[Senate Hearing 117-516]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                        S. Hrg. 117-516

                 NOMINATIONS OF HON. SHALANDA D. YOUNG
                         AND NANI A. COLORETTI

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                              COMMITTEE ON
               HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS


                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

               NOMINATION OF HON. SHALANDA D. YOUNG TO BE
             DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, AND
   NANI A. COLORETTI TO BE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND 
                                 BUDGET

                               __________

                            FEBRUARY 1, 2022

        Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov

                       Printed for the use of the
        Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
        
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                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
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        COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                   GARY C. PETERS, Michigan, Chairman
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware           ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire         RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              RAND PAUL, Kentucky
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
ALEX PADILLA, California             MITT ROMNEY, Utah
JON OSSOFF, Georgia                  RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri

                   David M. Weinberg, Staff Director
                    Zachary I. Schram, Chief Counsel
                      Claudine J. Brenner, Counsel
                    Nikta Khani, Research Assistant
                Pamela Thiessen, Minority Staff Director
    Andrew Dockham, Minority Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director
       Amanda N. Neely, Minority Director of Governmental Affairs
                  Andrew J. Hopkins, Minority Counsel
                     Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
                     Thomas J. Spino, Hearing Clerk

                            C O N T E N T S

                                 ------                                
Opening statements:
                                                                   Page
    Senator Sinema...............................................     2
    Senator Peters...............................................     3
    Senator Portman..............................................     4
    Senator Padilla..............................................     7
    Senator Hassan...............................................    14
    Senator Carper...............................................    17
    Senator Rosen................................................    19
Prepared statements:
    Senator Peters...............................................    25
    Senator Portman..............................................    26

                               WITNESSES
                       Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Hon. Patrick J. Leahy, a U.S. Senator from the State of 
  California.....................................................     1
Shalanda D. Young to be Director, Office of Management and Budget
    Testimony....................................................     5
    Prepared statement...........................................    29
    Biographical and professional information....................    31
    Letter from U.S. Office of Government Ethics.................    50
    Responses to pre-hearing questions...........................    53
    Responses to post-hearing questions..........................    85
    Letter of Support............................................   192
Nani A. Coloretti to be Deputy Director, Office of Management and 
  Budget
    Testimony....................................................     8
    Prepared statement...........................................   193
    Biographical and professional information....................   195
    Letter from U.S. Office of Government Ethics.................   210
    Responses to pre-hearing questions...........................   215
    Responses to post-hearing questions..........................   244

 
                 NOMINATIONS OF HON. SHALANDA D. YOUNG,
                         AND NANI A. COLORETTI

                              ----------                              


                       TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2022

                                     U.S. Senate,  
                           Committee on Homeland Security  
                                  and Governmental Affairs,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a.m., via 
Webex and in room SD-342, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. 
Gary Peters, Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
    Present: Senators Peters, Carper, Hassan, Sinema, Rosen, 
Padilla, Ossoff, Portman, Johnson, Lankford, Scott, and Hawley.
    Chairman Peters. The Committee will come to order.
    Today we are considering the nominations of Shalanda Young 
to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB), and Nani Coloretti to be the Deputy Director of OMB.
    Before I give my opening remarks I will defer to my 
colleague, Senator Leahy, and later to Senator Sinema, both of 
whom will be introducing Ms. Young.
    Senator Leahy, welcome before the Committee. It is good to 
see you. You are now recognized for your introduction.

 OPENING STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE PATRICK J. LEAHY, A UNITED 
          STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

    Senator Leahy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and, you report 
that you have two wonderful nominees here before you, but let 
me speak of one whom I have known for years, Shalanda Young, 
the President's nominee to be Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget.
    President Biden could not have chosen a finer nominee. It 
was only 11 months ago that I introduced her before this 
Committee when she was nominated to be Deputy Director, and 
then she was confirmed for that position by a bipartisan vote 
of 63-37.
    Since then she has been working as Acting Director. She 
helped shape the Administration's budget priorities. She has 
worked closely with Congress in responding on multiple fronts 
to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Under her 
leadership, critical aid has been given to States after 
devastating hurricanes and wildfires. She has been at the help 
to help implement the bipartisan infrastructure law that is 
benefiting cities and States across the Nation. In my role as 
the Appropriations Chairman, I have relied on her candor and 
her judgment in advancing the fiscal year 2022 bills.
    Now, she has done all of that, and in between, on October 
31, 2021, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Charlie, 
herself, and if juggling all of that does not prove she is more 
than qualified for the job, I am not sure what would.
    I first got to know her when she worked for the House 
Appropriations Committee, and she served on the Committee for 
nearly 15 years, four of those as Staff Director, and she 
helped craft all the budgets.
    But let me tell you one story, that I told her when I 
introduced her. She helped in the longest Federal shutdown in 
U.S. history. The final deal that brought that to the end, a 
35-day government shutdown, was with then-Chairman Shelby, 
Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Kay Granger, and myself, along 
with a few specific staff, meeting in my office in the Capitol. 
Shalanda Young was one of those. Over and over again, all of 
us, Democrats and Republicans alike, would ask her questions 
and rely on her answers. We reached an agreement and we ended 
the longest shutdown in history. She knows how to work across 
the aisle.
    I will put my full statement in the record, if I might, Mr. 
Chairman, but I was proud to be here to introduce her as Deputy 
Director, and now I am proud to introduce her as a Director. I 
know that my colleague is going to introduce the nominee for 
Deputy Director, so I applaud you very much.
    Ms. Young. Thank you, Senator.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Leahy, for the warm 
introduction. Senator Sinema, I understand you also will 
introduce our nominee.

  OPENING STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE KYRSTEN SINEMA, A UNITED 
            STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF ARIZONA

    Senator Sinema. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the 
opportunity to introduce Shalanda Young, an exceptional nominee 
to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget.
    Shalanda is a dedicated public servant with a deep 
appreciation for and understanding of Capitol Hill. She served 
as a professional staff member, the Deputy Staff Director, and 
Staff Director on the House Committee on Appropriations.
    Most significantly, Mr. Chairman, Shalanda is already doing 
the job. She has been working as the Acting Director for the 
past 10 months, after her strong bipartisan confirmation to 
Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
    During her time as Acting Director I have personally seen 
Shalanda marshal the resources of the OMB to provide positive 
outcomes for the American people, and she has fostered a close 
working relationship with Committee. She exemplifies what OMB 
needs to be successful. She is accessible, transparent, 
pragmatic, and focused like a laser on getting things done. No 
effort better highlights these attributes than her personal and 
persistent engagement with the Senate group of 10 during our 
negotiations that resulted in the Bipartisan Infrastructure, 
Investment, and Jobs Law.
    I was honored to co-lead that group with Ranking Member 
Portman. Many of the members of that group serve on this 
Committee. We crafted the historic infrastructure law with a 
commitment to fiscal responsibility and delivering tangible 
results for the American people, and Shalanda was instrumental 
in our success. She listened to our group. She helped us 
problem solve. She helped us find solutions. She was incredibly 
honest and never hedged or gave excuses for why something could 
not be done. She placed a premium on access, working with each 
Federal agency to ensure that our group made decisions based on 
the best and most accurate information possible.
    Shalanda's work on our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 
extended beyond pay-fors and coordination with Federal 
agencies. She was also instrumental in bringing different 
factions of the Federal Government together to ensure the 
Federal Permitting Reform and Jobs Act was included in our 
final legislation. As a result, our nation has improved and 
made permanent a system that shortens permitting timelines 
without compromising public protections, which has further 
expanded jobs and business opportunities in communities across 
the country.
    Without Shalanda's dedication to our effort the Bipartisan 
Infrastructure Law would not be providing historic investments 
in Arizona and all of our States that we are seeing today.
    Shalanda is a proven leader. She is the right person for 
the job, and I look forward to supporting her and moving her 
nomination forward.
    Mr. Chairman and other Members of the Committee, I strongly 
recommend Shalanda for this position, and thank you again, Mr. 
Chairman, for allowing me the opportunity to participate in 
introducing my friend, Shalanda Young.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Sinema, for the 
introduction.

            OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PETERS\1\

    Chairman Peters. Ms. Young and Ms. Coloretti, welcome to 
each of you and to your friends and to your families who are 
joining us here today for this hearing. Congratulations on your 
nominations, and I am grateful for your previous service to the 
American people and for your willingness to take on these new, 
very critical roles.
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    \1\ The prepared statement of Senator Peters appears in the 
Appendix on page 25.
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    I am pleased that President Biden has chosen these two 
highly qualified nominees for these roles. Once confirmed, Ms. 
Young will be the first African-American woman to serve as the 
OMB Director, and Ms. Coloretti will be one of the highest-
ranking Asian-American women serving in the Federal Government. 
There is no question that both of these nominees are extremely 
well prepared to meet the needs of the American people.
    Our nation has seen significant challenges in recent years. 
The two nominees before us today will be critical to the Biden 
administration's ongoing efforts to improve the lives of 
Americans all across our Nation, by developing and implementing 
the President's policy agenda and budget across every single 
part of the Federal Government.
    You will not only be instrumental in coordinating and 
implementing actions to overcome the ongoing public health 
crisis but also aiding the administration's efforts to tackle 
other looming challenges such a cyberattacks and climate 
change, all while supporting the Federal workforce who will be 
executing these policies. You will also help ensure that the 
Federal Government is effectively and efficiently using 
taxpayer dollars.
    There is no question the roles that you have chosen are 
challenging. However, I am confident that both of you have the 
expertise, the dedication, and public service experience to 
successfully serve the American people.
    Ms. Young, I have enjoyed working with you over this past 
year to help move our nation forward, and I am eager to hear 
more about how you and Ms. Coloretti will continue working with 
this Committee to take on the remaining challenges that we 
face.
    With that I will turn it over to Ranking Member Portman for 
your opening comments.

            OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR PORTMAN\1\

    Senator Portman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it. 
To Ms. Young, to have the Senate President Pro Tem and 
Appropriations Chair, Senator Leahy, introduce you was a good 
move. High stature. Then Senator Sinema's comments I, of 
course, respect greatly because we did work closely together on 
the infrastructure legislation, and we do appreciate the work 
you did sometimes to knock heads and be sure that Federal 
agencies worked with us to come up with better policies, 
including on permitting reform.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ The prepared statement of Senator Portman appears in the 
Appendix on page 26.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I appreciate both of you for your willingness to serve. 
These are critical roles. As a former OMB Director I have a 
particular soft spot for OMB and its importance, not just 
within the Federal Government but in terms of its external role 
as well. I think it is really important that the OMB Director 
and Deputy Director have the ability to work with Members of 
Congress. It is so tightly connected to the congressional 
appropriations process and authorizing committees like ours. In 
fact, no more important than the Homeland Security and 
Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC).
    It is also important that you have an understanding and 
appreciation of a multiple range of issues, because OMB gets 
involves in every single policy issue and obviously plays a 
huge role in the regulatory environment, and through the Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) plays a huge role 
in, again, working with Congress on regulations.
    This is an important one. We want to have a thorough 
vetting today and be sure that we are getting into all the 
issues. It is also a really important time for us to come 
together as a country. We have plenty of crises facing us, what 
is going on on the border. We just heard about some immigration 
challenges this morning in an earlier hearing. But with regard 
to COVID, everything including the raising inflation we are now 
facing, obviously to the health care crisis, it creates my 
concerns about what it is doing in terms of the opioid crisis, 
which is worse than ever in terms of overdose deaths, mental 
health challenges. There are lots of issues right now where OMB 
is going to play a critical role.
    On the continuing resolution (CR) deadline, which is 
looming just a few weeks from now, again OMB is going to play a 
key role in the Administration to figure out how we move 
forward with Senator Leahy and Senator Shelby and others. I 
hope that we can get beyond these CRs and get into actual 
appropriations. We will talk about that today, I am sure.
    Ms. Young, you and I have gotten to know each other. I 
appreciate the conversations we have had over the course of the 
last year, since you last appeared before this Committee. As 
the Acting Director and Deputy Director, simultaneously, you 
have had plenty on your plate.
    Ms. Coloretti, I look forward to talking with you today 
regarding your qualifications for the Deputy Director slot. I 
am interested to hear how your time as Deputy Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and 
Assistant Secretary for Management at the U.S. Department 
Treasury have prepared you to tackle some of these challenges 
that we talked about a minute ago, that OMB faces.
    Mr. Chairman, I hope that we can work together to address 
many of these challenges, to get this inflation under control 
and get folks safely back to work, back to school. If 
confirmed, the two of you would play an important part of that 
effort.
    Ms. Young and Ms. Coloretti, I look forward to hearing your 
thoughts today and the critical role that OMB is going to play.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ranking Member Portman.
    It is the practice of the Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs Committee to swear in witnesses, so if 
both of you would please stand and raise your right hands.
    Do you swear that the testimony that you will give before 
this Committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing 
but the truth, so help you, God?
    Ms. Young. I do.
    Ms. Coloretti. I do.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you. You may be seated.
    Ms. Young, you have already been very efficiently and 
effectively introduced by two of my colleagues, so you may now 
proceed with your opening remarks.

 TESTIMONY OF THE HONORABLE SHALANDA D. YOUNG,\1\ NOMINATED TO 
          BE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

