographic Analysis and Post-Enumeration Survey into account in the 
development of the official population estimates. Furthermore, both the 
BERT and PEP will create opportunities for stakeholder engagement via 
briefings and webinars to a variety of groups including the Federal- 
State Cooperative for Population Estimates, Census advisory committees, 
and others to ensure external feedback which could potentially 
strengthen the program may be received and evaluated.
    Question 9. Users of the Survey of Income and Program Participation 
(SIPP) have communicated how important the survey has been, 
particularly as the economy emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, for 
analyzing the impact of government assistance programs on families and 
communities. Despite its value as a unique resource, it has been 
largely flat funded by the Census Bureau in recent years, rendering the 
agency unable to enhance the survey's sample size, address decreasing 
response rates, and improve the survey's content, among other necessary 
upgrades. What does the Census Bureau view as the most pressing 
challenges facing SIPP? How much does the Department estimate it would 
cost for the Bureau to pursue necessary changes to the SIPP?
    Answer. The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) is 
the primary source for data that can help policy makers understand the 
sub-annual dynamics of program eligibility and receipt in the context 
of the family and individual economic and demographic situation, for 
example, to measure the needs and change in participation in nutrition 
programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and 
Children (WIC) and how those needs change for families across time.
    SIPP faces many challenges including managing data quality in a 
period of increasing nonresponse, hiring and retaining qualified 
interviewers, and evolving to meet these challenges and leverage 
enterprise technological changes. Developing a multi-mode framework for 
SIPP is essential to meet respondents with the collection modes they 
are most comfortable with and reserving the most expensive methods for 
the hardest to reach cases. While the development of a multi-mode 
framework is important, it is only in the discussion phase, and this 
framework has not been decided.
    The fiscal year 2023 President's Budget proposes $47 million for 
SIPP, which would enable the collection and production of SIPP data for 
a sample of 35,000 households.

    Question 10. What planning and testing is underway to prevent 
quality issues in decennial program products (like the 2020 files, 
American Community Survey, and population estimates) from reoccurring? 
What is the plan for research and testing for the 2030 census?

    Answer. Included in our current research agenda for the 2030 Census 
are numerous projects to increase quality such as improved 
communications, messaging, and advertising, expanded use of 
administrative records, further tailoring of contact strategies, and 
near real-time analysis of data. Achieving a complete and accurate 
census continues to be a primary goal with objectives of ensuring all 
living quarters are associated with an address and accurate response 
data are obtained for all identified living quarters.
    For the American Community Survey (ACS), research is underway to 
incorporate the use of administrative records in the ACS. The use of 
administrative records can improve quality of the published data. The 
Census Bureau is also conducting a content test this fall (2022) to 
ensure the questions on the ACS are up --to date and reflect the needs 
of the nation. Future research includes plans to improve messaging, 
expand monitoring of near real-time operational and survey data, 
improve statistical methodology, and adjust the in-person contact 
strategy. The Census Bureau publishes research plans for the ACS on a 
regular basis in our Agility in Action report series: (https://
www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/operations-and-administration/
agility-in-action.html.)
    To potentially address quality issues from the 2020 Census that may 
be carried forward throughout the decade via the official population 
estimates (which build off decennial data in the estimates base), the 
Census Bureau has formed the Base Evaluation and Research Team (BERT). 
The team is researching the feasibility of taking coverage measures 
from the Demographic Analysis and Post-Enumeration Survey into account 
in the development of the official population estimates. BERT consists 
of subject-matter experts in the areas of population estimates, age and 
sex statistics, coverage measurement, race and ethnicity, demography, 
and disclosure avoidance. The team is taking a phased approach to the 
research, beginning with an analysis of 2020 Census data and coverage 
measures. Presently, the Population Estimates Program (PEP) only 
includes limited data from the 2020 Census in the estimates base from 
which the annual population estimates are developed. Ultimately, the 
BERT will make recommendations to the PEP regarding the incorporation 
of additional 2020 Census data or coverage adjustments into the 
population estimates base. Any proposed changes will be thoroughly 
tested and subject to rigorous review to determine whether the change 
produces plausible estimates across all demographic subgroups and 
geographies.
    The 2030 Census is currently in the design selection phase. This 
phase includes research, testing, and operational planning and design 
work to inform the selection of the initial 2030 Census operational 
design, targeted for late 2024. This work will factor in past census 
experiences, evolving technology, and stakeholder feedback. The Census 
Bureau's research agenda includes numerous projects to explore 
enhancements to data collection (including group quarters), data 
processing, operational infrastructure, and expanded use of 
administrative records.
    For the 2030 Census, for the first time, the public can formally 
give input on planning and designing the next census. Your comments and 
recommendations are key for planning and designing the next census.
    As announced in a Federal Register Notice posted August 17, 2022, 
everyone is encouraged to provide input now through November 15, 2022. 
We will use this input to inform the Census Bureau's decisions on the 
2030 Census operational design.
    Following the design selection phase, the program will move to the 
development and integration phase to conduct rigorous testing and to 
prepare for peak production.

    Question 11. The Census Bureau's Ask U.S. Panel project aims to 
create a probability-based online research panel using a cooperative 
agreement with a private entity. Please explain the relationship 
between the Ask U.S. Panel, the High Frequency Data Program, and the 
Pulse Surveys. How does the Bureau distinguish between these various 
projects? In what ways are they interconnected?

