[Senate Hearing 117-833]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]








                                                        S. Hrg. 117-833

       DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET PRIORITIES

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

                                HEARING

                               before the

                         COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
                      SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                             APRIL 27, 2022

                               __________

    Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation 
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
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                Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov   
                
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       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                   MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, Chair
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             ROGER WICKER, Mississippi, Ranking
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii                 ROY BLUNT, Missouri
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts         TED CRUZ, Texas
GARY PETERS, Michigan                DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin             JERRY MORAN, Kansas
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JON TESTER, Montana                  MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              TODD YOUNG, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  MIKE LEE, Utah
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico            RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado          SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West 
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia                 Virginia
                                     RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming
                       Lila Helms, Staff Director
                 Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director
       George Greenwell, Policy Coordinator and Security Manager
                 John Keast, Republican Staff Director
            Crystal Tully, Republican Deputy Staff Director
                      Steven Wall, General Counsel  
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                      
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Hearing held on April 27, 2022...................................     1
Statement of Senator Cantwell....................................     1
Statement of Senator Wicker......................................     3
    Prepared statement...........................................     3
Statement of Senator Klobuchar...................................    11
Statement of Senator Thune.......................................    13
Statement of Senator Blumenthal..................................    14
Statement of Senator Blackburn...................................    16
Statement of Senator Fischer.....................................    17
Statement of Senator Scott.......................................    19
Statement of Senator Markey......................................    21
Statement of Senator Capito......................................    23
Statement of Senator Tester......................................    24
Statement of Senator Rosen.......................................    27
Statement of Senator Cruz........................................    28
Statement of Senator Peters......................................    30
Statement of Senator Lujan.......................................    32
Statement of Senator Sinema......................................    34
Statement of Senator Young.......................................    36
Statement of Senator Warnock.....................................    38

                               Witnesses

Hon. Gina M. Raimondo, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce....     4
    Prepared statement...........................................     6

                                Appendix

Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Gina M. Raimondo 
  by:
    Hon. Maria Cantwell..........................................    43
    Hon. Brian Schatz............................................    47
    Hon. Kyrsten Sinema..........................................    48
    Hon. John Hickenlooper.......................................    49
    Hon. Raphael Warnock.........................................    52
    Hon. Roger Wicker............................................    56
    Hon. Deb Fischer.............................................    63
    Hon. Dan Sullivan............................................    65
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    69
    Hon. Todd Young..............................................    71
    Hon. Mike Lee................................................    72
    Hon. Ron Johnson.............................................    78
    Hon. Rick Scott..............................................    79
    Hon. Cynthia Lummis..........................................    81

 
       DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET PRIORITIES

                              ----------                              


                       WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022

                                       U.S. Senate,
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:34 a.m., in 
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Maria 
Cantwell, Chairwoman of the Committee, presiding.
    Present: Senators Cantwell [presiding], Klobuchar, 
Blumenthal, Markey, Peters, Tester, Sinema, Rosen, Lujan, 
Hickenlooper, Warnock, Wicker, Thune, Cruz, Fischer, Blackburn, 
Young, Lee, Capito, and Scott.

           OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON

    The Chair. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation will come to order. Today, we have the 
pleasure of hearing from the Department of Commerce Secretary 
Gina Raimondo about the Department's budget request for Fiscal 
Year 2023.
    So welcome, Madam Secretary. Glad to have you here before 
the Committee again. The Committee's commerce statutory duty is 
to foster, promote, and develop foreign and domestic commerce, 
and the Secretary has been very busy doing that on many fronts.
    Today, we will hear about the President's budget request 
and obviously the various agencies within the Department of 
Commerce. I would like to start with NOAA. I see that you are 
seeking an increase of about 17 percent from current funding. 
The agency's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
has never been more important to families facing the climate 
burdens and extreme storms, weather, flooding and drought.
    So we look forward to NOAA's efforts to help ensure and 
sustain fisheries in the United States and to invest in 
innovation that will build strong and resilient coastal 
communities, something I am sure you know a lot about as former 
Governor of a coastal state.
    So we look forward to your work and thoughts on how we make 
continued investment. I am looking forward to the Department's 
response and how bipartisan infrastructure funding in these 
areas can help address salmon decline.
    And I look forward to hearing any updates from you on the 
Office of Space and Commerce that resides within NOAA. Our 
colleagues here are very interested in that. I think Senator 
Wicker and I sent a letter to you on that issue. I also want to 
say that Senator Wicker and I have been working on a NOAA 
Organic Act.
    We think this is very important in strengthening the 
science and voices of the Department, and we very much 
appreciate Dr. Spinrad's helpfulness in this. And so we look 
forward to continue to working with you on that issue. 
Secretary Raimondo also oversees the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, obviously 
also seeking an increase.
    These funds will help NTIA to continue their work on 
spectrum management, broadband, cybersecurity, and privacy. 
Also, another very important aspect of what our Government is 
facing at this time, cybersecurity and the impacts of what we 
saw from Colonial Pipeline makes this investment very 
necessary.
    As our airwaves get more crowded and spectrum becomes 
scarcer, it is critical that NTIA ensure the process of sharing 
Federal spectrum goes smoothly, and that includes working with 
various Federal agencies like NASA and NOAA and FAA, along with 
the commercial interests. And obviously broadband funding and 
equity, I am sure will be an issue that comes up at today's 
hearing, given the bipartisan infrastructure investment and how 
we continue to move forward on deployment.
    But front and center in our minds in the U.S. Senate at 
this moment is how we get to conference on the U.S. Innovation 
and Competition Act, and how we give you the tools to help us 
be more competitive in this economy of today. Obviously, this 
committee did good work more than a year ago to help give the 
Department the ability to respond to and prevent and respond to 
supply chain problems and crises and competition.
    So these important issues, and your budget builds on 
programs like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program 
(MEPP) and programs that assist small and medium sized 
manufacturers by supporting them on workforce training, supply 
chain resiliency, and technology development. And these issues, 
again, I am glad to see the President's budget request in this 
area.
    Obviously, the agency, if the U.S. Innovation Competition 
Act would pass, would receive $52 billion in funding to help us 
with this chip supply chain shortage and issues. So we look 
forward to asking you questions about that and our 
competitiveness in this area.
    We had a hearing before we left for the recess with many of 
the manufacturers of some silicon--of chip manufacturing in the 
United States. And they told us we didn't have time to wait. So 
I hope our colleagues will heed that and help us move forward. 
I think in February, you issued a report, ``Information and 
Communications Technology Supply Chain,'' that revealed a lack 
of supply chain diversity and domestic production, and an 
underinvestment in our domestic workforce.
    So look forward to hearing how the budget will help us on 
that. So the current state of challenges facing us are many. We 
look forward to hearing your comments on that. And I will turn 
it over to my colleague, Senator Wicker, for his opening 
statement.

                STATEMENT OF HON. ROGER WICKER, 
                 U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSISSIPPI

    Senator Wicker. Thank you, Senator Cantwell. It is great to 
be back in here. Good to see Secretary Raimondo again. I am 
going to put my whole statement in the record and just tell you 
what my statement was going to say. I appreciate you coming to 
Mississippi early on. Also, please tell Secretary Graves how 
much we appreciate his visit.
    My statement will indicate my support for funding increases 
for Manufacturing USA program, Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership, and of course, the Minority Business Development 
Agency, which we intend to utilize quite effectively in 
Mississippi. The Chair is correct that we eagerly await the 
final passage of USICA.
    I do believe in the end it will greatly resemble the 
product that Senator Cantwell and I have worked on. And again, 
we want to hear today about plans to distribute over $40 
billion in broadband buildout, most important to states like 
mine in the great heartland of America. I also look forward to 
hearing about Spectrum Coordination Initiative, the 
Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework, as the Chair says, the 
Office of Space Commerce.
    And then if I can take a deep breath and say no hearing 
with commerce would be complete without a mention of red 
snapper. And so I hope the Department's request for increased 
funding to build a fisheries survey that is accurate will 
proceed. Recreational fishermen are an important part of our 
economy. They should not be unfairly penalized for inaccurate 
Federal data.
    And in my state of Mississippi, we have developed a very 
nifty way, scientific way of giving an accurate understanding 
about the recreational harvest, and I look forward to 
continuing to work with NOAA. Having said that, I ask unanimous 
consent that my full statement be admitted into the record, and 
I am absolutely delighted to have this wonderful public servant 
with us today.
    The Chair. Without objection.
    [The prepared statement of Senator Wicker follows:]

 Prepared Statement of Hon. Roger Wicker, U.S. Senator from Mississippi
    Thank you Senator Cantwell. I too would like to welcome our 
distinguished witness, Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. 
Today's hearing will focus on the Department's budget request for 
Fiscal Year 2023 and provide oversight of its agencies and programs. I 
would also like to thank Secretary Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Graves 
for their visits to my home state of Mississippi.
    Madam Secretary, you are to be commended for your leadership and 
work on a number of important funding requests that are reflected in 
the administration's FY23 budget request. Although there are too many 
programs to address in my brief remarks, let me single out my support 
for the proposed funding increases for the Manufacturing USA program, 
the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Minority Business 
Development Agency (MBDA). These important programs will help support 
small businesses, minority entrepreneurs, and manufacturers to create 
jobs and grow key sectors of our economy.
    Congress has offered strong support for these programs--and other 
initiatives to strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains--in 
the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act and in the House-
passed America COMPETES Act. These bills also include funding for the 
CHIPS Act, a long-overdue initiative to help restore U.S. leadership in 
semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. The committee would welcome 
Secretary Raimondo's perspective on the urgency of funding the CHIPS 
Act and of Congress delivering a conference report.
    Last year's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law placed the Department of 
Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) at the center of our efforts to expand broadband access and 
close the digital divide. I look forward to hearing an update on NTIA's 
preparation to distribute over $40 billion for broadband buildout to 
the states, as well as any updates on when the FCC's new broadband maps 
will be completed.
    One key aspect of broadband expansion is improved spectrum 
coordination. Today's hearing is an opportunity to discuss how NTIA's 
recently announced Spectrum Coordination Initiative with the FCC will 
promote more efficient and effective spectrum management policies for 
Federal and non-federal users.
    In March of this year, President Biden announced a Trans-Atlantic 
Data Privacy Framework with the European Union (EU). This new framework 
would reestablish a legal mechanism for the transfer of EU citizens' 
personal data to the United States. I hope the Secretary will update 
the committee on what additional actions we can expect from the 
Administration as it finalizes this agreement with the EU.
    I want to applaud the Department's $88 million request for the 
Office of Space Commerce, or OSC. Senator Cantwell and I have supported 
legislation known as the SPACE Act to codify the OSC's role in tracking 
of space objects and debris. The committee would appreciate hearing the 
Secretary's vision for the OSC and the opportunities for U.S. commerce 
in outer space.
    Finally, no Department of Commerce hearing would be complete unless 
I mentioned red snapper. I hope the Department's request for increased 
funding to build fisheries survey capacity will help improve how NOAA 
calculates catch limits. Recreational fishermen should not be unfairly 
penalized for inaccurate Federal data. In my state of Mississippi, we 
have invested significant time and money to develop a more accurate 
understanding of how much fish recreational fishermen harvest. I will 
continue to work with you and NOAA to reach that outcome.
    Madam Secretary, there are a lot of topics to cover this morning. I 
look forward to your remarks and the discussion.

    The Chair. Secretary Raimondo, again, welcome. Thank you so 
much. I think hearing the list of both my statement and Senator 
Wicker's makes us tired just thinking of all the oversight and 
responsibilities that--yes, so we look forward to hearing your 
comments. Thank you.

        STATEMENT OF HON. GINA M. RAIMONDO, SECRETARY, 
                  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

    Secretary Raimondo. Well, thank you both very much for 
having me here. And thank you for all of your partnership since 
I have had this job over the last year. I can't tell you how 
much I appreciate your support. Yes, the Commerce Department's 
mission is broad, and I would argue more important than ever.
    The issues that you have just said are more important than 
ever. So permit me, please, to go through the six key areas 
that we are asking for additional funding, where the 
President's budget asks for additional funding. All of these 
investments are focused on the same goal, which is to enhance 
America's ability to compete. So first, the budget strengthens 
the Nation's supply chains by investing in domestic 
manufacturing.
    As Senator Wicker said, it calls for $275 million of an 
increase in the Manufacturing Extension Program, and $97 
million for Manufacturing USA, both of which are aimed at 
strengthening domestic supply chains, with a particular focus 
on small and medium sized manufacturers to help them improve 
their competitiveness. 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.
    Second, the budget positions us to compete globally, 
protect our National Security, and continue to lead a global 
coalition united against Russia's aggression. Specifically, it 
calls for $630 million for ITA to enhance commercial diplomacy 
and export promotion, and also provides BIS nearly $200 million 
to apply and enforce export controls and strengthen our efforts 
to counter new threats from China and Russia.
    Third, the budget invests in equitable and inclusive 
economic growth for all Americans. I firmly believe that 
America's diversity is our greatest strength and our 
competitive advantage. As a result, this budget provides for 
$500 million for EDA to help communities experiencing economic 
distress take control of their future and position themselves 
for economic prosperity and resiliency.
    It proposes $110 million for the MBDA, which the ranking 
member just mentioned, to meet the full authorization that was 
included in the bipartisan infrastructure law. And part of this 
funding will be used to open new regional offices and establish 
rural business centers in partnership with minority serving 
institutions.
    Fourth, the budget takes historic action to combat the 
climate crisis. I certainly agree with you, Chairwoman, that 
there has never been more important time for NOAA as it relates 
to climate. The budget accordingly includes $6.9 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 improves 
NOAA's ability to predict extreme weather events associated 
with climate change. The budget also proposes $87 million for 
the Office of Space Commerce, which I expect we will talk about 
today.
    Fifth, the budget expands opportunity and discovery through 
data. Timely data is critical to supporting American 
competitiveness, innovation, and growth of quality jobs. The 
budget provides the Census Bureau with $1.5 billion to continue 
its transformation to a 21st century data centric model and 
calls for $141 million for the BEA to support new data on 
supply chains.
    And finally, sixth, the budget ensures the Department can 
provide 21st century service to the American public. It 
proposes new funds to enhance cybersecurity and increase the 
diversity and equity of our workforce in cyber.
    And finally, I must close by--with mentioning USICA. I want 
to begin by thanking you both for your incredible leadership on 
this and pledging to you here and now to do anything in my 
power to get this over the finish line in a bipartisan way as 
quickly as possible because the need is urgent, as the 
Chairwoman said.
    The Commerce Department has key priorities in the bill, 
many of which are this committee's priorities as well, 
including the $52 billion for chips funding, the tech hubs, 
supply chain authorities. I cannot say strongly enough the 
urgency with which we must act.
    Other countries aren't waiting for us. China has invested 
$150 billion. Germany, Singapore, Spain, France are all 
investing. Existing fabs are operating at 90 percent capacity 
today, and demand is about 17 percent above pre-pandemic 
levels. The time for us to act is now, and I look forward to 
working with you to do that.
    [The prepared statement of Secretary Raimondo follows:]

        Prepared Statement of Hon. Gina M. Raimondo, Secretary, 
                      U.S. Department of Commerce
    Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, 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.
    The Budget calls for $275 million for the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Program, or MEP, 
which is an increase of $117 million over FY 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 for 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 FY 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 FY 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 FY 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 FY 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 FY 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 FY 2022 
enacted level, to support new data on the supply chain, income 
distribution statistics, health care 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 FY 2023 Budget for the Department of Commerce to 
do that work. I am happy to take your questions.