    Ms. Young. Thank you, Chairman Peters, Ranking Member 
Portman, and members of the Committee. I would like to begin by 
thanking Senator Leahy and Senator Sinema for the kind remarks. 
The great thing about getting to do this job over the last year 
is getting to know Senators on both sides of the aisle and 
strengthening the bonds that I started in the House for my 
nearly 15-year career. I really want to thank both of them for 
those remarks, and I will promise to live up to those, if 
confirmed, so I really appreciate it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Young appears in the Appendix on 
page 29.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I also want to thank my family. My father is here with me. 
The rest of my family has decided there is a new star in the 
family, my 3-month-old daughter, so they are home looking at 
her instead of looking at this, which I think is a good choice 
for them. But thanks to my dad for escorting me here today. I 
appreciate it.
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify as President 
Biden's nominee for Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget. It has been my honor to serve as the Acting Director 
over the last 10 months. I am grateful to the President for 
putting his trust in me as his nominee for this important job.
    When I first came before the Committee last March, I told 
you a little bit about my experience growing up in rural 
Louisiana. I talked about my years leading the House 
Appropriations Committee as its top staffer, serving this 
institution that I care about so deeply. I made a commitment to 
you that I would focus my service at OMB on restoring regular 
order, partnering with Congress in a spirit of bipartisanship 
and mutual respect, and delivering results for the American 
people.
    Over the past 10 months, I have kept that commitment, 
working alongside the extraordinary team at OMB, and with 
Members of this Committee from both sides of the aisle. I would 
like to briefly highlight just five of OMB's accomplishments 
and achievements that showcase what our team is capable of with 
the partnership of the Senate, and this Committee in 
particular.
    First, together with Congress, we delivered crucial 
disaster relief funding (DRF) for communities across the 
country, not only to respond to Hurricane Ida and last year's 
devastating wildfires, but to address unmet recovery needs from 
Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Working with Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (FEMA), we announced nearly $5 billion last 
year to help communities prepare for and respond to extreme 
weather events. With the help of Congress, we secured another 
$4.5 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build 
community resilience.
    Second, we worked with members of both parties to develop 
and enact the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law you have heard some 
of the members talk about here today, including permanently 
authorizing the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act 
(FAST-41) law, something I committed to helping get done during 
my confirmation hearings in March. OMB is focused on 
implementing this law with the highest level of effectiveness 
and accountability.
    Third, we stood up a new Made in America Office that has 
already facilitated billions of dollars in new purchases to 
support American manufacturing. The office has brought 
unprecedented transparency to the waiver review process, 
important progress that matters to many of us in this room. I 
am grateful that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expanded 
Made-in-America requirements to all Federal infrastructure 
funding and codified that office in OMB. It will be around for 
future administrations.
    Fourth, we took action to make the Federal Government more 
efficient, effective, and accountable to the public. Those 
steps include OMB's work to implement a new Executive Order 
(EO) to streamline government services and improve customer 
experience, as well as much-needed progress on investing in 
information technology (IT) modernization across the Federal 
Government, which I know means a lot to Members on this 
Committee.
    Finally, in keeping with the President's longstanding 
commitment to oversight, we directed agencies to focus on two 
important areas: restoring the integrity and independence of 
their Inspectors General (IGs) and working with Congress to 
ensure that IGs can fulfill their mandate. I know that there 
are legitimate differences in this country, and in this room, 
that deserve honest debate, and I have appreciated the 
opportunity to speak directly with many of you about them.
    If confirmed, I will continue to work closely with you and 
your colleagues to deliver for the American people, and I will 
continue to find common ground, to be responsive, and to 
rebuild the career staff at OMB who play an essential role in 
ensuring our government works for all Americans, as you heard 
from the former Director and Ranking Member of this Committee.
    Chairman Peters, Ranking Member Portman, and other Members 
of the Committee, thank you again for allowing me to appear 
here today, and I look forward to answering your questions.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ms. Young, for your opening 
statement.
    I will turn it over to Senator Padilla to welcome and to 
introduce our second nominee, Ms. Coloretti. Senator Padilla.

   OPENING STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE ALEX PADILLA, A UNITED 
          STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

    Senator Padilla. Thank you, Chairman Peters and Ranking 
Member Portman. I am proud to introduce President Biden's 
outstanding nominee for Deputy Director of the Office of 
Management and budget. Nani Coloretti is a life-long advocate 
for economic opportunity and the needs of working families. She 
spent more than a decade of her career as a public servant in 
the city and county of San Francisco, rising to become San 
Francisco's Budget Director in the Office of then-Mayor Gavin 
Newsom.
    Ms. Coloretti has experience later in the Federal 
Government as well. She joined the Treasury Department in 2009, 
as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget. In 
that role she helped to shape the newly created Consumer 
Financial Protection Bureau. Her record of success led to her 
appointment as an Assistant Secretary for Management at the 
Treasury Department, where she oversaw and modernized a 
workforce of hundreds of public servants managing our economic 
recovery at that time.
    In 2014, President Obama nominated Ms. Coloretti to serve 
as Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She drew 
on her long history in local government to improve public 
housing through community partnerships, prioritizing equity at 
the same time.
    She currently serves as Senior Vice President at the Urban 
Institute. Ms. Coloretti is an insightful advocate for public 
policies that will help more families realize their American 
dreams. She is a proven skillful manager and empathetic leader, 
and she is highly qualified to support the critical work of the 
Executive Branch as Deputy Director of OMB, and I urge the 
Committee to support her swift confirmation.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Padilla. Welcome, Ms. 
Coloretti. Welcome to the Committee. You may proceed with your 
opening remarks.

 TESTIMONY OF THE HONORABLE NANI A. COLORETTI,\1\ NOMINATED TO 
      BE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