    Answer. The Pulse Surveys--the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) and the 
Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS)--were conceived in March 2020, to 
produce near real-time data on the ways in which American households 
and small businesses were experiencing the social and economic 
disruptions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
    The High Frequency Data Program evolved out of a recognition that 
the Pulse Surveys had value beyond the pandemic. The High Frequency 
Data Program was established in fiscal year 2021, and now serves as the 
programmatic framework for the Census Bureau to mature the Household 
Pulse Survey and the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (formerly, the 
Small Business Pulse Survey), and support them as ongoing Census Bureau 
data products.
    The Ask U.S. Panel was initiated in 2019 as a research project 
within the Census Bureau's Research and Methodology Directorate via a 
cooperative agreement with RTI, International . The objective of the 
project was to identify a better way to recruit study participants for 
Census Bureau studies and improve representativeness of research 
outcomes.
How does the Bureau distinguish between these various projects? In what 
        ways are they interconnected?
    Answer. Please see Answer 11-A above with respect to the 
distinctions among these projects. With regard to their interconnected 
nature, data from the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS) and the 
Household Pulse Survey (HPS) were quickly embraced by a diverse range 
of data users, and it became clear that pulse data had value beyond the 
pandemic. With support from Congress in fiscal year 2021, the Census 
Bureau established a High Frequency Data Program with the goal of 
maturing its ability to produce ongoing timely data products. The pulse 
surveys are strategically managed at the Census Bureau within this High 
Frequency Data Program framework. Over time, the research on the Ask 
U.S. Panel suggested that the concept of a panel had potential beyond 
the research activities for which Ask U.S. was originally designed, and 
a panel developed internally by the Census Bureau--building on 
methodologies used on Ask U.S. and expanding to leverage existing 
Census Bureau data sources--could serve to improve the current design 
of the HPS. Building on the early research associated with the Ask U.S. 
Panel, the Census Bureau recognizes the potential for developing a new 
panel, rigorously developed and maintained using high- quality Title 13 
data resources to ensure representativeness of the U.S. population, may 
have value beyond research. As additional program areas and agencies 
became interested in the idea of using a panel for rapid measurement, 
the Census Bureau recognized that such a panel could provide a 
foundation for the production of official statistics.

    Question 12. A recent Federal Register notice from the Department 
of Commerce indicates the Ask U.S. Panel is an interagency effort with 
representatives from Census, the Economic Research Service, the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Health Statistics, the 
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, the National 
Center for Education Statistics, the Department of Defense, Department 
of Transportation, Department of Labor, and the Social Security 
Administration. Please explain how the interagency effort is 
structured. Are the agencies providing financial support for the Ask 
U.S. Panel? How much research will each agency receive?
    Answer. The Economic Research Service, the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, the National Center for Health Statistics, the National 
Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, the National Center for 
Education Statistics, the Department of Defense, Department of 
Transportation, Department of Labor, the Social Security 
Administration, and the Office of Management and Budget have all 
contributed to the methodological conversation about the concept and 
value of a panel developed and maintained by the Census Bureau. 
Further, agencies that contributed financially to the Ask U.S. Panel 
Pilot project include the Economic Research Service, the Food and 
Nutrition Service, the National Center for Health Statistics, the 
National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Transportation, 
Department of Labor, and the Social Security Administration.
    As set forth in the Interagency Agreements (IAAs) between the 
Census Bureau and each of these agencies, each contributing agency 
provides input on key sampling domains of interest and topical surveys/
research questions for implementation in the Pilot Study. These 
agreements entitle the funding agencies to contribute up to 5 questions 
to the baseline survey and the initial topical survey. Lastly, the 
Department of Defense has a separate IAA to recruit additional 
subsamples of active-duty military and military spouses for a 
specialized pilot baseline and topical survey.

                                 ______
                                 
             Questions Submitted by Senator Lisa Murkowski
    Question 1. Broadband  The Senator greatly appreciates the 
Secretary's time and attention to the unique needs of Alaska with 
respect to broadband deployment. The NTIA's goal of ``Internet for 
all'' is extremely laudable and was a big driver for the Senator to 
support of the IIJA. As you can understand, the Senator is extremely 
interested in the specifics of the BEAD program roll out. If you could 
please review and provide responses to these questions, we would 
greatly appreciate it.
    The BEAD allocation to states relies on the broadband serviceable 
location fabric identifying all structures where a broadband connection 
can be installed in each state, and which structures are unserved. 
Alaska does not have the same mapping data which the fabric relies on 
as the Lower 48 states. Review of the preview version of the fabric has 
revealed missing data for significant regions of Alaska.

          A.  How are NTIA and the FCC ensuring that the fabric will be 
        accurate for Alaska?

    Answer. The IIJA directs the Assistant Secretary, in coordination 
with the Commission, to allocate BEAD funds amongst the states once the 
broadband DATA maps are made public. I agree that accurate mapping--
including the mapping fabric--is vital, and that the FCC's challenge 
processes--both for the fabric and for provider data submitted in 
conjunction with the new Broadband Data Collection--are critical to 
improving their accuracy. With respect to your specific questions about 
the fabric and CostQuest, I must defer to our colleagues at the FCC.

          B.  What additional data has CostQuest identified to fill in 
        the missing data for Alaska?

    Answer. See response above.

          C.  If additional data for additional surveying, such as 
        aerial mapping, is needed to create an accurate fabric for 
        Alaska, how will NTIA and the FCC ensure the fabric is accurate 
        before allocations are made?

    Answer. See response above.

    Question 2. The BEAD program sets aside a significant amount of 
funding for ``high cost areas'' to help bridge the digital divide. As 
you know, there is no place more ``high cost'' than Alaska. The statute 
includes factors to be taken into consideration in determining what 
areas qualify, including remoteness, lack of population density, and 
unique topography--all of which especially describe Alaska. The statute 
also gives the Assistant Secretary discretion to rely on ``any other 
factor'' in determining which areas are ``high cost'' in a state and 
therefore eligible to receive additional resources. Alaska has 
historically come up short exactly because we are so high cost. This 
set aside is an opportunity to direct resources to those areas of the 
country with the highest costs to build and provide service.

          A.  How are the Department and NTIA thinking about this high 
        cost set aside as it relates to Alaska?

    Answer. NTIA staff are actively developing the definition of 
``high-cost area,'' but I cannot at this time predict when NTIA will 
release its guidance on that issue. We are working with each Eligible 
Entity, including the State of Alaska, to identify and help to resolve 
the unique issues that each Eligible Entity faces, and we maintain a 
close working relationship with key stakeholders and experts in Alaska. 
The Assistant Secretary will soon be visiting your state to get an on-
the-ground view of the challenges facing bringing high-speed Internet 
to all Alaskans.