    The Chair. Thank you, Madam Secretary. That is a great 
list, and we appreciate your enthusiasm as well on this and 
look forward to working with you. If I could start with NOAA. I 
was pleased that the Department of Commerce executed funding 
for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund and the National 
Ocean and Coastal Security Resiliency Fund.
    These are important aspects of our bipartisan efforts. I am 
concerned that the Department, or NOAA may not be taking an 
active leadership role in culvert removal. One of the big 
issues that we have seen across the United States is 
infrastructure that has created blocking for fish passage.
    So will you work with the Department of Transportation and 
NOAA science to get more aggressive on this program?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. With DOT and also Interior. Yes.
    The Chair. Yes. Thank you. Well, we just again, I can give 
you examples across the United States of the same problem. I am 
very well aware of them in the Northwest. But the bottom line 
is our transportation infrastructure has blocked fish passage 
and we need to correct that issue, so thank you.
    You mentioned the chip shortage. I wondered if you could 
talk about, given Russia's attack on Ukraine and disruptions of 
the pandemic and vulnerabilities of the U.S. supply chain, 
how--what is it that we need to do to make sure that the--that 
we get ahead of this from a supply chain perspective on chips, 
and what we need to do to also get the workforce to be ready to 
catapult--our information is that the shortage that we 
experienced today is only going to double or triple if we don't 
get more in manufacturing.
    But we are also trying to understand why catching up as 
soon as possible is critically important. So if you could 
comment on that.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So the budget, the President's 
budget calls for an increase for supply chains, which will 
enable us to meet the immediate crisis caused by Ukraine, 
caused by COVID. But that isn't nearly enough. That is treading 
water barely. Right now in the Commerce Department I have 40 
different workstreams on supply chains going. We have a handful 
of people doing it.
    Other countries have five or ten times as many people doing 
supply chain work. What we really need is what USICA provides 
for, which is an ongoing, robust supply chain management 
infrastructure in the Federal Government so we can do constant 
continuous mapping and monitoring, data analytics, stakeholder 
engagement, predicting bottlenecks.
    Like the reason we are in this mess is because we haven't 
been doing that. And with respect to chips, I don't think it is 
an exaggeration to say this is a national emergency. It is 
threatening our National Security as well as our economic 
security. We did a RFI. Over 150 semiconductor supply chain 
companies responded.
    They are operating at their max capacity. The average 
consuming industry has fewer than 5 days of inventory. I hear 
every day medical equipment manufacturers, military--I have 
been talking to all the defense contractors. Their bottleneck, 
the rate limiting factor is chips. So I don't know how else to 
say it.
    We need to invest this money to increase domestic 
production of chips and use some of the money, as you said, to 
invest in our workforce. We don't have the workforce now. We 
need the workforce developed.
    And by the way, we need it all over the country, which is 
why I think the tech hubs are just as important.
    The Chair. And, well we definitely agree on the tech hubs. 
I want to make sure, though, that we understand this timing 
issue. I think, you know, as manufacturers, and the shortages 
become clear to everybody around the globe, other people are 
moving faster than we are----
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you.
    The Chair. And the faster they move, the more the money 
follows. And so I really am worried that we are--that even 
investments that people have announced----
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    The Chair. That, you know, they are going to build, say, in 
Ohio----
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    The Chair. So I just hope that people realize that that--
the longer we wait, the longer we don't send that signal, the 
more that that initial investment may not go to Ohio, it may go 
over to Germany or someplace else. And so I am just trying to 
get people to understand why this signal is so important.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you for putting a fine point on 
it. You are exactly right. So as you say, Germany, Singapore, 
Spain, France, obviously China are all right now, right now, 
wooing Intel, Micron, Texas Instruments, all of our companies 
to set up facilities in their countries. And I have spoken with 
all of these CEOs.
    They would--they want to operate in America, but they 
cannot wait because demand for chips is up 20 percent where it 
was a couple of years ago. They are going to build. And if we 
don't act quickly with USICA, they will build elsewhere. If we 
do act quickly, they will build here, and as you say, go from a 
$20 billion investment to $100 billion investment in Ohio.
    The Chair. Thank you. Senator Wicker.
    Senator Wicker. Madam Secretary, I think semiconductors and 
the chips issue is a National Security issue. You do agree with 
that?
    Secretary Raimondo. 100 percent, yes.
    Senator Wicker. And National Security issues have certainly 
been emphasized and heightened in the last few months because 
of what we see and what we are looking at over the horizon. 
There have been some people who object to the grants. These 
grant recipients are going to be big companies. Some of them do 
business in China.
    There is a school of thought that this would be better done 
through trade negotiation policy. So why is it so important to 
follow the approach that is in the USICA Act. And if you could 
elaborate on that for a moment or two.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Let me say this. I want you to 
know and be reassured that my top priority will be protecting 
taxpayers. And I have a long track record in public service of 
doing that. There are claw back provisions, would--you know, if 
this money were to be used by companies that are violating our 
export controls, we would claw the money back.
    There are taxpayer protections in statute and that we will 
further strengthen in regulation. This money cannot be used to 
build facilities in China, etcetera. At the end of the day, 
though, just like the Chairwoman and I were talking about, if 
we don't act, these chip companies will--they are going to 
increase their production. And the question----
    Senator Wicker. Quickly.
    Secretary Raimondo. Quickly. Now, now. I have talked to 
them all. I talk to them all. By the way, I talked to all the 
national defense contractors recently who are working overtime 
in the Ukraine replenishment issue and their biggest pain point 
is chips. There are 250 chips or more in every javelin 
launching system.
    Senator Wicker. Thank you for making that point.
    Secretary Raimondo. So this has to happen. It has to happen 
now. And if you want these companies, yes, they are big, yes 
they are profitable, to expand facilities in America, you must 
pass the CHIPS Act, USICA, and do it quickly.
    Senator Wicker. Let's talk about spectrum management and 
coordination. A lot of agencies like to get their fingers into 
this issue. I welcome the Spectrum Coordination Initiative 
between NTIA and the FCC.
    Can you comment on how this new initiative will foster more 
efficient and effective spectrum management policies, and also 
how this will ensure that NTIA is in fact the voice rather than 
other agencies for representing the Executive Branch on 
spectrum management.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, thank you. I am very excited about 
this initiative. We launched it in February, and we are also in 
the process of renegotiating a 20 year old MOU as between NTIA 
and the FCC, because as you know, we have a--there is a 
complementary relationship between the FCC and NTIA and we are 
in charge of federally owned spectrum.
    And so we are going to start increasing our presence in the 
interagency to make sure that we have better coordination with 
the FCC, but also, frankly, NTIA needs to be elevated in the 
discussion because we need an Administration wide, Government 
wide spectrum strategy, and we need to kind of do that in 
coordination, you know, with our partners in Government.
    Senator Wicker. Very good. And then let me use the last 
minute and 17 seconds to talk about recreational fishing. NOAA 
has the Marine Recreational Information Program, MRIP, and it 
is not very good. Our state of Mississippi has developed the 
Tails n' Scales and is known to be the strongest survey of red 
snapper fishing in the country. We would like for NOAA to 
uphold the state data as the best available science.
    And as a matter of fact, Texas has never participated in 
MRIP, and they are allowed to proceed in their own way. 
Louisiana has stopped participating in MRIP. The West coast 
uses only state data, and on top of that, NOAA helps them 
manage their state data.
    So will you work with me to help Mississippi and other 
states transition away from this very flawed MRIP toward a 
State managed survey system like the West coast has, and to a 
system like Tails n' Scales, which is, in fact, better. It is a 
leading question.
    [Laughter.]
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. I shouldn't laugh. The answer is 
yes. And I know how important this is to you and your state. I 
have enjoyed visiting your state. I have a bit of good news, 
which is that NOAA is going to be releasing a proposed rule 
soon, which is going to increase the catch limits for 2023.
    And we have an initiative underway right now to do a better 
job of reconciling the state with the Federal surveys. I know 
we have room to go, but I think we have made progress since I 
have been here, and we will stay on it.
    Senator Wicker. Perhaps a step in the right direction.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.
    The Chair. Thank you.
    Senator Wicker. Further to go.
    The Chair. Thank you.
    Secretary Raimondo. Further to go, fair enough.
    The Chair. Well, I definitely proposed as part of Build 
Back Better major investment in stock assessment, because you 
can't do any management if you don't have the stock assessment. 
So we will keep working on this. Senator Klobuchar joining us 
online. Thank you.

               STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA

    Senator Klobuchar. Thank you. And thank you, Chair 
Cantwell. And I am going to ask Secretary Raimondo, sorry about 
this, but we are headed to Secretary Albright's funeral. And so 
I wanted to get some really important questions in, but also to 
thank you for your work. And I think to make it easier, I will 
just ask my question so you don't have to keep hearing me go 
back and forth here, and then you can answer.
    So my first question is about the American Innovation and 
Choice Online Act. As you know, I chair the Antitrust 
subcommittee. We are really excited about the progress that 
Senator Grassley and I are making with this bipartisan bill to 
promote innovation. And I would love to hear your views about 
that.
    And we know how important tech is to our economy. And we 
also want to make sure there is strong competition going on and 
that we are don't unfairly discriminate against certain 
businesses and we make sure that everyone gets a fair shake on 
these platforms. My second question is just a quick update on 
tourism, something near and dear to our hearts. Roy Blunt is on 
this bus with me.
    I know he would be asking the same question. And I also 
want to thank Senator Rosen for her good work on that front. 
And my third, just to emphasize the importance of the bill that 
Senator Thune and I just passed on shipping, because we want to 
make sure we get good rates when it comes to the international 
conglomerates, and if you could quickly comment on the 
importance of that.
    So I want to thank you again for your incredible work and 
especially what you are doing on supervising the broadband 
piece of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Look forward to 
hearing your answers. Thank you.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you, Senator, and thank you for 
making the time to call in. I think I got all of that. So on 
the first question, you know, I applaud your efforts and I have 
enjoyed talking to you and Congressman Cicilline and clearly 
agree that we need to improve competition, which increases 
innovation.
    And last month, the DOJ released a views letter on behalf 
of the Administration in support of the American Innovation and 
Choice Online Act, and the Department and I, you know, 
certainly support that and concur with, you know, the aim of 
the legislation and the views expressed in that views letter. 
Your second question, as I heard it related to tourism, and I 
think the Brand USA, I do--I want to thank this committee and 
Congress for the work you have done to provide the $250 million 
for Brand USA.
    I cannot underscore enough how important that is. I don't 
have to tell you, and you, Senator Klobuchar, the travel and 
tourism industry is still struggling. There is still about a 
million and a half fewer jobs in travel and tourism today than 
pre-pandemic.
    And particularly business travel and international travel 
have absolutely not recovered. So we have moved quickly to get 
half a billion dollars already out the door from the ARP money. 
We have another NOFOs for another $250 million on the street 
now, but the Brand USA--and by the way, I should say for the 
$250 million, we were six times oversubscribed. So again, we 
need this.
    We need to do this. And of course, I come from a state that 
is incredibly dependent on tourism for jobs. So thank you for 
your support of Brand USA. We need it and we have got to get a 
million and a half people back to work who are still out of 
work. And then the last question on shipping, this is obviously 
more in Secretary Buttigieg's lane, but certainly your 
legislation is something that we support.
    And as we deal with supply chain challenges, we have to 
look at every--there is no one silver bullet to supply chain. 
We have to parse it out. And shipping and shipping costs are a 
real problem now. And so I support legislation that is aimed at 
solving that problem.
    Senator Klobuchar. Well, thank you very much for the 
answers. Appreciate it. Thank you, Chair Cantwell, for 
accommodating this. Thank you.
    The Chair. Yes. I have Senator Thune as next, but I don't 
know if he is available. Well, maybe he is available----
    Senator Wicker. There is no telling where he is.
    [Laughter.]
    The Chair. Senator Thune, I don't know if you want a minute 
to prepare or if you are ready to go. We would certainly 
accommodate you to ask your questions at this point in time.