    Ms. Coloretti. Thank you. Chairman Peters, Ranking Member 
Portman and distinguished Members of the Committee, it is a 
privilege to come before you as President Biden's nominee for 
Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I would 
like to thank the Members of the Committee for considering my 
nomination and the many members who took the time to speak with 
me before this hearing. Thank you to Senator Padilla for those 
kind words of introduction. I would also like to thank 
President Biden for putting his confidence in me in nominating 
me to this position, and it is a great honor to be sitting here 
alongside my esteemed potential future colleague, Shalanda 
Young. I am honored and humbled by this nomination.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Coloretti appears in the Appendix 
on page 193.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I would also like to recognize my husband of 24 years, 
David Goldstein, who is here with me today, and my son Kaleo 
Goldstein-Coloretti, who is supporting me virtually from 
college. I would like to thank the many family members and 
friends watching this hearing from Hawaii to the East Coast.
    Finally, I would like to recognize my parents, Tony and 
Marielani Coloretti, who both passed away over five years ago. 
It is through their sacrifices that I am able to sit here 
today.
    My mom and dad both had immigrant parents who came to 
America in search of a better life for themselves and for their 
children. My parents worked hard to support me and my four 
sisters. My mom was a preschool teacher and later a home-based 
childcare provider, and my dad worked in restaurants and on 
cruise ships. Later on, I would also work in restaurants, 
which, along with Federal student loans and Pell grants, helped 
me finance my education.
    My parents taught me to focus on hard work and education, 
as well as the importance of curiosity and empathy. It is from 
them that I developed a passion for service, and a commitment 
to expanding opportunity for all.
    I come before you today as a public servant and leader with 
over 25 years of experience in Federal, State and local 
government service and also in the private and nonprofit 
sectors. Much of my work has focused on helping deliver better 
outcomes for people, families and taxpayers. In fact, my first 
Federal service was as a program examiner at the Office of 
Management and Budget many years ago.
    I know firsthand that OMB has a critical role to play in 
the implementing the President's priorities, touching every 
spending and policy decision in the Federal Government and 
collaborating across agencies to deliver results effectively 
and efficiently.
    My work during the Obama-Biden administration, as Deputy 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and before that, as 
Assistant Secretary and Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) 
for Treasury, focused on using data to make better decisions, 
implementing new programs, and strengthening the organizations 
that I led.
    At HUD, I managed the Department's day-to-day operations, 
facilitated cross-cutting policy and regulatory issues, and 
oversaw a $45 billion budget and approximately 8,000 employees. 
As Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Management and Acting 
CFO, I helped stand up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
(CFPB), and helped create Treasury's quarterly data-driven 
decision framework to prioritize projects, align resources, and 
measure progress.
    I also understand how budget and policy decisions made in 
Washington D.C. affect the local government, having worked in 
San Francisco for 10 years. During the 2008 recession, I helped 
close a deficit worth half of San Francisco's discretionary 
budget, aided in the end by the Federal American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
    If confirmed, I would be honored to work with the President 
and Congress to create and implement budgets that invest in the 
American people, support our economic recovery, and reflect our 
country's shared values.
    Thank you again for considering my nomination and I look 
forward to answering your questions.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you.
    Before we get started there are three questions that the 
Committee asks of every nominee and for the record. Let me just 
ask both of you, Ms. Young and Ms. Coloretti, to respond to 
each one very quickly if you would.
    First, is there anything you are aware of in your 
background that might present a conflict of interest with your 
duties of the office for which you have been nominated?
    Ms. Young. No, Mr. Chairman.
    Ms. Coloretti. No.
    Chairman Peters. Second, do you know of anything, personal 
or otherwise, that would in any way prevent you from fully and 
honorably discharging the responsibilities of the office for 
which you have been nominated?
    Ms. Young. No.
    Ms. Coloretti. No.
    Chairman Peters. Last, do you agree, without reservation, 
to comply with any request or summons to appear and testify 
before any duly constituted Committee of Congress if you are 
confirmed?
    Ms. Young. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
    Ms. Coloretti. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you.
    Over the past two years, Congress has provided literally 
trillions of dollars to the Executive Branch to respond to and 
recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and obviously the priority 
has been to quickly get this financial relief to individuals 
and various parts of the economy. However, we have also seen 
that many programs, at the Federal as well as the State level 
and the local level, report incredible amounts of fraud and 
improper payments.
    Ms. Young, my first question to you is what lessons have 
you learned in your role as the Acting OMB Director regarding 
stopping waste, fraud, and abuse in these important spending 
programs, and if you are confirmed, what would you do to deal 
with this critical issue as expeditiously as possible?
    Ms. Young. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We started this 
process. We understand the pandemic programs have exacerbated 
issues that were around long before. One thing we have done 
over the last year is provide $187 million through the 
Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) that we thank the Committee 
for its support in providing through the American Rescue Plan 
(ARP). That effort, the $187 million, went into strengthening 
login.gov.
    I have found, over my last year, that to deal with improper 
payments we also have to deal with identity theft. Those things 
tend to go hand in hand. Those improvements through the TMF 
will bring down identity theft issues which will also have an 
impact on improper payments.
    Before I conclude, I want to point to our work with 
inspectors general. In December, OMB put out guidance to the 
agencies, directing their working relationship be strengthened. 
This comes from the top down. The President has made clear, 
especially with regard to the Infrastructure Law, that he 
expects his agencies and his agency heads to stay in lockstep 
with inspectors general, and he did that during his time 
running the recovery program when he was Vice President.
    This is forefront on the actions we do. It comes from the 
top. We have an edict from the President to do better here, and 
we have those things in motion now.
    Chairman Peters. Ms. Coloretti, do you have any additional 
recommendations or observations from your previous experience 
working at both the Federal and State level, to help reduce the 
fraud and identity theft that we are dealing with now?
    Ms. Coloretti. Senator, thanks for that question and I 
appreciate the opportunity to talk about this a little bit. I 
will say that there was a lot of effort put into, post the 
Recovery Act, ARRA, to strengthen our data systems. Some of 
that work that I worked on led to the Data Accountability and 
Transparency Act (DATA) Act, and I do think its implementation 
will help, as well, sort of combat fraud.
    Chairman Peters. The role the OMB plays in Safer Federal 
Workforce Task Force is incredibly important, not only to 
implementing measures to keep Federal employees and their 
families and their communities safe in the face of this ongoing 
pandemic and the challenges it presents, but also to ensure 
that critical services to constituents across the country 
continue to operate as effectively as possible and without 
interruption.
    Ms. Young, what takeaways do you have from the 
Administration's response to the Omicron variant, including any 
efforts you have led with the task force, and you would do to 
improve responses going forward?
    Ms. Young. Mr. Chairman, just like every other CEO and 
company in this country there was one plan in which to bring 
workers back to the office. Omicron variant definitely made us 
go back to the drawing room table. The Safer Federal Workforce 
puts out guidelines we expect all the agencies to work through, 
but we leave the actual decisions on operations to the agencies 
while providing some overarching guidance.
    We do have agencies--I am one of them--trying to bring 
people back into the office. We have people who work in 
sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIFs), so we 
have to make sure that they are safe when they come into the 
office. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has Border 
Patrol agents who have never not been on the job. So each 
agency has to do what is right for its particular employees.
    My takeaway is this is difficult. This is a one-in-
generation event. There is no playbook. But I think we have 
been able to keep up variant-specific situations, and what we 
are seeing is agencies are on track to, if they have not 
already, bring people in over the next months, into March.
    Chairman Peters. Ms. Coloretti, how would you leverage your 
role at the OMB, if confirmed, to strengthen the ongoing 
response to the COVID pandemic?
    Ms. Coloretti. Thank you for that question, Senator. I 
would say my role would be to help support the efforts that are 