          B.  What assurances can you give that the Department and NTIA 
        are committed to ensuring that Alaska gets the sizable 
        resources needed to connect every Alaskan with affordable 
        broadband service?

    Answer. See response above.

    Question 3. In the BEAD NOFO on Page 15, Section C (Definitions), 
Subsection U (Reliable Broadband Service), it states, ``The term 
``Reliable Broadband Service'' means broadband service that the 
Broadband DATA Maps show is accessible to a location via: (i) fiber-
optic technology; (ii) Cable Modem/Hybrid fiber-coaxial technology; 
(iii) digital subscriber line (DSL) technology; or (iv) terrestrial 
fixed wireless technology utilizing entirely licensed spectrum or using 
a hybrid of licensed and unlicensed spectrum.''

          A.  Are these the only technologies considered to provide 
        ``reliable broadband service''? For example, is satellite not 
        considered Reliable Broadband Service? In some instances in 
        Alaska, it may be the only viable option.

    Answer. For the purposes of the BEAD Program, locations served 
exclusively by satellite do not meet the criteria for Reliable 
Broadband Service and so will be considered ``unserved.'' The 
Infrastructure Act defines ``reliable broadband service'' as 
``broadband service that meets performance criteria for service 
availability, adaptability to changing end-user requirements, length of 
serviceable life, or other criteria, other than upload and download 
speeds, as determined by the Assistant Secretary in coordination with 
the FCC.'' IIJA Sec. 60102(a)(L). For the purposes of this definition, 
the Assistant Secretary adopts the criteria that Reliable Broadband 
Service must be (1) a fixed broadband service that (2) is available 
with a high degree of certainty, (3) both at present and for the 
foreseeable future, and finds, after coordination with the FCC, that 
the definition of Reliable Broadband Service set forth in the BEAD NOFO 
best meets those criteria.
    With that said, the BEAD Program is designed to give each state 
significant flexibility to develop a fair, open, and competitive 
processes for selecting subgrantees. If no Reliable Broadband Service 
technology meeting the BEAD Program's technical requirements would be 
deployable for a subsidy of less than a state's Extremely High Cost Per 
Location Threshold at a given location, the state is authorized to 
select a proposal involving a less costly technology for that location, 
even if that technology does not meet the definition of Reliable 
Broadband Service but otherwise satisfies the Program's technical 
requirements. We expect there will be no small number of locations or 
sets of locations that exceed the ``Extremely High Cost Per Location 
Threshold,'' especially in Alaska.

    Question 1. Climate Science and Research/Fisheries Disasters
    In Alaska, Secretary Raimondo approved a backlog of 14 fisheries 
disasters from 2018 to 2021. Iconic rivers like the Yukon and Kuskokwim 
are seeing depleted Chinook and chum runs that freezers and drying 
racks empty. Every speaker at the Alaska delegation's salmon roundtable 
agreed upon the need for better and more accessible science as we see 
impacts to fisheries from the warm water blobs in the Gulf of Alaska, 
the shrinking of the Bering Sea cold pool, and stock migrations into 
colder waters.

          A.  The Department of Commerce plays a critical role in 
        preparing our nation for the impacts of climate change through 
        NOAA's science and research projects. We cannot adapt and 
        Congress cannot make informed decisions without reliable 
        information. How much funding does NOAA plan to allocate to 
        expand climate observation, forecasting, and research? How 
        would NOAA utilize those funds to better prepare a state like 
        Alaska that is ground-zero for climate change in the Arctic?

    Answer. NOAA's fiscal year 2023 President's Budget request includes 
an increase of $261.5M above fiscal year 2022 Enacted to support an 
earth system approach to enhance NOAA's authoritative climate products 
and services. NOAA's work directly impacts communities across the 
Nation and around the globe, from supporting climate-resilient 
communities and climate- ready fisheries to improving forecasts and 
response to climate-related natural disasters.
    The request includes an additional $23.3M in NMFS and $10.0M in 
OAR, above fiscal year 2022 Enacted, to support the NOAA Climate-
Ecosystem-Fisheries Initiative (CEFI). This initiative directly 
supports NOAA's goals to achieve a climate ready nation, and NMFS' 
efforts to deliver climate products and services to help sustain the 
nation's valuable living marine resources, and the many businesses and 
communities that depend on them. The CEFI will build a national ocean/
ecosystem prediction and decision support system to support climate-
informed fisheries management, protected species conservation, and 
adaptation of resource-dependent sectors and communities.
    Through CEFI, NMFS will provide direct support for climate 
resilience and adaptation in Alaska, the Arctic and other regions in 
three ways--providing climate-informed assessments and management 
advice to decision makers ($10.0M), maintaining and enhancing survey 
operations that are impacted due to climate change ($3.3M), and 
bolstering support to state and tribes for their efforts to improve 
climate resilience through the Species Recovery Grants Program 
($10.0M). OAR's request would support down-scaling global climate 
models to regional scales to project climate impacts on key species and 
ecosystems. This is a first step for the CEFI, which, with additional 
funding, could provide improved understanding of climate changes in 
Alaskan waters. These fiscal year 2023 budget requests are essential to 
building the CEFI system needed to support climate-informed decision 
making.
    The fiscal year 2023 President's Budget also includes several OAR 
initiatives to improve climate observations and research that will 
benefit Alaska and the Arctic. This includes an additional $16.1M for 
Sustained Atmospheric Observations, which would create an independent, 
transparent evaluation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and provide a 
robust understanding of the allowable cumulative GHG emissions to limit 
global warming. Additionally, the $9 million requested for Providing 
Climate Projections out to 2050 to inform Risk Management would develop 
standardized and accessible climate projections with society-relevant 
data delivery services to improve the equity of climate risk 
information.
    Lastly, the fiscal year 2023 President's Budget request includes $6 
million for OAR's Arctic Research activities. Overall, OAR investments 
in Alaskan and Arctic sustained observations and monitoring of ocean, 
climate, and marine ecosystems will continue to establish baseline 
conditions of the region through long-term moorings in the Bering and 
Chukchi Sea, the state-wide Climate Reference Network, and Barrow 
Atmospheric Baseline Observatory. These observations support improved 
modeling and forecasting of ocean, climate, and ecosystems that provide 
essential services to communities, partners, and decision-makers. 
Continued investments in new observing technologies and capabilities to 
overcome the extreme Arctic environment will hone our understanding of 
sea-ice, ocean climate, and marine ecosystem changes, and are needed to 
realize the full potential of new blue economic opportunities in Alaska 
and the Arctic.
    Advancing these efforts will directly support production, delivery 
and use of the climate related information needed to support resilience 
and adaptation to changing climate and marine ecosystems in Alaska. 
Specifically, to address climate change in Alaska and the Arctic, NOAA 
Fisheries would improve marine ecosystem monitoring (including humans) 
and better support predictive capacity to inform management and marine 
resource users (commercial and coastal communities). Monitoring would 
include consistent support for shipboard oceanographic, fisheries, and 
marine mammal observations on the U.S. Arctic shelf in the Bering, 
Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. These observations would support the Alaska 
Climate Integrated Modeling project and the Climate Ecosystem Fisheries 
Initiative to forecast climate change impacts on fish, shellfish, 
marine mammals, fisheries, and fishery dependent communities in the 
Bering Sea.