                 STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN THUNE, 
                 U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA

    Senator Thune. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for 
calling my name, I just showed up, but--Madam Secretary, 
welcome. Thank you for being here. Let me start by just talking 
about the BEAD Program. In order for that program to be 
successful, we have got to encourage participation from all 
types of broadband providers.
    As long as they have met the objective technical, 
financial, and operational standards set by NTIA--and any 
inclusion of burdensome requirements such as net neutrality, 
wholesale access, or rate regulations is only going to 
discourage participation. So I would like to ask you to commit 
once again that you will follow the letter of the law and not 
add extraneous requirements as other agencies seem to be intent 
on doing with broadband money.
    Would you ensure that NTIA carries out its duty and 
implements the BEAD Program within the confines of the statute? 
And will you commit that NTIA does not include net neutrality, 
wholesale access, or rate regulation requirements like other 
agencies have done?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Let me speak to that. As you know, 
the statute expressly prohibits rate regulation, and we--and I 
was heavily involved in negotiating that. So I understand the 
limits and we will comply with the statute. Having said that, 
it is, and we intend to work with all providers, whether that 
is electric utilities, you know, mile providers, big ISPs, 
rural co-ops, etcetera.
    The President has been very clear that we have to make sure 
at the end of implementing this program, every American, every 
tribal lands, rural lands, et cetera, has access to high speed, 
affordable internet. And so we are as focused on access as we 
are on affordability.
    And so we will be consistent with the statute without doing 
what we are not allowed to do, working with states who are 
developing their state plans to make sure that there are 
affordability provisions. And I believe that there are ways to 
do that, which do not involve rate regulation or, you know, 
violating the statute. But affordability is as important as 
access.
    Senator Thune. And I don't disagree. And I think that the 
key, in my view, at least, is to not discourage providers from 
participating. You want to get as many, particularly those in 
unserved and underserved areas, to participate in the programs 
that are available.
    And I understand that the statute prevents rate regulation, 
but there is a lot of conversation around some of these other 
issues like net neutrality, which, if that was going to be 
included, ought to be done by the FCC, not other agencies of 
Government. And so adding additional requirements, I think, is 
going to discourage participation. So I am just----
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, I understand. The FCC, as you say, 
the FCC regulates net neutrality, not us. And listen, we are 
pro-competition. Competition drives down prices. We are working 
hard to figure out how to structure this program to encourage 
competition which benefits the consumer.
    Senator Thune. Right, good. As you know, 5G connectivity 
will require hundreds of thousands of small cells and other 
equipment and deploying this infrastructure can be 
unnecessarily burdensome and lengthy, with multiple series of 
approvals required that lack certainty with respect to if and 
when a Governmental entity will grant approval.
    The type of approvals required, fees imposed for deployment 
of networks can be particularly problematic, leading to delays 
in wireless infrastructure deployment, which is a particular 
concern as we seek to deploy 5G as rapidly as possible 
throughout the United States.
    And last Congress, I introduced a piece of legislation 
called the Streamline Small Cell Developed Deployment Act to 
address many of these issues. And with all the funding that is 
being made available to construct and deploy fixed and mobile 
networks, do you support efforts to streamline permitting 
requests so that consumers can reap the benefits of these new 
technologies more quickly?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Yes. I will say this, and I have 
firsthand experience with this as Governor, a lot of the 
regulations and permitting requirements, which will slow down 
broadband deployment, are at the State and local level.
    And so, you know, we are going to work with states to 
encourage them to provide simple things like access to 
telephone poles, dig once provisions. This red tape absolutely 
stands in the way of rapid deployment, and so, yes, I do 
support those efforts.
    Senator Thune. Good. We will look forward to working with 
you on that, because it is something that I think acts as a 
deterrent to a lot of the build out that we are going to need 
to get these networks up and operating.
    Finally, my time is expiring here. Very quickly, how does 
the NTIA plan to address coordination issues with other 
broadband programs, such as those that are administered by the 
FCC, USDA, and Treasury?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So I would say, in my zero time, 
it is a challenge. We are on it. The President appointed Mitch 
Landrieu to be the coordinator across all of the agencies. And 
I can assure you, we do meet regularly, myself with Secretary 
Vilsack and his team, Secretary Holland. And we are requiring 
in every State plan that they show us how they are planning to 
use in every state all of their Federal money. So we are going 
to have it all in one place so we can see it, so we can try to 
coordinate. But I will grant you, it is a real challenge.
    Senator Thune. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    The Chair. Thank you, Senator Thune. Senator Blumenthal.

             STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, 
                 U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT

    Senator Blumenthal. Thanks, Madam Chair. Thank you for 
being here today, and thanks for all your great work as 
Secretary of Commerce and as Governor of our neighboring State. 
I want to pursue this line of questioning on the NTIA and the 
historic investment that our Nation is making into broadband.
    NTIA is responsible for implementing this grant program. 
Literally billions of dollars, a total of $65 billion will be 
given as part of this program and I think we have an obligation 
to make sure that it provides for universal access, American 
manufacturing, high quality jobs, and competition.
    Senator Markey and I wrote a letter to NTIA in March 
regarding the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. 
And to just come right to the point, because I know you are 
familiar with it, we believe, and I think many of us do, that 
there is a clear need to require companies building new fiber 
networks with Federal money to allow competitors wholesale 
access at reasonable cost.
    Otherwise, we are just going to subsidize a new set of 
monopolies in underserved or unserved areas where there is no 
competition now. I am asking you for a commitment that you will 
impose standalone wholesale access requirements or incentives 
in the NTIA broadband grant program.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. So as we just discussed, let me 
say this, we share totally your commitment to affordability, to 
competition, and to access. The requirement, I don't think is 
something we can do as--because of the statute. Incentives are 
a different matter. And the way we are implementing this 
program, we are allowing for flexibility on a state-by-state 
basis. You know, it is very different in every state.
    So we are going to ask each state to provide us with a plan 
that we will have to approve that to our satisfaction provides 
for affordability. Wholesale is a way to do that. Also, we are 
crystal clear that every provider who accepts even a penny of 
Federal money must provide a low cost option.
    Senator Blumenthal. Well, let me just interrupt for a 
moment because you give away the money, you set the rules and 
the conditions for how the money is used. Yes, the law may not 
enable you to impose new requirements, new rules that are 
unbased on the statute.
    But they do permit, and in our view, the spirit of the law 
is that you require that wholesale access be one of the 
criteria for providing these grants. I am going to move on 
because maybe we can follow on other topics.
    This is complicated, and I would like to pursue this 
conversation with you, but I think you understand Senator 
Markey and my----
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. I am happy to follow up with you.
    Senator Blumenthal. Let me ask you about another proposal 
relating to big tech. Senator Klobuchar raised the Online 
Competition Protection Act that she has introduced, and I am a 
co-sponsor of it. But the Kids Online Safety Act really is the 
result of five hearings.
    The subcommittee on Consumer Protection, which I chair, 
held those hearings and we have bipartisan support for a 
measure that would give parents the tools and the means they 
need to protect their children from the toxic content given by 
black box algorithms to them.
    I can give you more about the Kids Online Safety Act. I 
believe you are familiar with it. Will you support it?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, 100 percent. I would like to 
answer this first as a mother of two teenagers. I think this is 
long overdue legislation. The goals of your legislation are 
laudable, and as a Commerce Secretary, I feel equally strongly 
about it. It is long overdue. We see the corrosive effects.
    So, yes, I will help you in any way. Also in President 
Biden's unity agenda, he is very focused on mental health and 
increasing mental health services, particularly to young 
people. Much of the reason we have that need is because we have 
not done a good enough job regulating the content online, 
particularly as it relates to our kids. So I applaud you for 
the initiative.
    Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. My time has expired, but if 
we have a second round, I would like to ask you about efforts 
by the Department of Commerce to crack down on Russia's use of 
our technology. The Commerce Department has a very important 
role in export controls.
    I know you are working hard on it. And I hope that at some 
point during your testimony this morning, you will update us on 
the very important work that your Department is doing on export 
controls to deprive Russia of the technology that it can use on 
the battlefield and internally to promote its aggression.
    The Chair. Thank you. Thank you. Is Senator Scott 
available? I have him joining us remotely. If not, Senator 
Blackburn.

              STATEMENT OF HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM TENNESSEE

    Senator Blackburn. Thank you, Madam Chairman. And Madam 
Secretary, thank you for your time today. I want to thank you--
also, you just made some kind comments and supportive comments 
of the Kids Online Safety Act that I have worked on with 
Senator Blumenthal, so we thank you for that. I have another 
tech area I want to go to. The Administration and the EU 
announced that they had reached a deal on the Transatlantic 
Data Privacy Framework--pardon me.
    And the information put out by the White House on there 
said that there were further pieces of the framework that were 
going to need to be adopted by both sides. And more information 
was going to be forthcoming. And then the EU is also moving 
forward with rules for data use by connected devices and 
services, and these rules would restrict data transfers to 
certain countries.
    So I would like to hear from you, when do you expect the 
Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework to go into effect, and 
when are we going to get the details for this? When are 
businesses going to know what those details are? And what 
guidelines and guidance is available for companies who want to 
engage in cross-border data transactions now, before the 
framework goes into place?
    Secretary Raimondo. OK. Thank you, Senator, for your 
excellent question. So I will say first, we sat at the table 
for a year in order to reach this historic agreement. And I was 
very involved in that negotiation and very excited to announce 
that we came to terms with the EU. And I know this is very 
important to Chair Cantwell.
    I mean, the truth of it is we share the same privacy values 
as the EU, and we ought to be able to have come to an 
agreement. So we came to an agreement in principle. And the 
next step is that we will codify that in an Executive Order, 
and then we will wait for an adequacy decision from the EU. And 
I--we are working furiously on that. I think it will be very 
soon before you see the Executive Order.
    And then, as you say, we will have to wait for the European 
Court to give us inadequacy decision. In terms of what 
companies can expect now, there really isn't any more 
information that we can put out now of other than to say that 
for companies, who many of whom I have heard from, especially 
small companies, they are breathing a sigh of relief to know 
that we will have a framework which will be, you know, a 
measure of certainty for all of these companies. So the next 
step is an EO, which I expect will be forthcoming very soon.
    Senator Blackburn. OK. Thank you for that. Let me move on 
to the MOBILE NOW Act and that implementation. You had 
requested in your budget $9 million for the NTIA for spectrum 
management. And MOBILE NOW has directed the NTIA to make an 
additional 255 megahertz of spectrum available for commercial 
services by 2022. So do you think you are going to be able to 
meet that mandate?
    And how are you moving forward with that plan to 
incentivize Federal agencies to relinquish or share spectrum 
with commercial entities?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you for the question, 
Senator. I will get back to you with the exact answer as to 
when we think we will be able to meet the requirement. I will 
make sure my staff follows up. With respect to your other 
question, it relates to the discussion we had earlier. We are 
in the process--what we really need is a Government wide 
strategy as it relates to spectrum use. And my own views, we 
have to be more--we in NTIA have to be more aggressive at that 
table and we have to have more creative uses of, for example, 
spectrum sharing. So instead of taking this in a piecemeal 
fashion, we are endeavoring to work with the FCC to have a 
nationwide strategy, including, you know, freeing up more 
spectrum, which propels innovation, right. Like, fundamentally, 
the reason we need to free up more spectrum is because whether 
it is, you know, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, 
quantum, it all--any wireless innovation requires more 
spectrum, and we want to be able to compete with China and 
every other global economy.
    Senator Blackburn. Well, the last time I looked, the last 
any type of audit on a national spectrum strategy, we had a 
report in 2020 and we have had nothing since. So I appreciate 
your bringing that up. I do have a supply chain question, Madam 
Chairman. I will submit that for the record. Thank you.
    The Chair. Thank you. Senator Peters, are you available? Or 
Senator Tester? If not, Senator Young, are you available? If 
not, Senator Fischer.