already underway, both in collaboration with Acting Director 
Shalanda Young, or hopefully Director Shalanda, and the Deputy 
Director for Management, across all agencies to make sure that 
they are putting worker safety first but also continuing to 
operate the Federal Government as it needs to be operated.
    Chairman Peters. Over the last year, the Administration 
released two Executive Orders, one focused on information 
technology modernization and cybersecurity and a second on 
customer experience. Both assigned the OMB with several 
important tasks that pushed Federal departments and agencies to 
adopt modern IT and cybersecurity solutions that improve 
citizen services at the same time.
    Ms. Young, how are you working with agencies to ensure 
budgets for fiscal year 2023 and beyond are going to 
incorporate modern cybersecurity solutions and also help the 
government recruit top digital and top cybersecurity talent 
into the government?
    Ms. Young. Thanks to you and your work, and many Members of 
this Committee, we received $1 billion in technology 
modernization funding. I worked on this issue for many years on 
the appropriations side. That level of resource had not been 
achieved before that historic amount.
    We have, I think, a dual mandate to go fast enough to deal 
with these legacy systems are at risk from cyber threats that 
attack us every day, but also to get this right. We have to 
show that the TMF is a model that works. We have tried to be 
flexible in the repayment from agencies. Many of them have 
stretched budgets. But it is important to show, so we can show 
to Congress that it is deserving of additional resources.
    You have seen TMF in the budget request last year. My guess 
is you will see it again. But we also have to show you and your 
colleagues that those are resources worth investing in, and we 
cannot have these IT systems that constantly leave the American 
people's information at risk. It really does degrade the trust 
people have in their government.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ms. Young, for your constant 
efforts in this area.
    Ranking Member Portman, you are recognized for your 
questions.
    Senator Portman. Thank you. Deficit reduction. Nobody wants 
to talk about it much anymore, but it is incredibly important. 
As a percent of our gross domestic product (GDP), our debt 
continues to grow, which is very concerning to me and to a lot 
of economists who look at where we are headed as a country. OMB 
is where deficit reduction should start. It is supposed to say 
no when Federal agencies and departments come to you for 
increases in their budget, and when the entitlement programs 
are at risk, you should be the ones to, in my view, be the 
guardians of some fiscal restraint.
    So along those lines, during COVID we had to spend a lot of 
money, and there were five bills passed in the Trump 
administration, and then, of course, the massive legislation, 
$1.9 trillion, the largest bill ever passed by Congress, 
biggest appropriation ever, roughly a year ago.
    I am wondering, as we now work through COVID and we have 
all these programs in place whether it is time to start 
focusing on those deficits. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) 
recently projected the deficits would be 13.4 percent of GDP 
for fiscal year 2022. Wow. That is concerning.
    What are your views about that, and Ms. Young, I will start 
with you. Is it time for us to focus again on deficit reduction 
now that we are getting to the point where we have put in place 
huge amounts for COVID and we are making progress with regard 
to the latest COVID variant?
    Ms. Young. Thank you, Senator Portman. We may disagree on 
some of the particulars of the President's budget sent up 
earlier this year, or even future ones, but something this 
President is very serious about, and I hope you take some 
solace in this as we look at deficit and debt reduction, is he 
showed a path to pay for and offset all of his permanent 
proposals.
    I worked on the other side of budgets for many years, over 
several administrations. That was a novel idea that we should 
offset our permanent proposals. We may not agree on those 
offsets, but the President did put forward a proposal that did 
that.
    Senator Portman. There were no offsets in the $1.9 trillion 
that was done a year ago, and not a single Republican vote, the 
largest appropriation ever. You are referring to BBB and the 
fact that the President wants to spend additional money on 
stimulus, but in this case he has tax increases to go along 
with it?
    Ms. Young. Senator, a version of Build Back Better was 
absolutely a part of the budget at the time, called Jobs and 
Families Plan, and you are absolutely right, there were 
proposals in which to pay for those efforts.
    Senator Portman. I would note that I agree with former 
Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers, and many other 
economists who said at the time, a year ago, that adding that 
kind of stimulus at a time when the economy was growing--which 
it turns out they were right, it was growing and it has grown--
would cause inflation that would be devastating for families 
across our country, and we are seeing it. It seems to me that 
more stimulus is not the way to go but instead for us to figure 
out how to get inflation down by expanding our economic growth 
and at the same time not adding more stimulus so that the 
supply can catch up.
    Any thoughts about that, either one of you?
    Ms. Young. I am happy to talk about the economic picture 
writ large. We just saw numbers that showed last year the 
largest growth since 1984, in GDP, 5.7 percent. We saw 
unemployment rate at 3.9 percent, the most jobs added by a 
President, over 6 million.
    But you are absolutely right. These inflationary price 
pressures, we have to tackle. This Administration is looking at 
supply chain shortages as one way to tackle that. We are also 
trying to increase competition in the marketplace. We believe 
that will also bring down price pressures for the American 
people.
    But one thing you also references is Build Back Better. One 
thing that bill, or versions of that bill do are make 
investments to take down pressures like bringing down the cost 
of prescription drugs.
    Senator Portman. Yes. We are just going to differ, I think, 
on the need for more stimulus, and I think it is obvious now, 
when you look at the numbers, that Larry Summers and others 
were right. A lot of us have said the economy is growing, and 
dumping more stimulus on top of that is like putting fuel on a 
fire, and it is going to result in huge inflationary numbers. I 
do not think anybody thought the inflation would be quite as 
bad as it is, but to my constituents when they go to the 
grocery story, go to the gas pump, they are in shock. Yes, some 
wage gains are occurring, but not keeping up with inflation.
    In terms of oversight, Chairman Peters and I, as you know, 
want to work with OMB. We sometimes make requests for documents 
and, as you know, I am frustrated that our documents request 
related to the Administration's response to COVID-19 have not 
been forthcoming. Almost a year ago, in March, we sent the 
request. We have received a few, mostly already public 
documents in response. We have also another request in to you 
for a national security-related document. That was in 
September.
    I know you are aware of these because we have talked about 
them, Ms. Young. Can you commit to producing these documents in 
the next couple of weeks?
    Ms. Young. Senator, I believe you hopefully received ARP 
balances, and we absolutely commit. We should show you what 
Congress has provided. The other report, I promise you I would 
look into that and shake that loose. If there is another 
classified report I am happy to work with your office. Whatever 
we can provide, whatever counsel says is available to others, I 
believe we should be providing that information.
    Senator Portman. We do not have the documents we are 
looking for yet with regard to COVID-19, so I will double-check 
on that.
    Ms. Young. OK.
    Senator Portman. But if you can commit today within two 
weeks to get us those documents, and with regard to the other 
topic, we will follow up offline. But again, we are just 
frustrated that we cannot get information. As authorizers, we 
are trying to do the proper oversight and it is impossible if 
we do not have the information.
    Ms. Young, during your confirmation as Deputy Director of 
OMB your response to the question that was posed for the record 
regarding the Hyde Amendment caused me and a lot of my 
Republican colleagues, all of them in fact, great concern. The 
Hyde Amendment, as you know, has longstanding bipartisan 
agreement not to allow Federal taxpayer dollars to be used for 
abortions--by the way, something that now President but then-
Senator Biden supported when he was in the U.S. Senate.
    This allows us to legislate much more productively, get 
things done in the health care space, and it is critical for 
respecting, in my view, the religious and ethical and moral 
beliefs of so many Americans. I would like to give you an 
opportunity to clarify where you stand with regard to the Hyde 
Amendment.
    Ms. Young. Thank you for that, Senator. One, I commit to 
following the law of the land. Hyde, some version of Hyde, has 
been the law and carried in appropriations bills since the late 
1970s. As I have done over the last 10 months, and will 
continue to do, if confirmed, follow the law, and certainly 
commit to not trying to weaken the Hyde Amendment if Congress 
chooses not to remove it from appropriations bills, not try to 
weaken it or not follow the law in any way.
    Senator Portman. Thank you. Ms. Coloretti, where do you 
stand with regard to the Hyde Amendment?
    Ms. Coloretti. Thanks for that question, Senator. I will 
follow the law as enacted by Congress and signed by the 
President.
    Senator Portman. All right. My time has expired. I have a 
lot of other questions and hopefully we will be able to get to 
some of those. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Ranking Member Portman.
    Senator Hassan, you are recognized for your questions.

              OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR HASSAN

    Senator Hassan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member 
Portman, for holding this hearing, and I especially want to 
thank Ms. Young for your willingness to continue your service 
at the Office of Management and Budget, and Ms. Coloretti for 
your willingness to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget.
    Ms. Young, let me start with a question to you. I want to 
express my appreciation to you and your staff for working with 
me on my bipartisan bill with Senator Braun, which seeks to 
identify wasteful programs in order to streamline government 
operations and save taxpayer dollars. Do you commit to 
continuing to work with me on this bill and on finding ways to 
better identify wasteful Federal spending and work to eliminate 
it?
    Ms. Young. I do, and thank you for your work on this issue.
    Senator Hassan. Thank you.
    Ms. Coloretti, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) operates 
a 62-year-old tax processing mainframe that no longer supports 
IRS's mission to process tax documents and refunds in the 
timely and cost-effective way that taxpayers expect. In fact, I 
have heard from many Granite Staters who are still waiting to 
receive their tax refunds from 2019 and 2020. Last week I sent 
a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging him to 
swiftly address the current backlog of millions of unprocessed 
tax returns.
    Drawing on your experience as the former Acting Chief 
Financial Officer for the Department of Treasury, if confirmed, 
how will you work with IRS to prioritize investments in 
technology and expedite its plans to modernize its old and 
obsolete tax processing mainframe to better serve taxpayers?
    Ms. Coloretti. Senator, thank you for that question, and I 
appreciate your leadership on this issue and just the 
opportunity to talk about this issue a little bit. I do have 
experience working inside of the Treasury Department, working 
with the IRS on modernizing their technology. I know that it is 
decades old and out of date. They did do a big push to try to 
move people to become more paperless, and that was supposed to 
help with this time of how long it takes to get your refund and 
how long it takes to get your tax forms processed.
    But certainly, if confirmed, I would look forward to 
coordinating even more with Treasury and the IRS to prioritize 
their technology and address some of these really difficult 
problems. I also look forward to hearing more from you about 
any ideas that you might have to address this.
    Senator Hassan. Thank you. I will tell you that it is 
probably the single largest constituent service category that 
we have right now, if not the second largest. It is in the top 
two. It is really frustrating for people, of course, as they 
are planning. They know how much refund they are supposed to 
get, for instance, and they are spending hours online trying to 
reach somebody at the IRS to get clarity.
    I really would look forward to working on this with you, 
because I think it is a really urgent issue for the American 
people.
    Ms. Young, I want to kind of continue on this theme of 
customer service, because Federal Government consistently ranks 
among the lowest in terms of customer experience across major 
industries, according to the American Consumer Satisfaction 
Index.
    The IRS tax return backlog that we just discussed is a good 
example of why Americans are frustrated with government 
services. That is why I partnered with Senator Lankford to 
introduce the Federal Agency Customer Experience Act, to gain 
better insight into customer interactions with the government 
in order to improve customer experience overall. In addition, 
as Senator Peters referenced, in December President Biden 
signed an Executive Order directing agencies across the 
government to improve customer service.
    How is OMB working with agencies to improve customer 
experience overall, and in particular, how can the Office of 
Management and Budget help agencies prioritize technology 
modernization as a way to meet their customer service goals?
    Ms. Young. Senator Hassan, this is one of the things I am 
most proud of over my last 10 months, that customer service 
Executive Order was pushed directly from OMB as one of the 
things we should be prioritizing. Many of these issues you 
point out can find the source of problem right back to legacy 
IT problems. Thank you and Senator Lankford for your work on 
this, and we have tried to carry this on through this Executive 
Order.
    But we have designed 35 high-impact service providers that 
are key to service issues in the Federal Government as part of 
the EO, and we push agencies to really give us specifics on 
things that are accomplishable. If you look at the EO, the 
first thing I looked at was we are typically very lofty in our 
aspirations. There are specific things we expect them to 
deliver on. There are many things that the American people 
deserve. A tax system--you are absolutely right--where they 
have reliable service. We are used to Amazons now in the 
private sector, so this disconnect is getting even more wide 
when you go from government sites to private sector sites.
    I look forward to continuing to partner with you. The 
customer service EO is a good first step, but we have a lot of 
work to do, including working with you and others on 
legislation on this issue.
    Senator Hassan. I appreciate that, and I want to follow up 
a little bit on the issue of the Technology Modernization Fund, 
really looking for an update. Senator Peters asked you about 
it. But last Congress we allocated $1 billion to the 
Modernization Fund as part of the American Rescue Plan. In 
September, the Technology Modernization Fund board awarded $311 
million across seven new projects. However, to date, none of 
these projects have received initial funds to begin this 
critical work, and the board needs to move forward on 
announcements for additional projects.
    Can you update us on when we can expect these projects to 
receive their initial funds, and when can we expect additional 
awards for the Technology Modernization Fund to be announced?
    Ms. Young. Thank you, Senator Hassan. It is always a 
balance, and I talked about that with the Chairman, moving 
faster versus getting it right. We certainly expect the 
announced awards to receive obligated funding in short order. I 
do not want to give a specific date, but I will get back to 
you. Those decisions have been made. It is literally just the 
processing. We will keep you up to date, but that should not be 
a long amount of time.
    The rest, the board is meeting. As I talked about earlier, 
we are also looking at relaxing some of the repayment, given 
the strain on the agency budgets. We are trying to move fast, 
but we have to get it right or you all will not trust us with 
those resources in the future.
    We will get back to you on how quickly we can obligate, 
press the button on the $311 million, but that should be a 
short amount of time.
    Senator Hassan. I appreciate that. I know I am out of time, 
but I am just going to also offer to please keep in 
communication with us. If there are things that the agencies 
need in order for them to dig down and really do the planning 
for modernization that is such a critical piece of this, please 
reach out to us. Because at the end of the day, if we cannot 
modernize our legacy IT, it is a customer service issue, to be 
clear. It is a national security issue as well.
    Ms. Young. I note you are out of time, but one of the 
things we are finding is we do have to do a lot of technical 
assistance with these projects to get them to a place to 
receive funding.
    Senator Hassan. OK. Thank you.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Hassan.
    Senator Carper, you are recognized for your questions.

              OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CARPER

    Senator Carper. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the 
nominees. I am happy that you have been nominated and I am 
happy to have the opportunity to spend this time with you 
today.
    Much of 2021, OMB issued guidance to agencies regarding the 
implementation of the Payment Integrity Information Act, the 
law championed by our Chair, by Senator Johnson, and by myself, 
so two other former Chairs. It is intended to help agencies cut 
down improper payments, as you may know.
    On December 30th, OMB released updated data on agencies' 
improper payments. The latest data estimates that 
governmentwide improper payment rate increased from 5.6 percent 
to 7.2 percent, between fiscal years 2020 and fiscal year 2021, 
driven largely by the surge in emergency spending due to the 
pandemic.
    With that said, the longstanding issue of improper payments 
has totaled nearly--get this--$2 trillion from fiscal years 
2003 to 2020--$2 trillion.
    Ms. Young and Ms. Coloretti, could you each describe your 
approach to the issue of improper payments, or your approaches 
to the issue of improper payments. As Director and Deputy 
Director, how would you lead our governmentwide efforts to 
address payment integrity issues and curb improper payments?
    Take it away. Ms. Young and Ms. Coloretti, please.
    Ms. Young. Thank you. Senator Carper, it is good to see 
you, even if on the screen, and good talking with you, and I 
know you have been a leader on this. I want to thank you for 
your work. I spoke a little with Chairman Peters about this. We 
have invested some of this Technology Modernization Fund 
resources to login.gov. We believe improper payments, one of 
the issues is to deal with identity theft. Some of the more 
nefarious actors are stealing identities of the American 
people, so we have to do something with that issue in order to 
bring down improper payments.
    Jason Miller, who is our Deputy Director for Management, 
who came before this Committee last year to be confirmed, has 
been leading the efforts with our inspectors general. He is the 
chair of the inspectors general group, Council of the 
Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), and we 
are maintaining close relationships with them, and sent out 
guidance in December to agencies about our expectations as an 
administration, the Executive Branch on their working 
relationship with IGs. We believe that is key to bringing down 
improper payments as well.
    But, the work you mentioned with the other members, my 
personal opinion is that there will need to be legislative 
assistance. Some of these programs are just exacerbated during 
the pandemic. But these are longstanding issues many of you 
have worked on. I look forward to working with you as you work 
on legislative fixes, to make sure that we reduce improper 
payments.
    One of the things I wanted to do in this job was figure out 
what is an improper payment. What is counted in these figures 
are not just these nefarious actors, which there are many of, 
but it can also be underpayments. Those are improper payments. 
It can be overpayments, and if people paid back, that amount is 
not reduced from this improper payment figure.
    We have a lot of work to do to make sure. I think this goes 
hand in hand with the customer service issue Senator Hassan 
talked about. Our IT systems have to improve. Our data-sharing 
between databases has to improve.
    One more concrete example is we are working with Treasury 
and Social Security Administration (SSA) on death data, to make 
sure we are not paying people who are deceased. That goes down 
to simple database sharing, but that is not always done well. 
We are committed to working with both agencies to get that 
right.
    Senator Carper. Thank you. I think when the first set of 
payments that we sent out, when we fell into the pandemic, I 
think that about $1.4 billion was sent to people who were dead. 
We tried to recover that as much as we could. We did some but 
not all.
    Same question, if I could, for Ms. Coloretti. As Deputy 
Director, how would you lead the governmentwide efforts to 
address payment integrity issues and curb improper payments?
    Ms. Coloretti. Senator, thanks for this question and the 
opportunity to talk about this and for your leadership in this 
area. I do have experience working on improper payments and 
reducing them at the Department of the Treasury and at Housing 
and Urban Development.
    Senator Carper. Good.
    Ms. Coloretti. What's that?
    Senator Carper. That is great news.
    Ms. Coloretti. Yes. Thank you.
    I think part of the challenge here is when you are trying 
to implement large things this can happen. I think the 
President's--as I said from the outside, the Administration is 
focused in the right area here, focusing on data, data 
improvement, data sharing. I believe they are also investing in 
local data systems, because some of this improper payment 
happens at the State and local level, because that is where the 
first dollar is actually landing, so that is helpful.
    I think the work that Congress has led on the DATA Act will 
be helpful as well. If confirmed, I look forward to continuing 
to help lead in this area across agencies, in partnership with 
the Deputy Director for Management.
    Senator Carper. Thank you for that response. We are talking 
about $2 trillion over the last, I do not know, 15, 16, or 17 
years. This has to be part of our DNA, and the Executive Branch 
and Legislative Branch as well.
    One last question for both of you. Ms. Young and Ms. 
Coloretti, how will you work together to balance the big-
picture view of the Federal budget as a whole with the 
understanding that budgetary decisions will affect Americans in 
the course of their daily lives and certainly as we continue to 
battle this pandemic?
    Ms. Young. Senator, it is on, I think, two fronts. We have 
to make sure our investments are the right ones that makes a 
difference in everyday lives. I am thinking about childcare, 
which I am probably thinking about that because I am a new 
mother, and so it is an issue front and center in my life.
    Senator Carper. Absolutely. Boy or girl?
    Ms. Young. A girl, sir.
    Senator Carper. First child?
    Ms. Young. First and only.
    Senator Carper. That is great.
    Ms. Young. We need to be very deliberate in our 
investments, to make sure that we are getting to these 
pocketbook issues that hit hard with families and ensure that 
there is full participation in the workforce, something we are 
seeing that we are struggling with as an economy, making sure 
that our investments encourage full participation, including 
from women. Childcare and pre-K come to mind. Prescription 
drugs I mentioned earlier, bringing down that cost.
    On the other side is to be fiscally responsible. The 
President proposed offsets for his ideas, and I think that is 
the right fiscal and economic way to approach these. We can 
disagree about those investments in offsets, but the first step 
is making sure that we offer them, and this President has done 
that.
    Senator Carper. Mr. Chairman, does Ms. Coloretti have a few 
seconds that she can add something as well?
    Ms. Coloretti. I am happy to add something. Thanks, Mr. 
Chair and Senator.
    I want to express my support for the efforts that have been 
put forward so far from President Biden and this 
Administration, particularly putting forward a budget that is 
fully paid for. I think that is a good first step.
    Senator Carper. Thank you both very much.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Carper.
    Senator Rosen, you are recognized for your questions.

               OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR ROSEN

    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Chairman Peters, Ranking Member 
Portman, for convening this hearing. For our witnesses today, I 
know you have a few committees to appear before today, so we 
appreciate your time and willingness to serve. Of course, Ms. 
Young, congratulations on your new baby. Now starts a lifetime 
of joy and, dare I say, a little bit of worries too, but all in 
the best way. So congratulations there.
    I also want to start by thanking you for your commitment 
during your confirmation hearing last year to work with me and 
the Nevada delegation on the issue of Yucca Mountain. As you 
know, the Biden administration has pledged to not fund 
licensing, construction, or nuclear waste storage at the Yucca 
Mountain site, which my State has been fighting for nearly four 
decades.
    Ms. Young, as you and I discussed when we met last month, 
the Navy has proposed to expand its existing footprint in 
northern Nevada by approximately 800,000 acres, which is about 
3.5 times the size of New Orleans and larger than, I dare say, 
the State of Rhode Island, or Senator Carper before me, 
certainly Delaware too.
    While Nevada is the proud home of the Naval Air Station 
Fallon, the Navy's current proposal lacks key mitigations needs 
for the support from our State and local communities' impacted 
tribes.
    My colleagues in the Nevada delegation and I have been 
diligently working on this issue with all affected stakeholders 
for the past several years, so we were incredibly surprised 
when, this past fall, OMB released a statement of 
administration policy endorsing the Navy's proposal without any 
modifications. In response, we wrote to you in November, 
following up on a letter from Nevada's Governor, from October 
26th.
    I appreciate your recent response to the congressional 
delegation letter, committing OMB to coordinate relevant 
Federal agencies on this matter. However, our Governor has 
still not received a response, and our local tribes have thus 
far been unable to secure a meeting with you.
    Ms. Young, can you commit to responding to the Governor's 
letter and to talking with impacted tribal communities about 
OMB's Statements of Administration Policy (SAP) supporting the 
Fallon expansion?
    Ms. Young. Senator, privately we spoke about this, and 
publicly you have my commitment to bring together the affected 
parties. Tribal consultation not something I take lightly. This 
Administration and this President has doubled down and reminded 
us of our obligations. You have my commitment, and it is 
something important to me, to make sure we do more than lip 
service with regard to our tribal consultation.
    Like I told you before, the Navy needs to be at the table, 
and as with a lot of issues, OMB sits in a place to help 
coordinate those conversations, and you have my commitment to 
do that.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate that because you do 
have a unique ability at OMB to do that. I would like to have 
convened at the meeting with the Department of Defense (DOD), 
the Department of Interior (DOI), the Nevada delegation, and 
key State, local, and tribal stakeholders, so we can all be in 
the same room, whether it is Zoom or in person, so we can find 
a path forward that addresses everyone's needs and concerns. I 
look forward to working with you on that.
    I would like to move on now to the Nonprofit Security Grant 
Program (NSGP), because over the past few years, even in the 
last few weeks, we have seen dangerous attacks, increasing 
threats on houses of worship, including the deadliest attack 
against a Jewish community in modern American history, the Tree 
of Life synagogue, and just last month the anti-Semitic attack 
at Congregation Beth Israel in Texas.
    To protect synagogues and other houses of worship against 
terrorist attacks and targeted violence, FEMA's Nonprofit 
Security Grant Program provides grants for target hardening and 
other security enhancements.
    However, despite demand for grants outpacing their 
availability in recent years, in the fiscal year 2022 budget, 
the Administration did not request a specific funding amount 
for the program. Fortunately, Congress has provided robust 
funding in recent years. I am working with Senator Hillenbrand, 
Chairman Peters, Ranking Member Portman, and Senator Lankford 
to ensure that the NSGP is appropriately funded this year.
    Ms. Young, again, if confirmed, will OMB include a specific 
allocation for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in future 
budget requests and ensure that the allocation increases to 
meet the growing needs of the program to keep communities of 
faith secure?
    Ms. Young. Senator, I have worked on this program since I 
started on the Appropriations Committee, and that program with 
$25 million and proud to help grow that to, I think its current 
number is $180 million. You have a partner in me in that 
program.
    I believe the difference between what OMB does and what 
Congress does is the way we display what we ask for in FEMA 
grants, not a lack of commitment or reduction in amount. I am 
happy to go back with the team and look to make sure what I 
believe is strong support throughout the Administration, to 
make sure that it is clear when we send up a budget.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate that. I am going to 
ask you one last question in my remaining time. The United 
States currently faces a critical cyber workforce shortage. We 
have over 600,000 cyber positions open. Yet OMB has 
historically viewed cybersecurity education as an activity that 
is outside the Department of Homeland Security and its mission, 
and it has resisted congressional support for Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA's) successful 
Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program 
(CETAP).
    As a result, OMB has repeatedly zeroed out funding for 
CETAP in recent budget requests. Congress has rejected those 
cuts. We have provided robust funding for CETAP in the most 
recently years. Additionally, in 2020, my bipartisan 
legislation to formally authorize CETAP because law as part of 
the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
    Again, Ms. Young, if confirmed, can you ensure, or will you 
ensure that OMB includes funding in the future budget processes 
for CETAP as part of CISA's cyber workforce development 
efforts?
    Ms. Young. Senator, I am happy to go back and look. This 
one I am not as familiar with as the nonprofit grants. But you 
are right. We have to do more to get proper cyber talent into 
the government, and you have my commitment to work on that 
issue.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate. I see, Mr. 
Chairman, my time is up. Thank you.
    Chairman Peters. Thank you, Senator Rosen.
    Ms. Young, as you know, addressing issues surrounding 
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals has been one of my 
highest priorities, as both a Senator as well as Chairman of 
this Committee. The Environmental Protection Agency recently 
submitted a proposed rule to OMB, designating perfluorooctanoic 
acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), two of the 
most studied PFAS chemicals, as hazardous substances.
    My question to you is will you commit to prioritizing an 
expeditious and thorough review of the proposed rule so that 
the EPA can act as quickly as possible to protect communities 
that are being impacted by these harmful chemicals?
    Ms. Young. I do, Senator, and can I also thank you for your 
work on this and reminding all of us how important this issue 
is. I certainly give you that commitment.
    Chairman Peters. I appreciate that. thank you.
    Ranking Member Portman, if you have a question or two to 
wrap this up, you are recognized.
    Senator Portman. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think we 
have no more members here, so I just have a couple of questions 
to follow up on some of the questions that have already been 