                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Senator John Kennedy
    Question 1.
Preface:
  --In 2014, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) selected 500 
        (approx. 1/3 of the fleet) Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Permit owners 
        using a stratified random sampling method to participate in the 
        Cellular Electronic Logbook (cELB) Program.
  --The fiscal year 22 omnibus appropriation bill directed NMFS, in 
        consultation with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council 
        and shrimp industry stakeholders, to continue the development 
        and implementation of the cELB.
  --The cELB collects spatial patterns of fishing efforts for 
        scientific research under NMFS, it requires cost sharing 
        between NMFS and the shrimp fleet.
  --In December 2020 the 3G network used for cELBs was phased out. To 
        supplement the data collection, the shrimping industry provided 
        funding to develop a pilot program using P-Sea WindPlot, an 
        alternative technology.

    Given that the shrimp industry and the Council have already 
invested almost $1 million to develop a new scientific data collection 
system, based on the widely-used P-Sea WindPlot navigation system, in 
the wake of 3G going off line, can you commit NMFS to using the new 
technology rather than more expensive alternatives that many smaller 
shrimp boats cannot afford?

    Answer. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is currently 
exploring two options for the new Gulf shrimp data collection system, 
and funded a pilot study to test the ability of the P-Sea WindPlot 
system to be used in concert with one of those options to meet fishery 
science and management objectives. That pilot study, along with another 
being conducted by NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center, is expected 
to be complete in early 2023, after which time the Council will 
identify its preferred path forward. Shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico 
may have different needs and expenses that are dependent on other Gulf 
permits held by a vessel, and those associated permit reporting 
requirements, as well as the electronic equipment currently available 
on a vessel. To meet the regulatory requirement to report shrimp 
effort, the varied needs of Gulf shrimpers, and allow for flexibility, 
NMFS will be approving specifications for the Council's preferred new 
Gulf shrimp data collection system, which could then be met by multiple 
vendors and products. NMFS will support use of the P-Sea Windplot 
navigation system as one of several products available to shrimp 
fishermen if it is able to meet those specifications.

    Question 2.
Preface:
  --On April 13, 2021, disaster struck Gulf Coast families when a 129-
        foot commercial lift boat, the SEACOR Power, capsized in the 
        Gulf of Mexico. Six crewmembers were recovered alive, six were 
        found dead, and seven remain unaccounted for.
  --The capsizing of the SEACOR Power is the worst disaster to strike 
        the Gulf Coast since the Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010.
  --For days, numerous volunteers, including the Cajun Navy, scoured 
        the skies and seas in an effort to locate missing crewmembers.
  --Volunteers intended to use trawling nets to assist in recovery 
        searches but encountered strong opposition from NOAA related to 
        Federal regulations concerning sea turtles. Volunteers using 
        their own shrimp boats wanted to temporarily tie their Turtle 
        Excluder Devices (TED) for targeted recovery operations, but 
        were unable to due to Federal red tape.
  --Volunteers were given the costly and time-wasting options of either 
        removing the TEDs entirely or replacing the nets with expensive 
        alternatives.
  --NOAA claims the National Marine Fisheries Service does not have the 
        authority to waive TED regulations when lives are at stake. The 
        NMFS has prosecutorial discretion over charging those that 
        violate TED regulations, and, the Secretary of Commerce can 
        override their decision.

    I understand this issue predates your time as Secretary, can you 
ensure a similar situation will be prevented in the future? If so, why 
wasn't this discretion utilized to allow volunteers to search for 
bodies in the ocean and give closure to these devastated families?