                STATEMENT OF HON. DEB FISCHER, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM NEBRASKA

    Senator Fischer. Thank you, Madam Chairman. And thank you 
to my colleagues for not being available.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Fischer. Thank you for being here, Madam Secretary. 
It is nice to see you. Following passage of the bipartisan 
infrastructure law, today's hearing is an important opportunity 
to talk with you about the funding that NTIA will be 
distributing for broadband deployment.
    As part of that law, I added an amendment to establish a 
broadband deployment locations map. This mapping tool will 
create more oversight so that Government funded broadband 
projects can be looked at clearly in one place. The amendment 
passed unanimously, showing lawmakers are united in their 
desire to avoid overbuilding and ensure transparency in 
broadband funding.
    But the success of this mapping tool will hinge on 
cooperation with the FCC from all Federal agencies that provide 
funding for broadband deployment. In March, Senator Cortez 
Masto joined me in writing to agencies, including NTIA, to 
check up on the progress that has been made so far.
    Though I did hear back from the FCC by the date requested, 
I still have not heard back from NTIA. Do you know the status 
of the agency's response to that letter that we sent?
    Secretary Raimondo. I do not. And I apologize that we 
didn't make the deadline, and I will look into it and get back 
to you right away. I can tell you, we are collaborating very 
closely with the FCC. In fact, Alan Davidson, who runs NTIA, 
has a weekly meeting with the chairwoman and we are 
coordinating with them.
    The maps are critical, and we are not going to let the 
money go out the door until we have the maps. And precisely--
especially in a state like yours, they are incredibly 
important. So I support the spirit of the effort fully, and I 
will get you a better answer to your question.
    Senator Fischer. Great. I appreciate that, thank you. I 
know how important it is to have that cooperation so that all 
the different players in this can uphold their responsibilities 
under the law. We want to make sure that we can maximize the 
broadband infrastructure funding so that all Americans can be 
reached by this.
    I would ask you, you testified before the Senate 
Appropriations Committee in February, and I appreciated that 
you did recognize the importance of expanding broadband 
networks to unserved areas first, as the law requires. And I 
know there have been many comments on this, but I don't think 
it can be understated.
    However, at that time, you did add that, ``this doesn't 
mean that some of the money won't go to places that already 
have coverage,'' and that competition is not a bad thing, which 
you stressed again today with competition.
    To me, that seems like two conflicting sentiments there. 
Can you clarify what you mean by this and how do you square the 
two? I am very, very concerned that the focus has to be on 
unserved areas first.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. And I agree with you, and the 
statute is clear, right. Unserved first. Unserved, underserved. 
The--I think what I was trying to say is every state is 
different. And for that reason, the way we are implementing 
this program is we are requiring every state to submit to us 
their State plan.
    Now, in a state like Rhode Island, for example, there is no 
unserved. Everyone is served, and they are automatically 
receiving $100 million. So by definition, there will be some 
money spent and everyone is already served. Now, in your State, 
obviously that will not be the case. So the priority is crystal 
clear, unserved first.
    When we are done with this, it is our goal, ambition, and 
intent that every single American on a rural land, on tribal 
land, an urban land, has high quality, high speed broadband 
that they can afford. We do promote competition because 
competition does reduce prices, which is good for the consumer. 
But I don't know how else to say it.
    I mean, we are not going to overbuild. We don't want to 
overbuild, right. But what I have learned in the past year 
especially, is you cannot overestimate the differences in every 
community. And so to account for that, we are going to work 
very closely with Governors and states.
    And I guess I can just assure you that in your state, at 
the end of this, everyone unserved will be served.
    Senator Fischer. Can you refresh my memory, will you be 
reviewing every state plan? Is it required that the Department 
has to approve every state plan? How does that work with it?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Yes, so the way it works is, we 
are hoping to get the NOFO out May 16. We are working hard 
toward that. That will go out. Every state then has to give us 
their intention to participate. Once they get--we get that 
letter, we send them a planning grant.
    And these that plan a grant to a State plan. They are not 
going to get any more money until we approve of the plan. And 
there will be an aggressive back and forth, using the maps, 
pushing on affordability, et cetera, and then we will approve 
the plan to make sure everyone is served and then the money 
will flow.
    Senator Fischer. Great. Thank you very much. Thank you, 
Madam Chair.
    The Chair. I don't know if either Peters or Tester are 
online. If not, we are going to go to Senator Scott.

                 STATEMENT OF HON. RICK SCOTT, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

    Senator Scott. Chair Cantwell, I want to thank you hosting 
this important hearing today. I have been calling on the 
Secretary of Commerce to come testify since last fall. So I 
think--I have been pretty disappointed that we haven't heard 
answers from the American--to the American people on President 
Biden's disastrous policies that have caused severely crippling 
supply chains crises and really hurt people with inflation, 
which, as you know, hurts the poorest support of families.
    So 6 months of silence, I think doesn't make sense. I don't 
understand why the Secretary of Commerce wouldn't want to come 
here and talk about this, but let's look at the numbers. The 
last time you testified was January of last year, I think it 
was 16 months ago inflation was 1.4 percent.
    Today, inflation has increased fivefold to 8.5 percent, a 
40 year high, with--it doesn't appear to be any sign of slowing 
down or any plans for the Biden Administration to fix anything, 
and I haven't seen any fixes. Every day American families are 
seeing the crisis when they go buy anything they want to buy.
    In my state, families are worried about putting food on the 
table, one. The price of food to get the food, to make sure 
they get their pharmaceuticals, and make sure companies have 
the products they need to be able to survive in their business 
at a price that they can afford to sell.
    I have heard from business leaders all across my state 
about the impacts the supply chain inflation is having on their 
business, and many businesses have had to close. So as 
Secretary of Commerce, you play a leading role in dealing with 
the supply chain and with inflation.
    As far as I can tell, I haven't seen a plan that has come 
out of the Commerce Department of how you are going to deal 
with this either supply chain crisis or the unbelievable 
inflation we are seeing now. So I think about when I was 
Governor of Florida, we had hurricanes. You were the Governor 
when you have a problem, you have to get everybody together and 
you have to solve it.
    And I just haven't seen that out of the either Commerce or 
Homeland Security--there was a report in February that there 
was a supply chain report come out of Commerce and DHS. It had 
a lot of things about spending more money. I have never seen 
that spending more money ever reduced inflation.
    So I guess here is my questions, what tangible action are 
you taking right now that is going to reduce inflation, which 
is caused by supply chain crisis? When will we start seeing a 
reduction in the inflation?
    And three, we have watched what has happened with Ukraine, 
with Russia, where Americans are saying we can't do business 
with Russia anymore. Is the Commerce Department ready to focus 
on decoupling from China when China invades Taiwan? But thank 
you for being here.
    Secretary Raimondo. Well, thank you, Senator, for your 
questions. And it is my pleasure to be here today. And, of 
course, I am always available to you any time. Look, we 
recognize that inflation is a challenge and Americans are 
seeing it every day. And that is exactly why the President, and 
our Administration is doing everything we possibly can to do 
that. This Administration clearly did not cause the inflation.
    The inflation was caused by incredible demand post-COVID, 
supply chain disruptions from COVID, and Putin's war 
exacerbating it all. And actually, if you look at Europe, they 
are seeing similar, if not higher inflation, but much slower 
economic growth. And this Administration, our job growth is 
unprecedented. So to your point, what are we doing, what am I 
doing? I am primarily focused on the chip crisis.
    You know, chips, semiconductor chips are in everything. And 
we are--I have done--I have used the Defense Production Act to 
do a survey of all data from over 150 chip companies. Our 
convenings with chip companies have led to partnerships. For 
example, GlobalFoundries has partnered with Ford and GM to 
reduce that problem.
    I have set--we have set up an early alert system so that if 
there is, say, a semiconductor packaging factory that goes down 
in Malaysia, they can let the Commerce Department know. 
Commerce set that up and runs that. We are--I stood up a supply 
chain task force which has 20 plus leaders in industry. I mean, 
supply chains are run by the private sector. So what we are 
doing is increasing transparency----
    Senator Scott. Excuse me a second. I don't have a lot of 
time.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, go ahead.
    Senator Scott. When do we--when will inflation start going 
down?
    Secretary Raimondo. Well, that would be a question for 
Chairman Powell. As you know, the Fed handles monetary policy 
and has the biggest tools around that, and he has indicated he 
is going to start to take action. So I think, you know, soon--
this year.
    Senator Scott. So Government--you know, the Government 
spending has anything to do with inflation? And permitting and 
regulatory environment has anything to do with inflation? It is 
all with the Federal Reserve does?
    Secretary Raimondo. The Federal Reserve and its monetary 
policy by far has a bigger impact on inflation. Certainly 
Government spending has an effect on that. But the Government 
spending that we are doing and that you participated in with 
the infrastructure bill, for example, is investment. It is 
productivity enhancing investment, which I don't believe 
meaningfully increases inflation.
    Senator Scott. Thank you, Chair.
    The Chair. Thank you. Senator Markey.

               STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD MARKEY, 
                U.S. SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS

    Senator Markey. Thank you, Madam Chair. Great job, Madam 
Secretary. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration's National Integrated Heat Health Information 
System provides lifesaving guidance and research to protect 
communities from extreme heat, which has recently killed more 
Americans than extreme weather events like hurricanes and 
floods. We know that extreme heat will only get worse as the 
planet continues to warm from human caused climate change.
    My Preventing Heat Illness and Deaths Act would support the 
great work already happening to address the problem. Congress 
should pass my bill and increase funding for extreme heat 
research and mitigation. Just $2 million a year in additional 
funding could protect hundreds of thousands more Americans from 
the life threatening risk of extreme heat.
    Secretary Raimondo, do you support increased funding for 
extreme heat research and prevention, which could turn up the 
temperature on our work to save lives by turning down the 
temperature in our communities?
    Secretary Raimondo. I do. I do. And I do know that this is 
a priority for NOAA, and we are working in the interagency on 
this issue.
    Senator Markey. Thank you. In his State of the Union 
address, President Biden called for a ban on targeted ads to 
kids. Apps should never be allowed to track a 10-year old's 
browsing history, bombard her with marketing based on that 
data.
    The Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which 
I have introduced, would ban targeted ads to users under the 
age of 13. Madam Secretary, the Commerce Department plays an 
important role in developing our country's technology policies. 
Do you agree that Congress should heed President Biden's call 
and pass my bill to ban targeted ads to children?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, I do. As I said, you know, we 
support fully in the Administration the goals of your bill. And 
as you said earlier, as a mother of two teenagers, I see it 
every day. It is real, it is destructive, and we have to do 
more. It is also why the President in his unity agenda is 
calling for increased funding for mental health and make sure 
that kids can access that.
    Senator Markey. Yes, but what I am becoming increasingly 
concerned about is that we are just falling further and further 
behind the European Union in terms of its response to the 
impact which the Internet, social media have on the children in 
our country. And in increasingly, we just have second rate 
protections for the children in our country.
    And it is just a further example of how the Europeans look 
at it in its totality. Yes, the Internet provides enormous 
economic opportunities on the one hand, but on the other hand, 
there is a Dickensian negative impact that it simultaneously is 
having, especially on the children in our country.
    So to the extent to which this issue just continues to sit 
there, the warning signs are just given to us by the headlines 
in newspapers every single day about the mental health 
condition of young people in our country right now. Could you 
talk a little bit about that and the interrelationship between 
social media and the mental health of the children in our 
country and why more protections are needed?
    Secretary Raimondo. Well, as you say--I am not an expert in 
this, I should clarify. But as you say, the data is clear that 
mental illness and anxiety and depression among teens is 
through the roof. I should say parenthetically, I saw this as 
Governor.
    I began a mental health effort in Rhode Island called, ``It 
Is Okay Not To Be Okay,'' to try to eliminate the stigma. And 
it is clear that social media is related to that. So as I said 
earlier, I support the goals of your bill. I welcome an 
opportunity to work with you on this, Senator, because I do 
agree with you that more needs to be done to protect our kids.
    Senator Markey. Thank you. And the NTIA got $48 billion for 
broadband. And I just think it is just such an important 
opportunity to use that funding in order to promote 
affordability, promote competition, and to ensure that the 
Internet is free and open. And I know you are doing a great job 
on this, but the faster we move it, I think is the better off 
our country is going to be.
    Secretary Raimondo. I understand. As you say, we are 
working like crazy on this. The big component, which is called 
the BEAD Program, we hope to have the notice of funding 
opportunity out May 16th. And I very much look forward to 
working with you and your Governor to get this done in your 
state.
    Senator Markey. Great. Thank you.
    The Chair. Thank you, Senator Capito.

            STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, 
                U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA

    Senator Capito. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for 
being here with us, Madam Secretary. Really appreciate it. You 
know, my great interest on the broadband deployment, we have 
talked about this several times. So just kind of quick 
questions. I heard you mention May 16th, you had testified 
before that that is going to be the day that you are going to 
be soliciting or beginning to solicit State plans. Is that 
still----
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, that is the plan. We are charging 
toward that day.
    Senator Capito. OK. You had also mention in previous 
testimony that each state is going to have a representative 
from NTIA that is going to help them move--how are you doing on 
that? Have you appointed those? Are you still sticking with 
that original plan?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, we are still sticking with that 
original plan. The way I want to run this is that every state 
has a person they can call. So if there is any issue in West 
Virginia, you know you call such and such.
    Senator Capito. Right.
    Secretary Raimondo. So we haven't yet recruited everyone. 
We are in the process. We are aggressively hiring. We are more 
than halfway there, I can tell you. And we are like onboarding 
people every day.
    Senator Capito. Well, we are anxious for that as you as you 
can imagine. We have talked too about the different conflicts 
between FCC's RDOF, USDA's Reconnect, some RC programs and then 
NTIA programs. We are running into a bit of an issue with this 
on the coordination factor.
    Can you go through an RDOF region if you are connecting two 
different, say, counties? How are you doing on that court--you 
said you were going to put together a committee to work on 
this. I mean, we are still not getting good answers here.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, I appreciate the question. I was 
in South Carolina, Friday with Whip Clyburn and I met with 
community people and the same thing came up, you know, how do 
we do this? So I think that at our level, you know, we are--the 
White House is coordinating an interagency so that Mitch 
Landrieu gets us all together on a regular basis and our teams 
together.
    But the truth of it is, I think the most impactful thing is 
that every state, when they put together their state plan, we 
are requiring them to detail in their State plan how they are 
going to use all of their Federal money.
    So, for example, in the West Virginia State plan, they are 
going to have to show us on paper how they plan to use RDOF, 
how they plan to use USDA, how they plan to use tribal. And we 
are hoping that by putting it all in one place, it will enable 
us to better coordinate.
    Senator Capito. Yes, so here is the problem. I know our 
RDOF is not your problem, but, you know, RDOF has got a 5-year 
window. So if the whole program shows out, then everybody is 
going to be deployed from that program, which we know is not 
going to happen. We know at some point the providers are going 
to send the money back. They couldn't do it or pay the fine or 
whatever.
    We are going to be 5 years down the road and realize, you 
know, we should have worked better together. I would like to 
see, I mean I would hope that you would have a carve out for 
the broadband deployment area and not have this just be a 
general coordinating committee. Because if you are trying to 
coordinate----
    Secretary Raimondo. Oh, absolutely, yes.
    Senator Capito.--transportation, water, and all this. And, 
you know, it is never going to get down to the detail it needs 
to. So I highly--this is a big issue. And, you know, we are--
luckily, well luckily and unluckily, we are eligible for a lot 
of funding because we still have a lot of unserved and 
underserved.
    But you can see if the conflicts come in, at the end of it, 
we don't want to say, wow, we are still not there yet. So 
anything we can do on that to work with you. We have a lot of 
good data. We would like to do that. Inflation of prices, what 
kind of impact is that going to have on the ability to deploy? 
What are you seeing there? Because I am hearing this 
everywhere.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. By the way, on the first thing, I 
should have clarified, these are broadband specific----
    Senator Capito. OK.
    Secretary Raimondo.--meetings that we had, just broadband. 
Second, listen, I agree with you. It is among the greatest 
challenges of this. And I think there is no one answer. It is 
constant, obsessive communication, collaboration and working 
with the team.
    So I will follow up with you. We need to increase domestic 
supply. Like the bottom--and I am working with domestic 
producers of fiber and cable. We need to increase domestic 
supply. That is the way----
    Senator Capito. To get the price down.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, exactly. Yes, sorry. Right. 
Listen, this is economics 101, because we are spending all this 
money for broadband deployment, demand is going to be higher 
for all of this equipment, and so we need to increase supply.
    And there are buy American provisions in the statute, so I 
am working very aggressively with--there is only one, Corning 
is the one producer in the U.S., and we are meeting with them 
and with the ISPs to try to use the occasion of this increased 
demand to get them to increase domestic supply, so we create 
jobs and prices don't go up.
    Senator Capito. Well, the good news for us on Corning is 
they have a great legacy in the state of West Virginia where 
they are in the glassmaking business. So we will follow up with 
them.
    Secretary Raimondo. Maybe we get more jobs out of this and 
lower price.
    Senator Capito. That would be good. I do have a question on 
EDA, but I will submit that for the record. And thank you.
    The Chair. Thank you, Senator Capito. Senator Tester.