posed, one with regard to the regulatory aspect of your jobs. 
Again, this is critically important.
    Ms. Coloretti, I want to ask you about this. You have some 
experience, as I said earlier, at HUD and Treasury. How 
involved were you in agencies' rulemaking processes in those 
previous roles?
    Ms. Coloretti. Senator, thanks for that question. My role 
as Deputy Secretary at Housing and Urban Development was to 
really shake loose when regulations had conflicts amongst 
different branches, different parts of HUD. I have experience 
breaking through those log jams on the pathway to regulation. I 
know that I have a deep appreciation, as I know you do, for 
OIRA's role in coordinating the regulatory process, supporting 
strong evidence-based analyses, and under longstanding 
requirements of Executive Order 12866. I have an appreciation 
for that and have done that work, both at HUD and at Treasury.
    Senator Portman. You mentioned 12866 and the role that OMB 
plays through OIRA with regard to rulemaking. I would say it is 
more than just coordinating. It is really overseeing, and often 
in conflict with the agencies. It is an incredibly important 
role and sometimes a difficult role.
    The Administration has proposed modernizing the rulemaking 
process, as I understand it, including making changes to, since 
you mentioned 12866, cost-benefit analyses. How do you 
anticipate the Administration will change cost-benefit 
analyses?
    Ms. Coloretti. Senator, thanks for that question. I am very 
interested in the effort to modernize regulatory review and 
have reviewed the Executive Order and am eager to see what 
comes of that, and if confirmed, look forward to working with 
you and your staff and with the good staff at OMB to meet those 
requirements, meet those needs.
    Senator Portman. Yes, I have two concerns. One is I want to 
be sure OMB continues to focus on reducing the cost of 
regulations, and I think that is part of your role because it 
is inefficient for the economy and for our opportunities, not 
just in the Federal Government but in our economy generally, to 
grow. Do you regard it as OMB's responsibility to find ways to 
reduce regulatory costs? Yes or no.
    Ms. Coloretti. Senator, I agree with that sentiment.
    Senator Portman. OK. Then second is my concern that the 
Executive Order on modernizing says that we should account for, 
``regulatory benefits that are difficult or impossible to 
quantify.'' What does that mean?
    Ms. Coloretti. Senator, I am not familiar with that 
particular part of the Executive Order. If confirmed, I would 
certainly want to learn more about it. My understanding, 
though, as I sit here on the outside, is that though it is an 
Executive Order to modernize the regulatory review process, the 
basic framework and some of the concepts that we are talking 
about here remain in place.
    Ms. Young. Senator Portman, sorry----
    Senator Portman. You were Acting during this period, and I 
am concerned that we do not allow benefits to sort of be 
developed out of left field and make it more difficult for us 
to keep regulatory costs under control.
    Ms. Young. Yes. I mean, Senator, the reason you saw a 
recommitment to 12866 is we knew that would be a concern once 
you start talking about modernizing and once we have statements 
like that.
    The example that brought this home to me is the Americans 
with Disabilities Act (ADA) law, where traditional cost-
benefit, the costs, ensuring that those living with 
disabilities can access facilities and other things. We need to 
make sure we are also capturing the real benefits, even if it 
is a small amount of people, does not mean that the public good 
is not worth the traditional cost methodology. So that really 
brought it home.
    This is hard work, though. You are right. It is easy to 
pivot too far the other way. But we are trying to find the 
sweet spot that deals with the example I just gave you on 
ensuring that we have access for those in our country who I 
think we all have agreement deserve that from the Federal 
Government. But a traditional way of looking at cost-benefit, a 
small population but high cost for infrastructure for some 
public venues, for example, just may not make sense. But common 
sense tells us we should be doing that for Americans living 
with disabilities.
    But you are right. We are trying to be cautious. You have 
not seen anything come out on this because we are taking a 
methodical view on this. We are not moving quickly. I want to 
stay in touch with those. I know you have an interest here as 
former OMB Director. I am happy to stay I contact on our 
efforts here. But we are moving at a slow and deliberate pace 
to try to get this right.
    Senator Portman. OK. I have a strong interest in overseeing 
that here in this Committee, and in particular I will be 
following the benefit analysis closely and would appreciate you 
staying in touch with us.
    On the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, thank you, 
particularly in the wake of what just happened at the Beth 
Israel congregation, the synagogue in Texas, with the terrorist 
act of a kidnapping. It is very important to us to make sure 
that continues and that more nonprofits, including synagogues 
and other places of worship, understand that that is accessible 
to them for training and for security hardening.
    With regard to another piece of legislation, I have 
introduced along with 14 of my colleagues, the End Government 
Shutdowns Act. This is to avoid the issue where we have Federal 
shutdowns which cause damage always, and, by the way, ends up 
costing the taxpayer more every time. Do you support the End 
Government Shutdowns Act, and can we count on you to help us 
get this legislation moving?
    Ms. Young. Senator, I do not know the particulars of the 
law but you can count me in on any effort, and it has to be a 
bipartisan effort, to get out of this cycle of potential 
shutdowns, threat of a shutdown, or for that matter, any threat 
of debt ceiling breaches. Just the threat of any of those is 
detrimental to the economy, and I look forward to working with 
you on efforts to make sure we do not find ourselves in that 
position.
    You mentioned government funding runs out February 18th, 
and I personally, given my former role, have a great interest 
to make sure we do not get to the brink of that with any 
fanfare.
    Senator Portman. I think we are done with questions here. I 
have one final one. Do you support the Bengals or the Rams in 
the Super Bowl?
    Ms. Young. I am Saints fan, sir. [Laughter.]
    Senator Portman. That was a very good answer.
    Ms. Coloretti, you were introduced by a California Senator. 
I would hope that that would not mean that you were leaning 
against the Bengals. [Laughter.]
    Thank you, guys. I will not put you on the spot on that 
one.
    Chairman Peters. Great. Thank you to both of the nominees. 
Again, congratulations on your nomination. These are incredibly 
important jobs, and you are both highly qualified to take this 
position, in my opinion, and if confirmed, I know you are going 
to do an outstanding job.
    Both of the nominees have made financial disclosures and 
provided the required responses to biographical and pre-hearing 
questions submitted by this Committee.\1\ Without objection, 
this information will be made part of the hearing record,\2\ 
with the exception of the financial data which are on file and 
available for public inspection in the Committee offices.
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    \1\ The information for Ms. Young appears in the Appendix on page 
31.
    \2\ The information for Ms. Coloretti appears in the Appendix on 
page 195.
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    The hearing record will remain open until 12 p.m. tomorrow, 
February 2nd, for submission of statements and questions for 
the record.
    This hearing is now adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 11:32 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

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