    Answer. Shortly following the Seacor lift boat accident, NOAA 
Fisheries reviewed our regulatory authority to issue TED exemptions and 
determined our authority is limited to responding to certain 
environmental conditions or enabling experimentation to improve TED 
efficacy. The regulatory authority to grant these exceptions is at 50 
CFR 223.206(d)(3) and 50 CFR 223.207(e)(2). 50 CFR 223.206(d)(3) 
authorizes NOAA Fisheries to allow compliance with tow- time 
restrictions in lieu of TED requirements if the agency's Assistant 
Administrator determines the presence of algae, seaweed, debris, or 
other special environmental conditions in a particular area makes 
trawling with TED-equipped nets impracticable. 50 CFR 223.207(e)(2) 
authorizes NOAA Fisheries to issue permits exempting from TED 
requirements public or private experimentation aimed at improving the 
shrimp retention efficiency of approved TEDs, developing new TEDs, or 
conducting fishery research.
    In both of those situations, the exemption process did not apply 
and, even if it could be used, would have taken longer (one to several 
weeks) than NOAA Fisheries' proposed solution. NOAA Fisheries instead 
proposed that the trawls could be modified to no longer be considered 
shrimp trawls under the regulatory definitions, by removing the TED and 
bag end used for shrimping and replacing it with a bag end constructed 
of 4" or greater mesh. The 4" or greater mesh webbing is readily 
available at net shops, and in many cases may already be owned by the 
trawl fishers. Webbing of that size mesh is used for a variety of 
purposes, including chafing gear on TEDs and for bag ends when some 
shrimp trawlers seasonally convert their gear for fish trawling. 
Removal of the TED and bag end, construction of a simple bag end made 
of 4" or greater mesh, and attachment to the trawl can be completed in 
1-2 hours or less.
Therefore:
  --In the unfortunate event that a similar situation occurs in the 
        future, the solution proposed by NOAA Fisheries would be the 
        quickest and most efficient means of allowing the trawl fishers 
        to tow their trawls as part of recovery operations.
  --When investigating allegations of violations, NOAA Fisheries 
        gathers evidence of mitigating and aggravating factors that 
        contributed to the violation. While it is correct that NOAA's 
        Office of General Counsel (OGC) has prosecutorial discretion 
        over charging those that violate TED regulations, such 
        discretion typically comes into play after a violation has been 
        detected and mitigating factors, if any, can be evaluated by 
        OGC.

    Question 4.
Preface:
    Secretary Raimondo, NOAA has predicted a higher-than normal 
hurricane season with a forecast for 19 named storms, nine reaching 
hurricane status and four to become major hurricanes. Many of these 
communities are in my state along the coast continue to struggle to 
recover from past storms, most of which are economically disadvantaged 
and racially diverse.

          A.  How do you justify a budget that claims to promote 
        diversity and equity and calls for billions of new dollars in 
        spending, yet doesn't expand our capacity to better predict 
        hurricane track and intensity? Several of NOAA's key hurricane 
        buoys in the Gulf of Mexico are inoperable and after Congress 
        provided $35 million in supplemental funds for NOAA to improve 
        in part, hurricane intensity forecasting, including through 
        deployment of unmanned ocean observing platforms. Why are you 
        failing to use the supplemental funds Congress provided, with 
        explicit direction, protect the lives of diverse communities in 
        Louisiana?

    Answer. NOAA appreciates Congress' support from the fiscal year 
2022 Disaster Relief Supplemental Act (DRSA) and is eager to realize 
improvements to its hurricane track and intensity prediction 
capabilities. Funding from DRSA includes $35 million for NOAA to 
improve hurricane intensity and track forecasting and precipitation and 
flood prediction, forecasting, and mitigation capabilities. Upon 
Congressional approval of NOAA's DRSA Spend Plan in February 2022, NOAA 
has moved aggressively to execute these funds, which supports our work 
to protect lives and property.
    This funding will benefit diverse coastal communities, including in 
Louisiana, by allowing NOAA to accelerate implementation of the 
Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project (HFIP), make advancements to the 
Hurricane Analysis and Forecasting System (HAFS), improve risk 
communications for vulnerable populations, increase ocean observations 
including with uncrewed observing platforms, advance ocean/air data 
assimilation, develop a new hurricane testbed, and enhance 
precipitation prediction and storm surge forecasting. It also includes 
funding for the repair and replacement of damaged NOAA and partner 
assets in Louisiana and funding for additional response and improvement 
efforts that will support the greater Gulf of Mexico region. DRSA did 
not cover NOAA hurricane buoy repairs in Louisiana, however, NOAA has 
scheduled servicing for the 2 buoy outages in the Gulf of Mexico and is 
working with the U.S. Coast Guard to execute repairs on those weather 
buoys by the end of August.
    NOAA is dedicating approximately $1 million in DSRA funding for the 
repair and replacement of damaged NOAA and partner assets in Louisiana. 
The DSRA also provides $9 million for additional response and 
improvement efforts including mapping, charting and geodesy services 
for Louisiana and Texas; ocean observation activities for improving 
hurricane intensity forecasts and data assimilation improvements.
    NOAA is working with Saildrone to deploy two remotely-controlled 
saildrones in the Gulf of Mexico supported by DRSA funds during the 
2022 hurricane season. Overall, NOAA will be deploying seven saildrones 
for hurricane research in the Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Ocean/Gulf of 
Mexico for the 2022 hurricane season as compared to the five that were 
deployed in the Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Ocean only in 2021. These will 
be deployed on a research basis to understand how the collection of 
ocean and atmospheric measurements can improve our representation of 
air/sea processes in forecast models.
    In addition, there are currently four NOAA ocean gliders operating 
in the Gulf of Mexico. These gliders collect subsurface ocean 
observations to improve hurricane intensity forecasts. Further, NOAA 
supports an array of profiling floats and drifting buoys in the Gulf of 
Mexico that provide data year-round, including during critical periods 
like hurricane seasons. Deployment of additional observing platforms in 
the Gulf of Mexico will be greater in 2023 through the integrated field 
campaign funded by DRSA.

                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Senator Bill Hagerty
    Question 1. The Census is one of the most important functions of 
your Department and a basic institution of government required by the 
Constitution. During your hearing you seemed to agree that Congress and 
the American people deserve transparency regarding how the Census is 
conducted that allows for meaningful oversight of the methods and 
assumptions used, is that correct?

    Answer. Yes, I do agree. As I said in the hearing, I set the tone 
at the top of the Commerce Department that the Census Bureau should be 
fact-based, data-based, science-based, and statistical-based. More 
transparency is always better.

    Question 2. In finalizing the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau used a 
methodology called ``group quarters imputation'' to estimate the number 
of people living in certain group housing facilities like prisons, 
nursing homes, and college dorms. As such, part of the final Census 
count reflects people actually counted in the field, and part reflects 
Bureau guesswork about how many people live in certain locations. 
Shouldn't the Census Bureau publicly disclose how much of the 2020 
Census count resulted from actual evidence-based counting in the field, 
and how much of the count resulted from guesswork and assumptions, in 
order to provide transparency and allow for oversight?