                 STATEMENT OF HON. JON TESTER, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM MONTANA

    Senator Tester. Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I want to 
thank Secretary Raimondo for being here today. Look, the 
pandemic has shown us that Internet access is essential to 
everyday life. Internet connectivity has always been a major 
challenge in rural states like Montana.
    According to many of the surveys that are out there and the 
reports, Montana is consistently dead last or almost dead last 
out of the 50 states in terms of Internet service. Hundreds of 
thousands of Montanans still lack reliable and affordable 
access to the Internet in the year of 2022.
    As you are well aware, the bipartisan infrastructure 
package that I led was with my colleagues is bringing about $65 
billion to states to close the digital divide. This 
infrastructure package tasked NTIA with distributing the 
majority of that funding, nearly $50 billion in broadband 
grants to states so that they can finally meet Internet access 
in unserved areas like rural and frontier communities.
    We are literally at a pivotal moment in time. We need to 
get this right. I want to make sure that NTIA has the resources 
to get this funding out the door in time--in a timely and 
efficient manner, to close the digital divide, particularly in 
rural states like mine. So, Secretary Raimondo, does NTIA have 
the resources it needs to get the job done?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, I believe we do. Thank you for 
your leadership in passing the bipartisan infrastructure law. I 
don't--resources are not our challenge right now. The 
discussion I just had with Senator Capito, this is an enormous 
lift. It is a coordination lift.
    What I can use from Members of Congress is like information 
from the ground. Work with us, work with your Governor, help us 
to coordinate this on the ground so that we are effective.
    Senator Tester. So can you tell me how NTIA is ramping up? 
How is the agency staffing up, structuring its teams to 
effectively engage with what you said, each state with tailored 
assistance?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you. So we are in the 
process of hiring over 100 people. We have already onboarded 
dozens of people. We are planning to have a core team kind of 
at headquarters to do outreach, which is a huge piece of this. 
The outreach and stakeholder engagement. I think this is going 
to rise and fall based upon the quality of our stakeholder 
engagement.
    So we have a lot of people doing that. We plan to have a 
single point person for every state so that we can, you know, 
have that coordination. We are also adding technical expertise. 
If we are going to go toe to toe with providers and protect 
taxpayers, we need the best and the brightest who know telecom 
and broadband.
    So we are hiring technical expertise. We are hiring 
lawyers. And like you said, when it is all said and done, we 
are going to have to take on well over 100 people to get this 
done.
    Senator Tester. OK. So each state will have a point person. 
Will they be located in that state or somewhere else? Not that 
that is important if they have good broadband service there.
    Secretary Raimondo. Most of them will not be in D.C.. They 
will either be in your state or in that region.
    Senator Tester. OK. And when do you anticipate they will be 
available for the states to contact?
    Secretary Raimondo. I will get back to you on when your 
regions person will be there. But we are--these people are 
coming on a rolling basis. And right now, we are all hands on 
deck to get the NOFO out on May 16. And then over the summer, 
we are going to start to increase, you know, the pace that we 
onboard these people.
    Senator Tester. OK. So what about Indian Country? How are 
you--you are going to depend upon the state to do the outreach 
there, or are you guys going to have a special person for the 
Native Americans?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you for asking that 
question. We are going to--we have a whole team for tribal 
outreach. We did a consultation in January. And I should say 
this is very important. We have a whole team to do technical 
assistance for the tribes, and we have learned that they are 
going to require a great deal of technical assistance.
    So, for example, in the first tribal monies that we put 
out, 73 percent of the submissions required our technical 
assistance to do some kind of curing. So we are not saying no 
to the tribes if their applications aren't up to snuff. We are 
working with them with technical assistance to improve the 
quality of their application so that we can get the money out 
the door.
    Granted, it takes a little longer. But we have stood up a 
team, here and regionally, just to work with the tribes so we 
can provide them the assistance they need, especially the ones 
that are smaller and don't have the resources. We are deadly 
serious about making sure that everyone who lives on our tribal 
land has access to broadband at the end of our work.
    Senator Tester. I appreciate that. The consultation was 
done via Zoom, I would assume.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Tester. And what kind of participation did you 
have? Do you know offhand?
    Secretary Raimondo. I got to--I will get back to you. I 
don't know the exact number. I know it was--we were overwhelmed 
with the response. I participated.
    We had a huge response. I should say, all of our 
consultations, our stakeholder outreach, we are routinely--in 
one of them we had over 1,000 people participate. In one of 
them, 700 people. I will get you the exact number on the 
tribal, but I know it was robust.
    Senator Tester. That is really not important. What is 
important is that you did have a broad representation of a 
large land based tribes----
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, yes. That I can assure you, yes.
    Senator Tester. OK, good. Just the last thing is the 
timeline for you sending money out the door, have you set any 
timelines for that?
    Secretary Raimondo. Well, like I said, we want to--the NOFO 
will be on the street May 16. Every state then has to give us a 
letter of intent, their intention to participate. We will very 
quickly, within 30 days, get them planning money out the door. 
And then, honestly, it depends on the FCC maps and how quickly 
we have them before we can get the rest of the money out the 
door.
    Senator Tester. Thank you. I really appreciate your work. I 
appreciate your commonsense attitude and work ethic. And I know 
that you are going to be also making sure that there is 
adequate oversight on these monies to make sure that we are 
getting the bang for the buck. Thank you, Madam Chair. And 
thank you, Secretary Raimondo.
    The Chair. Thank you. On--I don't know if Senator Young is 
available. I know Senator Lee was here. I don't know if he is 
available remotely. If not, we will go to Senator Rosen.

                STATEMENT OF HON. JACKY ROSEN, 
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM NEVADA

    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Chair Cantwell. Ranking Member 
Wicker is not here, but I thank him as well. Secretary 
Raimondo, thank you for being here today. I am so glad you have 
been traveling, as I hear you saying that setting up, talking 
to folks about increasing our domestic supply chain and working 
on manufacturing and all these roundtables.
    And I hope you plan to come to Nevada, because if you would 
come to Nevada and listen to what we are concerned about, this 
is what we would tell you, that the solar industry is 
incredibly important to my home state of Nevada, where we have 
the most solar jobs per capita in the entire country.
    I am extremely disappointed with the Administration's 
extension of Section 201 tariffs on imported solar products. 
And I also have very serious concerns with the Commerce 
Department's recent decision to initiate an investigation into 
solar panel imports. Already as a result of Commerce's 
decision, industry surveys indicate over 80 percent of U.S. 
solar companies report being notified of canceled or delayed 
panels supply.
    Without a reliable and cost effective source of panels--and 
I can tell you this is hitting New Mexico here, I have Senator 
Lujan next to me. Without a reliable source, existing and 
proposed solar projects could come to a halt. This will 
jeopardize tens of thousands of good paying American solar 
jobs, could raise energy prices for consumers, and also 
undermines the Administration's clean energy climate goals.
    So, Secretary Raimondo, I understand your Department has 
until August 29 to make a preliminary determination on this 
inquiry. However, the investigation is already negatively 
impacting U.S. solar companies, and the longer the situation 
persists, the more severe the damage will be. Can you--will you 
consider making an expedited preliminary determination in this 
matter?
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you for your question, Senator. 
You and I have talked about this. I share your concern.
    Senator Rosen. We haven't talked about this.
    Secretary Raimondo. Well, the issue generally, sorry. The 
issue generally, and you have expressed your concern to me 
about how important these solar jobs are. And, of course, the 
Administration is fully supportive of enhancing the solar 
industry and doing whatever we can to meet----
    Senator Rosen. I have limited time.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, go ahead.
    Senator Rosen. Can you commit to making a preliminary--an 
expedited, preliminary determination?
    Secretary Raimondo. Here is what I will commit to. We are 
required by statute--my hands are very tied here. I am required 
by statute to investigate a claim that companies operating in 
other countries are trying to circumvent the duties, and I am 
required by statute to have a fulsome investigation. What I 
will commit to is moving as fast as possible, consistent with 
the statute, to conduct that investigation. I understand you 
need certainty, but I have to follow the statute.
    Senator Rosen. That is fine. OK, let me ask you the next 
question then. Because there are constructive policy options to 
spur our domestic solar manufacturing industry, other than 
imposing additional tariffs on U.S. companies.
    So can you tell me what steps the Commerce Department is 
taking to support--you are talking about increasing American 
manufacturing, helping our supply chain, creating jobs? If we 
lose these jobs, they won't come back. So what are you planning 
to help us do for domestic solar manufacturing in the next 
fiscal year?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, a couple of things. One, the 
budget calls for increased funding to NIST, and some of that 
money will be used for exactly this, research on solar capture, 
solar storing, solar----
    Senator Rosen. None for manufacturing----
    Secretary Raimondo.--technology. And then also it calls for 
increased funding for MEPs and there will be a specific focus 
on clean energy, clean technology, and helping small clean tech 
companies in the MEP program, and also increases in supply 
chain. And we will have a great focus on the solar supply chain 
if we are going to be successful in receiving the extra supply 
chain money.
    Senator Rosen. Well, these tariffs are hurting the supply 
chain. It is hurting the solar industry. I am afraid it's not 
going to come back. But let me move quickly about travel and 
tourism. I am going to submit this for the record, but we have 
our omnibus Travel and Tourism Act with ranking member Scott.
    And I just thought if you had a few moments, you might talk 
about the importance of a coordinated whole of Government 
approach to improving our global competitiveness for tourism 
domestically. Our omnibus would create an undersecretary in 
Department of Commerce to oversee domestic tourism, help us 
through the pandemic, and have a domestic strategy.
    Secretary Raimondo. Which I would support. And we are 
trying like--even within Commerce, I have tried to increase, or 
have increased coordination between EDA and ITA. We do need 
what you say, which is full coordination. As I said earlier, we 
are still a million and a half jobs in travel and tourism below 
where we were pre-pandemic. We have not fully recovered. You 
see that in your state. So, yes, I would fully support that.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate it. My time is up, 
Madam Chair.
    The Chair. Thank you. I have called, but I am not going to 
keep calling out other people unless I see them on the screen. 
So Senator Cruz will be next. Followed by Senator Lujan.

                  STATEMENT OF HON. TED CRUZ, 
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM TEXAS

    Senator Cruz. Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Secretary, 
welcome.
    Secretary Raimondo. Morning.
    Senator Cruz. For a long time, I have been very concerned 
about the Biden Administration's foreign policy. Foreign policy 
that consistently alienates our friends and shows weakness and 
appeasement to our enemies. Now the Commerce Department, 
typically your mandate does not focus primarily on foreign 
policy.
    But I will say recently that has been less the case. If you 
look at China, and your confirmation hearing focused quite a 
bit on your willingness to stand up to communist China, and on 
the repeated decisions from the Biden Administration is to show 
weakness to communist China.
    The eyes of the world are on Taiwan. Under this 
Administration, Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine. He has done 
so in significant part because of, I believe, this 
Administration's weakness on foreign policy. And Xi in China is 
watching very carefully, and quite openly contemplating 
invading Taiwan. So I was deeply concerned when the Commerce 
Department put out a press release that referred to Taipei as 
Chinese Taipei.
    Now that is not a mild oversight. That is not a typo. That 
is not a mistake. Chinese Taipei is a term of propaganda pushed 
aggressively by the Chinese Communist Party, because they 
insist Taiwan is not a country. Taiwan is not a separate 
entity. It is instead part of communist China.
    And for the Commerce Department to embrace the Chinese 
communist government's language about Taiwan, to put it in a 
formal press release, it both undermines our ally, Taiwan, and 
it emboldens communist China. So my question is, why would the 
Commerce Department refer to Taipei as Chinese Taipei?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you, Senator, for your 
question. And by the way, the Administration, including I are 
clear eyed about the threats to China--threats that China poses 
to us. And I have been very strong in my tenure as it relates 
to China. They--Taiwan signed the declaration. Their signatory 
line was as Chinese Taipei. So this reflects no change in 
policy. It is how they chose to sign the declaration, and that 
is why it appeared that way in the press release.
    Senator Cruz. All right. Let's turn to a different example. 
It is not just Taiwan that this Administration undermines. It 
is our allies across the globe. When you turn to Israel, on 
April 16, 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris held a Passover 
Seder at the Vice President's residence. They served kosher 
wine from the Zagat Winery, located in Samaria, near Jerusalem. 
This was apparently a huge scandal among the Biden 
Administration's radical leftist base. Which loudly and 
immediately complained.
    So the Administration ran to Twitter, and a senior adviser 
to the Vice President posted this: ``The wine served at the 
Seder was in no way intended to be an expression of policy.'' 
Now that is a pretty big deal. The issue of labeling Israeli 
goods and what goods are made in areas of Israel goes back 
decades. It goes to the core of Israel's sovereignty over its 
territories. The Obama Administration reissued a labeling order 
to prevent goods made in Judea and Samaria from being labeled 
as Israeli.
    So my question is simple, the Vice President staff said 
serving wine from an Israeli winery located in Samaria was in 
no way intended to be an expression of policy. Jurisdiction for 
this is within the Commerce Department.
    What is the Administration's policy with regards to the 
labeling and the import of goods from Israel and its 
territories?
    Secretary Raimondo. I am going to have to get back to you 
on that. And this is--I was not aware of this, but I will 
follow up with you.
    Senator Cruz. And I will point out that in the Commerce 
Department, the Office of Anti-Boycott Compliance answers to 
you. Does this winery in Samaria count for you as an Israeli 
company and would participation in a State boycott targeting 
requires scrutiny from the Office of Anti-Boycott Compliance?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Like I said, let me look into this 
and I will be back to you with the details.
    Senator Cruz. Well, I look forward to your answer. Thank 
you.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.
    The Chair. Senator Peters.