    Answer. Count imputation is a statistically valid method of 
population counting that has been employed by the Census for decades 
and was upheld by the Supreme Court in Utah v. Evans in 2002. It is 
universally accepted in the demographic research community that 
imputation improves the accuracy of the population count. At the end of 
data collection for group quarters (GQs), the Census Bureau realized 
many GQs had not provided the necessary information indicating their 
occupancy status or population count. To address this issue, the Census 
Bureau assembled the GQ count imputation (GQCI) team to remove 
reporting errors from GQs and, when possible, to apply a count 
imputation procedure when valid responses from occupied GQs were not 
available. Among all GQs in the census, the Census Bureau applied GQCI 
to about 2 percent. Similarly, among all people enumerated in the 
census at GQs, about 2 percent were derived through GQCI. For those 
people, the Census
Bureau imputed all their characteristics in the characteristic 
imputation operation as part of the creation of the Census Edited File. 
More information on the procedure can be found in a brief summary 
memorandum. (https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/
program-management/memo-series/2020-memo-2022_08.
pdf).
    The Census Bureau is assessing the GQCI operation and will release 
a memorandum this fall providing, among other information, rates of 
GQCI by states and separately by major types of GQs. Additionally, on 
May 28, 2021, the Census Bureau released additional quality metrics 
(https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-
releases/2021/additional-2020-quality-metrics.html) for housing units 
looking at how census operations obtained a response for each address. 
The Census Bureau released the percentage of occupied housing units in 
each state that were enumerated by self-response, in nonresponse 
follow-up with household members and proxies, by using administrative 
records, by ``other enumerations,'' and by count imputation. The 
results are available in this downloadable table (https://
www2.census.gov/
programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/operational-quality-metrics/
census-
operational-quality-metrics-release_2.xlsx). In Tennessee, for example, 
77 percent of occupied housing units self-responded, and 21 percent 
were counted by nonresponse follow-up. Less than 0.5 percent were 
enumerated by count imputation.

    Question 3. There have been suggestions that releasing information 
regarding the evidence- based counting numbers and the imputed numbers 
might somehow compromise the personal information provided by Census 
respondents. Can you explain how releasing statewide totals of people 
actually counted in each state, compared to people guessed or assumed 
to live in each state, would compromise privacy?

    Answer. The Census Bureau is charged with safeguarding the 
confidentiality of census information. Pursuant to that responsibility, 
the Census Bureau has, for decades, employed disclosure avoidance 
techniques to defend against the release of any ``publication whereby 
the data furnished by any particular establishment or individual ... 
can be identified.'' 13 U.S.C. Sec. 9(a)(2). And the Census Bureau has 
assiduously avoided disclosing information ``reported by, or on behalf 
of, any particular respondent.'' Id. Sec. 8(b). But computer technology 
and processing power have grown exponentially in recent years, 
substantially increasing the risk of reconstruction and 
reidentification attacks on census data. The Census Bureau has kept 
pace (and tried to stay a step ahead) by developing ever-more 
sophisticated disclosure avoidance systems to protect the 
confidentiality of census information. Still, as with any information 
security system, if the system's foundation is undermined, the 
information being secured is rendered vulnerable.

    Question 4. Another method the Census Bureau used in finalizing the 
2020 Census was what it calls ``differential privacy,'' which 
essentially involves the Bureau purposefully injecting erroneous data 
into the reported data for the supposed purpose of shielding personal 
information. For example, 10 people live in Census Block 1, and 40 
people live in Census Block 2, the Bureau may report these numbers as 
20 people in Census Block 1 and 30 people in Census Block 2--and change 
the demographic data, too--to supposedly make it harder to reverse 
engineer any personal information. This means the local population 
counts and demographic information--often used to draw congressional 
districts and for other purposes--are purposefully inaccurate. In 
addition to the other assumptions and adjustments made to the evidence-
based count, this further obscures the real data. In your view, is it 
problematic that, because of this ``differential privacy'' method the 
Census doesn't provide accurate information regarding local populations 
and demographics?

    Answer. The Census Bureau has employed many methods to protect 
respondent confidentiality over the decades. The 2010 Census was 
protected using a method called ``data swapping'', where sensitive 
records (e.g., a household with unique characteristics relative to 
those around them) in one geography were swapped with records from a 
household in a nearby geography. That is, the Census Bureau 
``perturbed'' the data in 2010 and previous censuses to protect 
respondent confidentiality. In reviewing available methods to protect 
the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau concluded that statistical noise 
calibrated with differential privacy was the best tool currently 
available to ensure adequate privacy protection while maximizing data 
quality. Balancing statistical accuracy and the confidentiality of 
census data has long been at the core of the Census Bureau's work. 
Protecting the confidentiality of respondents' information is both a 
legal requirement under 13 U.S. Code Sec. Sec. 8(b) and 9, and an 
operational necessity if the agency is to maintain the public's trust 
that the Census Bureau will properly safeguard the information it 
provides. Consequently, the Census Bureau has long relied on a variety 
of statistical techniques to protect confidentiality and reduce 
disclosure risk in the data products it releases to the public.
    Over the years, as disclosure risks have increased because of 
advances in computing power and the growing availability of external 
data sources that could be used to reidentify census respondents from 
published tabulations (https://www.census.gov/data/academy/webinars/
2021/disclosure-avoidance-series/simulated-reconstruction-abetted-re-
identification-attack-on-the-2010-census.html), the Census Bureau has 
adapted and improved its disclosure avoidance methods (https://
www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/factsheets/2021/comparing-
differential-privacy-with-older-disclosure-avoidance-methods.pdf) to 
keep pace with these growing threats. For the 1970 and 1980 censuses, 
the Census Bureau suppressed data for small areas and small 
populations. For the 1990 through 2010 censuses, the Census Bureau 
injected ``noise'' (statistical error) into published tabulations 
through a process called ``swapping.'' The Census Bureau's use of 
differential privacy for the 2020 Census is a more sophisticated and 
precise mechanism for injecting noise into published statistics than 
the swapping mechanism used in prior censuses. The error introduced 
into 2020 Census publications by the 2020 Census Disclosure Avoidance 
System is necessary to protect against reidentification, and this 
disclosure-avoidance error is trivial compared to other known sources 
of error (https://www.census.gov/library/fact-sheets/2022/
variability.html) in census counts because of operational and coverage 
issues. This means the local population counts and demographic 
information--often used to draw congressional districts and for other 
purposes--are better protected as well as fit for their intended use.

    Question 5. Census Bureau employees are the only people with any 
visibility into the real numbers and how they are being changed using 
guesswork. And they won't share their methods and assumptions because 
they say it will compromise them. So there's no way to oversee these 
methods and assumptions. With an important constitutional function like 
this, shouldn't the Census Bureau have to disclose its counting 
assumptions and modifications to the actual evidence-based count to 
allow for meaningful oversight?

    Answer. The Census Bureau is always ready to prepare briefings and 
informational materials for any Congressional oversight requests. For 
the 2020 Census, we spearheaded a 2020 Census Congressional Partnership 
Initiative through which Census Bureau staff met with Members of 
Congress and their staff from nearly 400 congressional offices in 
Washington, DC. Field-based congressional partnership specialists 
arranged hundreds of events involving congressional state/district 
offices. We also arranged weekly briefings on major 2020 Census 
operations for appropriations and oversight staff and periodic 
briefings to which all Congressional staff were invited in addition to 
the 2020 Census Program Management Reviews.
    In addition, before the Census Bureau publishes any statistic, it 
applies safeguards that help prevent someone from being able to trace 
that statistic back to a specific respondent. The 2020 Census is using 
a powerful privacy protection system known in scientific circles as 
``differential privacy,'' designed specifically for the digital age. 
The Census Bureau is transitioning to this privacy protection system to 
keep pace with emerging threats in today's digital world. As part of 
this transition, the Census Bureau began releasing demonstration 
products in 2019 and requesting public feedback. These demonstration 
products allow the public to see the level of ``noise'' that is being 
added by the disclosure avoidance methodology through the creation of a 
2010 Census data set protected using the new disclosure avoidance 
methodology. The public is then able to compare the demonstration data 
product to publicly released 2010 Census data to evaluate the 
differences. See the Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC) 
Development and Production Timeline (https://www2.census.gov/programs-
surveys/decennial/2020/program-management/DHC%20Timeline) for more 
information. Additionally, the Census Bureau hosted a second public 
workshop with CNSTAT on June 21-22, 2022, to provide opportunities for 
data users who rely on more detailed sociodemographic data to assess 
and provide feedback on the suitability of the most recent DHC 
demonstration data product. (The first public workshop was held in 
December 2019.) These data user analyses and feedback will help inform 
Disclosure Avoidance System improvements for the next round of 
demonstration data, scheduled for release in August 2022, and 
ultimately inform final decisions on the 2020 Census DHC production 
settings. It is important to note that the Census Bureau's transparency 
regarding the implementation of improved data protection methods is 
unprecedented. Historically, the impacts of the agency's 
confidentiality protections on published data products have largely 
been opaque to data users.
    In keeping with its commitment to transparency, the Census Bureau 
has undertaken a series of unprecedented quality reviews early in the 
data release process. This includes enlisting outside experts to 
independently evaluate the results, as well as providing frequent 
updates through a blog series and through the 2020 Census Data Quality 
(https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/
planning-management/process/data-quality.html) webpage. The Census 
Bureau works with multiple oversight entities, such as the Government 
Accountability Office and the Department of Commerce's Office of 
Inspector General, as well as engages with respected members of the 
scientific and statistical community to conduct independent assessments 
of the 2020 Census. These entities extensively and carefully review the 
methods and processes the Census Bureau uses to produce the counts, 
disclosure edits, etc., to ensure the results are meeting goals and 
statistical standards. The experts are from three groups--National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on 
National Statistics, American Statistical Association Quality 
Indicators Task Force, and JASON (an independent scientific advisory 
group)--and all three have produced census quality reports. For 
example, the NAS Panel to Evaluate the Quality of the 2020 Census 
produced, ``Understanding the Quality of the 2020 Census, (https://
nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26529/chapter/1)'' the ASA Task Force 
produced, ``2020 Census Quality Indicators, (https://www.amstat.org/
asa/files/pdfs/POL-2020CensusQualityIndicators.pdf)'' and JASON 
produced, ``Assessment of 2020 Census Data Quality Processes. (https://
www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/program-management/
planning-docs/2020-census-data-quality-processes.pdf).''

    Question 6. In March, 18 of my Senate colleagues and I sent 
President Biden a letter expressing our serious concerns with the 
record increases in fertilizer prices that are impacting American 
farmers. Since, unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine has only 
exacerbated the problem. Since January 2021, according to the most 
decent data from USDA' Marketing Services, the prices of key fertilizer 
sources have substantially increased. Can you provide me an update as 
to what actions your Department has taken to reduce the cost of sky 
rocketing prices?

    Answer. We at the Commerce Department continue to be very concerned 
about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its many unfortunate 
humanitarian, security, and economic consequences. We are maintaining 
open communications with the fertilizer industry and sharing their 
perspectives with Administration leadership and interagency 
counterparts to address this situation.

    Question 7. I understand that your Department has a role in the 
U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) designation of critical mineral. 
Potash, a key mineral for fertilizer production, has historically been 
designated a critical mineral by USGS, but has been removed. Will you 
commit to working with the Department of Interior to restore potash as 
a critical mineral?

    Answer. The Commerce Department, along with other United States 
government agencies, is a member of the White House Office of Science 
and Technology Policy's National Science and Technology Council 
Critical Minerals Subcommittee (CMS). In February 2022, the Department 
of the Interior announced the revision of the critical minerals list, 
noting that Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed it using 
``the most up-to-date scientific methods to evaluate mineral 
criticality''. According to USGS, ``[T]he 2022 list of critical 
minerals is based on a methodology developed over several years with 
leadership by the USGS and interagency input coordinated by the CMS. 
The USGS published the new methodology in 2020 and this methodology was 
used to create the draft list and update it in 2021-2022.'' Commerce 
would refer you to USGS for any further information.