                STATEMENT OF HON. GARY PETERS, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM MICHIGAN

    Senator Peters. Thank you, Madam Chair. And Secretary 
Raimondo, good to see you once again. Thank you for being here 
today. Secretary Raimondo, I want to start talking about the 
CHIPS Act, which we have before us right now. And I believe it 
is essential that we fund the CHIPS Act so we can grow good 
paying jobs here in America, designed or involved in designing 
and making semiconductor chips but funding the CHIPS Act isn't 
just about creating jobs in the semiconductor industry.
    It is about supporting all the jobs that depend on those 
semiconductor chips. And in a modern economy, chips play a 
vital role, certainly in many, many different areas, but there 
is no better example in my mind than the auto industry.
    In the 1970s, some cars just had a handful of chips. But 
now, a few decades later, the modern cars can contain up to 
10,000 semiconductor chips in every car that handles everything 
from safety features to telematics to entertainment systems. 
And certainly that explains why the recent chip shortage has 
hurt auto production, as I know you are very well aware, along 
with many workers and families whose livelihoods are impacted 
by it.
    It is bad for the whole economy and the ripple effects on 
the auto industry go through the whole economy. And that is why 
I think when we think about policies to support domestic 
semiconductor production, we must also ensure that we are 
addressing the needs of our economy and National Security.
    Senator Stabenow and I led legislation, which is passed the 
Senate and the House, to dedicate $2 billion in CHIPS Act 
incentives to boost domestic production of semiconductor chips 
required for auto productions, referred to as mature chips, the 
kinds of chips that are necessary for other manufacturers, not 
just the auto industry, but things like washing machines and 
everyday appliances.
    So my question for you, Madam Secretary, is do you support 
a proposal to dedicate $2 billion in the CHIPS Act incentives 
to growing in a domestic production of mature semiconductor 
technologies in the United States?
    And if Congress does indeed fund the CHIPS Act, which I 
hope we will do soon, will you commit to ensuring that the 
Department implements these funds in consultation with 
industries and workers, particularly in industries like the 
auto industry? If you could talk about that, I would appreciate 
it.
    Secretary Raimondo. Nice to see you, Senator. Yes, the 
answer is yes and yes. I would say it isn't just the auto 
industry. The medical device industry, for example, is a huge 
consumer of these ``legacy chips,'' mature feature rich chips. 
And in the recent RFI that we did, we found that this is where 
the shortage is. So, yes, we would support it. And yes, we 
absolutely will implement it in coordination with industry and 
with you.
    Senator Peters. Well, I appreciate that. Thank you, Madam 
Secretary. But one area that I have been particularly focused 
on is making sure that our supply chains are resilient so that 
we can expand domestic production of these chips. And in 
December, I introduced the Investing in Domestic Semiconductor 
Manufacturing Act, along with several of my colleagues, 
including many on this committee.
    The bill would clarify provisions of the CHIPS Act to 
ensure that upstream suppliers are eligible for incentives to 
grow. These are suppliers that make chip manufacturing possible 
by providing the necessary materials and the manufacturing 
equipment necessary to produce these chips.
    Indeed, I believe your Department's analysis of 
semiconductor supply chains discussed the important role of 
these upstream suppliers and the role that they play in 
supporting our national goals. For all these reasons, the House 
included the language in the competitiveness package in the 
COMPETES Act.
    And now as we go to Conference, and I have been appointed 
as one of the conferees for negotiations, we are going to be 
fighting to make sure that that proposal gets put into the 
final product.
    So my question to you, Madam Secretary, is do you agree 
that domestic semiconductor production will be at risk if we 
fail to adequately support upstream suppliers that actually 
facilitate chip manufacturing?
    Secretary Raimondo. Absolutely. There is no doubt of that. 
I would be remiss if I didn't say and implore you and your 
colleagues to act with urgency through that Conference process. 
As we discussed earlier, there is a very real risk of waiting 
here, which is that these chip companies are going to be 
expanding and they will expand in other countries if we don't 
move quickly. So I am at your service to do whatever I can to 
move that Conference quickly.
    Senator Peters. Well, I appreciate that. And I think you 
agree with the general proposal that we have that would ensure 
that upstream suppliers are actually eligible for some of those 
CHIPS Act incentives?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes.
    Senator Peters. As we put that out, it is not just the 
manufacturers themselves. It is that entire supply chain.
    Secretary Raimondo. The whole supply chain.
    Senator Peters. Great. Well, I appreciate that. Thank you 
for your leadership on this issue as well. Appreciated you 
coming out to Detroit not too long ago to dig deeper into the 
issue of the auto industry. I know it is something you are 
passionate about, and I appreciate your interest in Michigan as 
well, so thank you for being here.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you, Senator.
    The Chair. Senator Lujan.

               STATEMENT OF HON. BEN RAY LUJAN, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO

    Senator Lujan. Thank you, Chair Cantwell. Secretary 
Raimondo, good to see you today. As you mentioned in your 
opening statement, I want to thank you, you recognized the 
importance of the Minority Business Development Agency, 
something that was very important to our Chair, to the Ranking 
Member, passed bipartisanly through the House and through the 
Senate.
    And it is great that for the first time in 50 years, we 
finally have what is now, I hope that will forever be, a 
permanent minority business development agency. And earlier 
this month, we were very pleased that leadership from the 
Department of Commerce was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to open 
up our business development center.
    And so the question that I have is, in this particular 
space, Secretary, yes or no, do you currently have the funding 
to launch the Rural Business Center Program?
    Secretary Raimondo. So first let say, great to see you 
back, healthy, and in person. No, if you want the short answer. 
The money that we are requesting, the $110 million, would be 
enough to launch the rural business centers, which will be done 
in partnership with minority serving institutions.
    But currently, Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations only gave us 
half of that and directed us to use the money to expand our 
existing business centers. So we are going to be with that 
money adding six new business centers. But we don't now have 
the money to do rural, which is why we are asking for it in 
this appropriation.
    And the good news, I will tell you, is if we are successful 
in getting the money we are asking for in this appropriation 
bill, we have already been doing all of the outreach with the 
minority serving institutions, so we would be ready to hit the 
ground running to set up the rural centers.
    Senator Lujan. I appreciate that. And I will do everything 
I can with my colleagues on the Appropriations committee and 
the staff over there to make sure this gets the attention that 
it deserves. My follow up there is, in the absence of 
additional resources for the program, what are you doing to 
support the minority owned rural businesses now?
    Secretary Raimondo. Well, currently we do serve them to the 
best of our abilities with our existing business centers. And, 
you know, I think we do a good job of that. But as you know 
yourself, you need to be present in place in order to really do 
this work. So we are increasing our efforts to rural America, 
by the way, MEDA and EDA.
    We are working very hard with EDA. But the truth of it is 
we need the money to set up proper rural business centers with 
minority serving institutions so we can be in the community and 
meet the needs of the population.
    Senator Lujan. Appreciate that. Well, I will work with my 
colleagues, again, bipartisanly here. And this is an area of 
great interest to many of us, so we will be looking. I hope 
that once we secure that funding, that we are ready to roll and 
that we are able to take some of that investment and get ready 
for that as well.
    Madam Secretary, one area that I talked to you quite a bit 
is just with connectivity and following sort with many of my 
colleagues that have asked questions today, will the funding 
connect every family in New Mexico to affordable, reliable, 
high speed broadband that is currently in the bipartisan 
infrastructure bill, in addition to some of the benefits from 
funding that was received in 2020 to NTIA?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, that is certainly the plan. The 
President has been crystal clear with me that anything less 
than that will be unsatisfactory. We want to get to everyone, 
and importantly, make sure that it is affordable.
    And I am very serious about that because, again, I come 
from a state where everyone has access to broadband, but if it 
is $70, $80, $90 a month, it is not--you might as well not have 
it, can't afford it. So yes is the answer. We are going to work 
in the community to make sure there is ubiquity and 
affordability.
    Senator Lujan. Well, I very much appreciate that this is 
the plan. The word that I have been given is that if there is 
not enough funding here, that money will be found to connect 
our state. And I will be working with everyone to ensure that 
we are able to hit that goal. I very much support the plan, but 
I want to see it done across the country and especially in hard 
to connect states.
    In another area, the programs that we have been able to 
work forward or move forward included funding for 91 full time 
jobs to support the broadband program, which Senator Tester 
talked about. How many of those will be on the ground in our 
states to ensure the program works in communities it is 
intended to serve?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. The majority will not be in D.C. 
So I don't know exactly the number out of 91, but the intention 
is that they not be in D.C., that they be around the country in 
communities.
    Senator Lujan. Great. I would like to follow up on that and 
get some specifics, because what is floating around is that 
none of them will be in the State. And so I think it is 
important to correct that record, so I look forward to helping 
you do that as well. So thank you for that clarification.
    Secretary Raimondo. I can say on the record now, the 
majority will not be in D.C., but we will get back to you with 
the details.
    Senator Lujan. I appreciate that. And I don't want to pick 
on any of my colleagues but relying solely on states might work 
in some of the larger ones where they have some of that 
expertise, and even though it is still considered a hard to 
connect state, places like California. And, you know, I often 
compare New Mexico to Rhode Island, reminding everyone that out 
there the highest hill is 800 feet. That is my backyard.
    And in areas that we have big mountains and topography 
challenges where 30 percent of the land is Federal land, it is 
important to me that we all work with all the partners there. 
So I have several other questions. I will submit them into the 
record. But it is always an honor to see you and your team, and 
very much appreciate working with you. Thank you, Chair 
Cantwell.
    The Chair. Thank you. Senator Sinema.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.

               STATEMENT OF HON. KYRSTEN SINEMA, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA

    Senator Sinema. Well, thank you, Chair Cantwell. And thank 
you to Secretary Raimondo for joining us today. You know, the 
Department of Commerce has a crucial role to help Arizonans 
address the supply chain crisis, support business growth, and 
create good paying jobs.
    The Department has a wide range of tools to assist with 
many important Arizona priorities, such as addressing the 
historic drought in the Southwest, increasing domestic 
manufacturing of semiconductors, and expanding broadband to all 
corners of our state.
    I look forward to working with you, Secretary, and with my 
colleagues on this committee to continue to advance these 
efforts in a bipartisan manner to help Arizona families. My 
first question is about fire season.
    As you know, fire season has already begun in Arizona as 
the Southwest experiences the most severe drought in 1,200 
years. The tunnel fire North of Flagstaff has burned over 
20,000 acres and the state of emergency has been declared in 
Coconino County. The Crooks fire has burned over 6,000 acres 
south of Prescott.
    My thoughts are with my fellow Arizonans affected by these 
disasters, and with our first responders, our wildland 
firefighters, and their families as they work to contain these 
wildfires. Arizonans rely on National Weather Service 
predictions and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
data to predict fire trajectory and determine impacts to 
landscapes and human health.
    It is important that NOAA and the Weather Service have the 
resources and expertise needed to predict weather and drought 
conditions. So, Secretary, the bipartisan infrastructure law 
included $80 million for NOAA high performance computing 
technology and $50 million for wildfire prediction, detection, 
and forecasting.
    How will these resources allow NOAA to improve drought and 
wildfire prediction forecasting?
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you, Senator, for your question. 
And I will say parenthetically, a number of Commerce employees 
who were in Colorado were put out of their homes due to 
wildfires. So we have had real time recent experience with 
this.
    The President's budget, the 2023 budget includes increases, 
as you say, to help communities manage the impacts of drought. 
We will be investing the money in better data and forecasting 
models for wildfires. We are also expanding the work we do in 
communities. We are putting a greater effort into helping 
communities prepare their mitigation plans for wildfire.
    And primarily, we are making big investments in the way we 
collect data and do forecasting for droughts so they can be 
more sophisticated. And of course, there is the link between, 
you know, droughts and wildfires.
    The last thing I will say is, in the budget, we are 
requesting additional funds to broaden tribal engagement on 
this issue of precipitation prediction to make sure that they 
are fully engaged in the work we are doing around droughts and 
wildfire prevention.
    Senator Sinema. Thank you. As the Southwest continues to 
face historic drought, we must use every available tool to 
assess the length and severity of drought conditions. The 
National Integrated Drought Information System has been helpful 
to me when determining policy responses for drought stricken 
areas, but I believe we can always improve.
    How is the Department working to coordinate drought 
response with other agencies, particularly with the Department 
of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, and USDA? And how can you 
make this interagency process more effective so drought 
mitigation policies can be targeted for maximum impact of 
Federal dollars?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, thank you. So I will tell you, 
since I have been at this job for over a year, I am constantly 
trying to find ways to make the interagency more effective and 
efficient. And I would be--and I would welcome following up 
with you on that. We have--we are very focused on this.
    And again, in our Commerce family, like a dozen people were 
rendered homeless because of wildfires, which has given us a 
new sense of urgency. So NOAA is responsible for the data and 
the prediction analytics. And as I say, we are working with 
communities.
    We are working, I think, hand-in-glove with Interior, with 
USDA, trying to maximize the impact. But again, I would welcome 
any ideas that you have on how we could do an increasingly 
better job.
    Senator Sinema. Thank you, Secretary. You know, Arizona is 
a national leader in semiconductor manufacturing and in 
research, development, and innovation, including at our State 
universities. The semiconductor industry currently employs over 
20,000 Arizonans.
    I was proud to be original co-sponsor of the Chips for 
America Act to restore America's leadership in semiconductor 
manufacturing, which is crucial for both our economic and 
National Security. In response to the CHIPS Act, we have seen 
both Intel and TSMC announce significant investments in Arizona 
manufacturing.
    Now, the Senate passed its competition bill last May, and I 
look forward to Congress finishing its job and getting this 
competition bill to the President's desk, with all the funding 
for chips grant included.
    But all the stakeholders in Arizona, from our manufacturers 
and suppliers to our research universities, our local 
Government leaders are eager for this funding to flow. In 
anticipation of our competition bill becoming law, what is the 
Department doing right now to prepare? And how long until all 
this money will get out the door after passage?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. Thank you, Senator, and thank you 
for your leadership on that. As you say, Arizona has a lot at 
stake here. I want to be crystal clear about this, we cannot do 
anything unless and until Congress passes the law, gets it to 
the President's desk. So we have to put our shoulder to the 
grindstone in this conference.
    We cannot wait. We cannot delay. Other countries aren't 
waiting, and we have to get this to the President's desk. For 
our part, we are already hard at work. We are doing a huge 
amount of stakeholder engagement. We have just recently issued 
a request for information from industry to try to learn where 
the shortage is, how can we work with them. We have created an 
internal organizational chart to know, you know, where this 
will live, who we need to hire. We will be able to hit the 
ground running.
    Nothing is going to happen until Congress does its job and 
passes the bipartisan legislation. So I will do anything I can 
to help with that.
    Senator Sinema. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
    The Chair. Thank you. Senator Young.

                 STATEMENT OF HON. TODD YOUNG, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM INDIANA

    Senator Young. Good to see you, Secretary Raimondo.
    Secretary Raimondo. Hello.
    Senator Young. Thanks so much for your leadership. American 
leadership in science and technology, especially the emerging 
technologies that will dominate the 21st century, is vital to 
both the future of the American economy and to our 
competitiveness with China. I want to thank you for your 
significant efforts thus far to ensure that USICA advances 
through the process.
    It is now, as you say, it is Congress's job to do our work 
and get this legislation in a bipartisan fashion on the 
President's desk. One of my top priorities in USICA is the 
regional technology hubs. Can you discuss the importance of the 
regional tech hubs and the impact they will have on non-
coastal, nontraditional areas of the country?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, thank you. And thank you for your 
leadership and your spirit of cooperation on this. We talk all 
the time about chips, but the tech hubs are every bit as 
important, and they are designed to create, you know, 
ecosystems of innovation in communities around the country that 
have been, you know, overlooked. And, for example, in the 
Midwest, there are fantastic research universities.
    I think Purdue just launched a whole new program for 
semiconductor master's programs. So what we want to do is in 
regions around the country, bring together research 
institutions with entrepreneurs, with companies to take the 
great ideas coming out of the research institutions and 
translate them into products that we can make.
    I will say this, we need more fabs in America, no question 
about it. We need more semiconductor manufacturing capacity. 
That isn't nearly enough. That isn't nearly enough. We need to 
start increasing our innovation in all emerging technologies, 
in semiconductors, in design, in packaging, in energy 
efficiency, and all of that starts at the ground level.
    And it isn't all going to happen in Silicon Valley, Boston, 
and Austin, Texas. So this is about, you know, getting 
throughout America, tapping into that research, and creating a 
workforce in deep wells of, you know, like I said, ecosystems 
of talent and entrepreneurship and innovation and, you know, 
activity.
    Senator Young. You know, that is how I see it, Secretary. 
Building on existing assets, existing bases of talent, whether 
it is in the universities or outside the walls of the 
university. We have incredible talent across this country, it 
just needs to be harnessed, as we have harnessed talent with 
the assistance of Government as customer or Government as 
investor in past generations in places like Silicon Valley or 
the Research Triangle of North Carolina or in Boston.
    So places like Indiana, and there are many out there that 
would benefit from these sorts of investments. Another value 
proposition I consistently hear about as we discuss the tech 
hubs is from venture capitalists. It is a frequent lamentation 
of those who start startup businesses in the state of Indiana 
that you have to go to a place like Silicon Valley to get your 
business model funded.
    And the venture capitalists are saying, well, if you make 
these sorts of investments, we are going to be making a lot 
more visits too, spending more time focusing on geographies 
like the state of Indiana.
    So this is also a major source of interest to all of them. 
Do you have any thoughts, based on your professional background 
before you were involved in Government, on that topic?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, I think what you say is exactly 
right. So right now, about 90 percent of all venture capital 
money flows into six or seven cities and towns in America, 90 
percent. And you know what they are, as you say, Silicon 
Valley, Boston, New York, et cetera. I promise you, not 90 
percent of all entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial talent or 
innovation is in those six places. But venture capitalists want 
to see a critical mass before they start traveling there to 
invest.
    And that is what these tech hubs will do, create some 
critical mass. There is also what we refer to in the business 
as the valley of death, which is you get a little startup 
money, but then it is hard to raise money here to get to scale. 
This is sort of the valley of death. Tech hubs will help to get 
companies through that valley of death so they can access 
deeper pools of capital.
    Senator Young. That is the tech maturation monies that will 
go to designated hubs, right?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, exactly.
    Senator Young. Well, I see my time is coming to an end, but 
sometimes people try and figure out how to characterize this 
legislation. Is it innovation legislation? Is it a China 
competitiveness bill? You know, there is a happy coincidence 
between the two.
    And if we can harness the talent, the energies, the 
entrepreneurial spirit, the broad, deep capital markets of the 
United States of America become more innovative, there is no 
doubt in my mind that we are going to win the 21st century for 
American values. So they are really one--they are two sides of 
the same coin.
    And so thank you for speaking to that important feature of 
USICA. We will do our work and hopefully get it done here in 
coming months. Thank you, Chairman.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you.
    The Chair. And thank you, Senator Young, for the 
legislation and your participation in it. And I would just say 
that Senator Young and I had a chance to jointly recently speak 
at a symposium here by Notre Dame. And I think the thing that 
we keep forgetting in this issue is that we do have distributed 
generation already in our institutions.
    And so this is so much about taking what is there and 
dusting off our R&D capabilities and making it faster and more 
invested, you know, through the hubs and through the tech 
center. So I do think, you know, when we think about the 
response that we are now seeing from China and others, all of a 
sudden they are going to like--they are going to try to 
accelerate their innovation.
    Never underestimate what we already have invested in our 
university systems and how they are going to help us. And that 
is, you know, part of the network that we don't spend enough 
time talking about.
    But if we get to Conference, we are going to spend a lot of 
time talking about it, that and EPSCoR and everything else and 
how we--but this distributed network that is represented by 
these institutions really is a very, very powerful American 
tool, so.
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes. I couldn't agree more.
    The Chair. OK. Senator Warnock.

              STATEMENT OF HON. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM GEORGIA

    Senator Warnock. Thank you so very much, Madam Chair. And 
great to see you again, Secretary Raimondo. Everywhere I go in 
Georgia, I am hearing from families who are struggling because 
of shortages and breakdowns in our supply chains. I recently 
visited Newnan, Georgia, a town that is suffering a year later 
from the devastation of a tornado. Families there have been 
struggling to rebuild their lives.
    And as they try to get their lives going again, one of the 
biggest problems that they have is windows. Folks simply can't 
get windows delivered quickly enough so that they can get back 
in their homes--a year after the tornado. This year, the 
Department of Commerce has requested over $15 million to 
analyze global supply chains.
    And I think it is important to collect this data, but we 
are now years into this crisis, and Georgia families need 
more--need more than data, obviously. They need help. Secretary 
Raimondo, what is the value of having this new information and 
how will it inform your specific actions to address supply 
chain issues?
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you, Senator. And, you know, 
those are heartbreaking stories. And we hear them all over the 
country. I don't think anyone predicted how much havoc COVID 
could wreak on our supply chains.
    And if we have learned one thing these past couple of 
years, is that the Federal Government is woefully under-
researched and under focused on supply chains and shoring up 
our resiliency.
    So what we are doing, and I will follow up with you 
specifically on the windows to see what we can do, because my--
by the way, what I have learned is, you have to go deep into 
each sector, and so I will follow up to help you with that.
    Senator Warnock. That will be great.
    Secretary Raimondo. But in any event, you know, what we 
need to do is have a continuous, constant monitoring and 
mapping of these supply chains. We need to provide financing. 
You know, we have lost 25 percent of our small and medium size 
manufacturers in the past 25 years.
    Our small and medium sized manufacturing industrial base 
has been decimated. Germany, Japan, other countries, they 
invest. They make small loans available to small manufacturers 
so they can provide these goods to our people. So that is what 
the Department of Commerce ought to be doing and that is why we 
are requesting this money.
    Not so that we can just fight the fires associated with 
supply chain disruptions from Russia or COVID, but so that like 
we can prevent these disasters in the future.
    Senator Warnock. Right. And if Congress appropriates this 
funding, what supply chain improvements will Georgia families 
see when they are at the grocery store or the hardware store or 
buying school supplies? When will they actually start seeing 
these changes?
    Secretary Raimondo. Look, I hope that people are starting 
to feel it a little bit every week, every month, every year. We 
are working--as I said earlier, I currently have 40 workstreams 
going on supply chains. This stuff I wish I could flip a 
switch, you can't. But we are--you know, congestion at the 
ports is down. Better pricing in lumber. We are seeing it. We 
are just going to have to stay at it with the vigilance and 
sense of urgency every day, product by product.
    Senator Warnock. And beyond the budget process, we also 
have an opportunity to strengthen supply chains through the 
bipartisan competition bill. I look forward to that work 
happening here in the Senate. I am a proud member of the 
Conference committee representing the concerns of Georgians.
    I am glad that we agree that one of the top priorities 
should be to shore up the semiconductor supply chain through 
funding incentives to bring chips manufacturing to the United 
States. It has been almost a year since we considered this 
funding in this committee. Will you be ready to distribute the 
funding as soon as it is available?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, absolutely. I mean, obviously, we 
have to go through the process and the statutory requirements, 
but we are already laying the groundwork. I would suggest, 
Senator, that the single most important thing you or any 
Senator can do to ease the inflationary pressures and supply 
chain problems in your state is to quickly pass USICA, or the 
bipartisan innovation law.
    That calls for work on chips, which are in every piece of 
electronics. It calls for an establishment of a supply chain 
office. We will never be able to fundamentally solve these 
problems for your constituents until that law is passed and the 
Federal Government is implementing it.
    Senator Warnock. I certainly agree there that we need to 
get this law passed as soon as possible so we can provide real 
relief to the supply chain crisis that impacts ordinary folks, 
and I look forward to fighting to make that happen as soon as 
possible. Thank you so much.
    Secretary Raimondo. Thank you. Nice to see you.
    The Chair. Well, I think I would add, Senator Warnock, as 
the issue of another supply chain problem was looming large, 
that is the SKLG issue on battery technology, I don't think I 
heard more from a concerned member than Senator Warnock, who 
provided great leadership in bringing people's attention to it, 
and Secretary Raimondo digging in at the Executive Branch to 
solve the problems.
    So, I want to say I appreciate both of you for being on the 
ball on that particular problem. And I think it is just an 
example. It really was like one of the first big supply chain 
crises that we had and literally would have meant the loss of 
thousands of jobs in Georgia if we didn't solve that problem.
    So, very much want to thank you, Secretary Raimondo, for 
your leadership on that. And again, thank Senator Warnock----
    Senator Warnock. Thank you.
    The Chair. Because of his persistence because he was very 
persistent on this issue. Well, I think that is the first 
round, unless there is a member that I am not seeing online or 
are swiftly on their way. I would just like to ask a second 
round follow-up question on the Office of Space Commerce. Is 
there an update on that? Is there something you can tell us? I 
know my colleague, Senator Wicker, has left, but is there 
something you can tell us about that particular post and 
position?
    Secretary Raimondo. Yes, I appreciate that. So I know this 
is a priority of yours and the Ranking Member. I am very 
pleased to say that we are going to be announcing a new 
Director, Richard Del Bello. He has 25 plus years of space 
experience in the commercial sector, and he was at the--in the 
White House Office of Science and Technology. And we are 
elevating the Office of Space Commerce within NOAA.
    So he starts May 9, and he will be reporting right up into 
the NOAA headquarters. And we are, of course, in the budget 
requesting money primarily for the new cloud based monitoring 
system so we can do a much better job of monitoring space 
traffic.
    So I think that like at long last, we are, I don't know, 
organizing, prioritizing space commerce and putting leadership 
in that we need, and I am very much asking Congress for support 
on the funding that the President requests.
    The Chair. Well, thank you. That certainly is good news. 
And I think Senator Wicker will be pleased with that as well 
and look forward to whatever we have to do to support that 
effort. I would just say, you know, with thousands of jobs 
already in the Pacific Northwest on this and a new frontier, I 
think lots of people are really trying to better understand 
this particular aspect of our commerce.
    And obviously, just like every other theme here we have 
been talking about is competition. And so for the United States 
to continue to look at this issue and move ahead, we think that 
that is critically important. OK. Well, I think that does it 
for this morning. Thank you, Madam Secretary, for being here 
and for your hard work on many subjects.
    And as you can see, the breadth and depth of Commerce does 
bring everything from red snapper issues to----
    Secretary Raimondo. Salmon.
    The Chair. Well in the fishing area, yes, but supply chain 
on chips, and all sorts of things. So we appreciate your in-
depth knowledge and attention to all of those details. Really 
very important for our country, and we appreciate your 
leadership. The hearing will be open for two weeks.
    And anybody who has to--wants to submit questions, please 
do so by Wednesday, May 11 at noon, and Secretary Raimondo will 
have two weeks to respond to those. Without, the hearing is 
adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 11:35 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

                            A P P E N D I X

   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    CHIPS Act Implementation Planning: Clark County, Washington has a 
large assembly of semiconductor industry employers and is often 
referred to as part of that region's ``Silicon Forest.'' A stable and 
well-trained workforce is vital to the future viability and growth of 
Washington's ``Silicon Forest'' and many other existing high-technology 
ecosystems around the country, even as we pursue the establishment of 
new semiconductor facilities.