    Question 8. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a major input cost for 
fertilizer production. Have you spoken directly with Secretary 
Granholm, the White House, or any other Cabinet official about the 
impact record LNG prices are having on the cost of fertilizer 
production? Are there any plans underway to change regulatory policy 
and stymie the Biden Administration in a manner that could be expected 
to lower LNG prices?

    Answer. The Administration has taken actions to address the 
disruptions to the global supply chains for fertilizer due to Putin's 
unjustified invasion of the Ukraine, In May, President Biden announced 
that USDA was doubling funding for domestic fertilizer production from 
an initial $250 million investment to $500 million. This action should 
help lower costs and boost availability for farmers, so they can obtain 
the inputs they need at prices they can afford to maximize yields.

    Question 9. On July 11, 2021, Congressman Michael McCaul and I 
wrote to urge you to add Yangtze Memory Technologies Company (YMTC) to 
the Entity List. YMTC is China's state- owned national champion for 
memory chips, with ties to the CCP military. Unfortunately, since then, 
our dependence has continued to grow on Chinese companies like YMTC 
with clear ties to the Party-state and military that are threats to our 
national security. Witness Apple's recent disturbing decision to 
consider relying, in part, on YMTC chips for its phones. My colleagues 
and I are now finalizing bipartisan legislation that aims to preserve a 
secure chip and memory supply for the United States. Your executive 
power could greatly facilitate achieving this goal. Why have you not 
yet added YMTC to the Entity List?

    Answer. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) shares your 
concerns about efforts by the People's Republic of China (PRC) 
government and PRC companies to threaten U.S. national security and 
foreign policy interests. A core objective of BIS is to impair the 
PRC's goal of parity in leading- edge semiconductor technology. BIS 
continually assesses available open-source, proprietary, and classified 
information, in coordination with our interagency partners, for the 
addition of other Chinese parties to the Entity List, all while 
ensuring U.S. technological leadership. Since the start of the Biden 
Administration, BIS has placed over 100 PRC parties on the Entity List 
and maintains nearly 600 PRC parties on the Entity List to date. While 
the Entity List is a powerful tool, it is not the only tool BIS 
possesses to address activities that threaten our national security and 
foreign policy interests. BIS uses ``Is Informed'' letters--letters to 
individual companies informing them of additional license requirements 
related to specific parties and/or items--and imposes additional 
license requirements because of end-use or end-user concerns, such as 
unacceptable risk in or diversion to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) 
programs in certain countries. BIS also aggressively pursues criminal 
and civil penalties related to unauthorized exports to China, and 
investigations are carried out by law enforcement officers whose 
mission is to investigate such violations and pursue them criminally 
and administratively.
    Under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), all additions to 
the Entity List are subject to an interagency review process and 
require a majority vote of the End-User Review Committee (ERC), which 
is chaired by the Department of Commerce, with representation from the 
Departments of State, Defense, Energy, and where appropriate, Treasury. 
The ERC determines whether the entity has been involved in, is involved 
in, or poses a significant risk of being or becoming involved in 
activities that are contrary to the national security or foreign policy 
interests of the United States.
    BIS welcomes the opportunity to provide technical assistance on any 
draft legislation upon request.

    Question 10. You have been a vocal advocate for increasing U.S. 
semiconductor manufacturing. I'm also very supportive of increasing 
American chip manufacturing, which will create American jobs and 
bolster our national security interests vis-`-vis China. In March, you 
noted that twenty years ago we made nearly 40 percent of the world's 
chips, and now we make only 12 percent. You noted that we buy 90 
percent of our most sophisticated chips from Taiwan--the same Taiwan 
that China has its sights set on. Is that kind of dependency a 
significant vulnerability for American national and economic security?

    Answer. Yes. American dependency on chips manufactured abroad is 
absolutely a significant vulnerability for national and economic 
security. I applaud the members of Congress who worked hard to get the 
CHIPS and Science Act to President Biden's desk. My staff have hit the 
ground running to operationalize this historic investment in America's 
global economic leadership and to shore up these vulnerabilities.

    Question 11. The United States continues to lead the world in chip 
design, software, and equipment, so it seems the problem is that it has 
become too costly or uncertain for chip manufacturers to locate in the 
United States. Chip manufacturers have told me that this problem cannot 
be solved with dollars alone--as proposed by the CHIPS Act Congress is 
now considering. Even well-funded projects cannot be completed if they 
are tied up with multi-year permitting processes. In fact, our 
permitting process is one of the reasons manufacturers chose to 
relocate in places like Taiwan in the first place. Given the dire need 
to encourage chip manufacturing in the U.S., do you agree that, 
conceptually, it makes sense to allow chip manufacturers to utilize an 
existing Federal program that improves the Federal permitting process 
if it helps speed up domestic chip manufacturing projects?

    Answer. I was pleased to support your bill (S. 3451) to add 
semiconductor facilities to the existing FAST-41 process. Lengthy 
permitting processes cannot delay the impact of this historic 
investment in American semiconductor manufacturing.

    Question 12: Do you support legislation, which has been approved 
unanimously by the U.S. Senate (S. 3451), to utilize existing Federal 
programs to streamline the Federal permitting process an bring chip 
manufacturing back to the U.S.?

    Answer. Yes. I supported S. 3451, and I am pleased that the bill 
became law.

    Question 13. Will you work with my office/staff to convey the 
benefits/push for legislation in the House, etc.?

    Answer. As per the Energy Act of 2020, at least every 3 years the 
Department of the Interior must review and update the list of critical 
minerals. We refer you to USGS, which is a part of Interior, for 
further information on its plans for the next revision.

                          SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS

    Senator Shaheen. The subcommittee now stands in recess, 
subject to the call of the Chair.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you.
    Senator Shaheen. Thank you.
    [Whereupon, at 3:29 p.m., Wednesday, May 11, the 
subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene subject to the call of 
the Chair.]