    Question 1. Will the Department commit to ensuring workforce 
stability in existing high-technology ecosystems and to preventing a 
``brain drain'' in these areas while simultaneously investing in new 
semiconductor facilities through the CHIPS Act? How?
    Answer. Thank you for your leadership in the passage of the CHIPS 
Act. Commerce supports a strong workforce component for CHIPS. It is 
clear that the semiconductor workforce will need to expand to meet the 
demand created by CHIPS--poaching workers from one plant to work at 
another does not expand the workforce. To build the needed workforce, 
Commerce supported provisions in the CHIPS Act which require workforce 
and community investments by applicants, that include workforce 
development as an eligible use of funds, and that direct the National 
Semiconductor Technology Center to develop, incentivize and expand 
participation in workforce training programs for the microelectronics 
and semiconductor industry.

    Domestic Manufacturing Support: Domestic manufacturing capabilities 
are critical for the United States. The President's FY2023 budget 
request proposes boosting the Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
``MEP'' and Manufacturing USA programs by $125 million and $81 million, 
respectively, though the new levels for both programs combined are 
almost $350 million below USICA authorizations, respectively.
    NIST MEP has an impressive set of accomplishments in Washington 
State. Our MEP Center has helped create or retain over 15,000 jobs, and 
increased revenue by more than $1.5 billion for small-and medium-sized 
businesses.

    Question 2. Many small and medium-sized businesses across the 
United States are struggling to compete in contested global 
marketplaces and also need to secure themselves against frequent and 
emerging cyber threats. What can we do to help these businesses be more 
competitive and secure?
    Answer. Small and medium-sized businesses need practical 
cybersecurity resources to cost-effectively manage their internal 
cybersecurity risks and to minimize risk transmission to their 
interconnected businesses, as well as to be more competitive and 
secure. Through the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act, Congress has 
given NIST responsibility to disseminate consistent, clear, concise, 
and actionable resources to small businesses. The NIST Small Business 
Cybersecurity Corner puts resources in one place for easy access by 
small businesses. All resources are free and draw from information 
produced by NIST, other Federal agencies, as well as non-profit 
organizations.
    Manufacturing is the second-most targeted industry for 
cybersecurity attacks, resulting in as much as a $36.3 billion annual 
loss in U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Small and medium-sized 
manufacturers (SMMs) are especially vulnerable, perceived as easy entry 
points into larger organizations. To support the industry, NIST's 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) has provided cybersecurity 
awareness training and assistance services to manufacturers since 2017, 
often collaborating with organizations such as Department of Defense 
Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), FBI InfraGard, State 
partners, Manufacturing USA Institutes, and vetted industry partners. 
MEP Centers work with SMMs to help them develop plans for managing 
risk. MEP Centers stand ready to assist SMMs and as of 2021, have 
provided guidance to more than 3,500 manufacturing companies, completed 
more than 1,300 cybersecurity-specific projects, and conducted more 
than 250 cybersecurity awareness and training events.
    In addition, the Department urges the Congress to fund the 2023 
President's Budget request for an additional $10.85 million and 38 
positions at ITA's Industry and Analysis (I&A) business unit. I&A plays 
a central role in identifying risks and opportunities for the growth of 
U.S. industries and has a unique strength in understanding industries 
and their global supply chains. This analytical work informs and 
directs many of the Administration's supply chain activities, including 
for crisis response, such as for Russia-Ukraine, and long-term 
strategic and policy efforts to counter risks posed by foreign 
adversaries, such as the People's Republic of China's (PRC) civil-
military fusion and their efforts to exploit U.S. technological 
breakthroughs and corner the market in specific supply chains, as it 
has with the solar industry. I&A also supports U.S. economic and 
national security through identifying commercialization opportunities 
for firms, identifying chokepoints in supply chains, directing action 
to mitigate risks, and supporting key industries to enhance domestic 
manufacturing and expand exports, which are critical to trade 
activities in the state of Washington. With the FY 2023 request, I&A 
can add value on existing lines of effort, including understanding and 
advancing strategies and specific recommendations on critical minerals, 
electric vehicle batteries, and semiconductors as well as leading 
international engagements.

    Regional Innovation: The United States faces key challenges in the 
coming decade. One is maintaining U.S. technological preeminence in the 
face of well-funded and capable global competitors. Another is that 
regions of the country are diverging into two separate economic 
realities--one that is experiencing rapid growth and economic 
prosperity, and another that is struggling to transform traditional and 
aging industrial base economies. This is going on even in my state, 
where folks in Eastern Washington are eager to join in and experience 
the many benefits from the development of a new Hydrogen hub in the 
region.
    To address this growing divide, USICA authorizes the ``Regional 
Technology Hub Program'' which designates no fewer than 18 regional 
hubs to build capacity and strengthen local innovation ecosystems. I 
can tell you that a lot of people in my state are excited about the 
opportunities these hubs will provide, in hydrogen energy and other 
industry.

    Question 3. Secretary Raimondo, using lessons learned from previous 
programs implemented by the Department, how many technology hubs do you 
think the Department needs to establish so that all Americans from all 
regions, including Eastern Washington state, can benefit from 
technology innovation and economic prosperity that will come from such 
investments?
    Answer. The short answer is that we certainly need more than the 
minimum of 18 technology hubs authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act 
of 2022, especially if the goal is to ensure that all Americans from 
all regions, including Eastern Washington, can benefit from the 
technology innovation and economic prosperity that will come from such 
investments in the manner intended by the Technology Hubs program. 
Ultimately, the number will depend on local and regional 
characteristics across the country, such as industry mix, regional 
disparities in economic and technological development and research 
institutions, population size, and whether geographic regions are urban 
or rural. While we are grateful that Congress is in the process of 
authorizing the Technology Hubs program, this authorization still 
requires the funding to stand up this program, which means that, even 
with this program authorized, the Department will not be able to 
establish any Technology Hubs in any part of the country without 
funding.

    NOAA as a Climate Leader. The recent Department Administrative 
Order (``DAO'') to establish the Climate Council and direct the 
integration of climate considerations into all of the Department's 
policies, strategic planning, and programs is a great step toward 
addressing the climate crisis.
    NOAA's mission is ``to understand and predict our changing 
environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and 
conserve America's coastal and marine resources.'' As we look to the 
future, NOAA's work is becoming increasingly important as the United 
States and the rest of the world works to respond to the impacts of 
climate change. NOAA plays a central role in the Department and 
Administration-wide response to the climate crisis.

    Question 4. To that end, I am working on a NOAA Organic Act, to 
permanently codify NOAA as an agency within the Department of Commerce. 
Do you support codifying NOAA? How would you strengthen NOAA's role as 
a leader in climate science and data services within the Department of 
Commerce, as well as across the Federal government in an Organic Act?
    Answer. I look forward to working with you on a NOAA Organic Act 
given NOAA's role as a leader in climate science and data services 
within the Department. NOAA's science seeks to understand, predict, and 
provide tailored, information-based services about climate-driven 
changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the 
surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine 
resources. NOAA is an authoritative source within the Federal 
government for climate data and services, just as it is for weather 
data and services. NOAA's data and services span from data collection 
to processing, to research and modeling, to product development and 
dissemination, to assessment. NOAA is unique in that it is mandated to 
make its science operational in order to protect lives and property. 
NOAA develops and operates the full spectrum of climate science to 
services, while working in collaboration with its sister agencies-
within the Department of Commerce and elsewhere in the Federal 
government-at many points along the spectrum. All of this is important 
for the vitality and resilience of the Nation's economy, making NOAA a 
key pillar for fulfilling the Department of Commerce's mission and 
strategic plan.

    Atmospheric Data Gaps. NOAA research in atmospheric composition is 
foundational to the implementation of the DAO. However, there are 
significant gaps in information on the quantity, concentration, surface 
fluxes, and other characteristics of materials in the atmosphere, 
including greenhouse gases, aerosols, and water vapor, that limit the 
Nation's ability to adequately monitor and study the current processes 
within the climate system. This is important because to address the 
climate crisis, we must understand and attribute the sources and sinks 
of relevant gases and aerosols, and track their variation over time.
    NOAA and its Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research already 
undertakes research, including scientific research, computer modeling, 
and other forms of analysis, and uses satellite, airborne, and ground-
based systems to monitor atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, including 
aerosols and greenhouse gases, as well as the chemical compounds, 
atmospheric conditions, and air-sea fluxes that affect their 
concentration.
    Atmospheric concentrations of aerosols, greenhouse gases, and other 
atmospheric constituents, emanating from both natural and anthropogenic 
sources, are critical for the accurate prediction of changes to the 
climate system and resultant weather patterns.

    Question 5. How will the Department work to expand this critical 
research necessary to understand the atmosphere and its climate 
drivers? Will you work with me to ensure that this work remains a 
priority for NOAA as the Department of Commerce Climate Council works 
to coordinate and oversee the implementation of this DAO?
    Answer. The Department of Commerce and NOAA are committed to 
working with you to ensure that climate and atmospheric research is a 
priority for the Climate Council and the implementation of the DAO.
    NOAA recognizes that critical research in atmospheric and climate 
science is key to the Department's Climate Council. Uncertainties in 
the prediction of extreme events, poor air quality, climate drivers, 
and projection of future climate scenarios result in part from our 
inability to adequately describe and resolve fundamental processes 
associated with key atmospheric components such as air pollutants, 
greenhouse gases, and aerosols and their larger impacts on atmospheric 
composition and Earth's radiation budget.
    NOAA will continue to lead in reducing key uncertainties in these 
important research areas by accelerating our investment in observing 
platforms and atmospheric and Earth's system models, fulfilling its 
mission to protect human lives, contributing to a healthy and resilient 
economy, and preparing our Nation for future challenges. This will be 
achieved by:

   Advancing observations and modeling to fill gaps in our 
        understanding of air quality, climate, stratospheric ozone, and 
        the Earth system.

   Utilizing in-situ and remote-sensing instrumentation to 
        measure atmospheric composition.

   Expanding capability and access of the atmospheric observing 
        network to aircraft, ships, towers, balloons, and ground-based 
        platforms.

   Developing and deploying new and innovative instruments for 
        these platforms.

   Expanding modeling infrastructure for atmospheric 
        composition forecasts and hindcasts.

   Conducting quantitative assessments of atmospheric 
        composition satellite products.

   Using operational products that include providing near-real-
        time emissions estimates, improving air quality and weather 
        forecasting, and monitoring fires and other hazards.

   Investigating natural and human activities that may alter 
        the chemistry and reflectivity of the stratosphere or the 
        reflectivity of the marine boundary layer through the addition 
        of aerosols.

   Developing transformative uncrewed observing systems 
        (including platforms, sensors, and data management and 
        analysis).

    Fishery Disasters. Commercial and Tribal fishermen from the State 
of Washington are currently awaiting disaster determinations for 
fisheries in Washington and the North Pacific. NOAA Fisheries currently 
has 11 pending fishery disaster declaration requests in this region. 
Two of them are for Tribes and several are in Alaska, where many 
Washington fishermen fish. Some fishermen have been waiting since 
January of 2020 for the Department to make a disaster declaration. We 
need NOAA Fisheries to act quickly to help our fishermen, but the 
fisheries disaster determination and allocation of disaster funds 
continues to take years, which results in devastating impacts to 
coastal economies that rely on disaster assistance.

    Question 6. When does the Department of Commerce and NOAA expect to 
make these determinations and when do you anticipate funding for this 
disaster? When will funding be disseminated to fishing families and 
Tribes? Last year, the Senate passed the Fishery Resource Disasters 
Improvement Act. Do you support this commonsense legislation to put 
clear timelines into the fisheries disaster declaration process?
    Answer. I have received over a dozen requests since 2020 from at 
least seven different Washington tribes for multiple fisheries, some 
dating back to 2015. To evaluate fishery disaster requests efficiently, 
NOAA Fisheries requires finalized commercial revenue loss data and 
fishery specific information from the requesters. Some of the tribes 
revised or augmented their requests several times and others did not 
provide the necessary information until late last year. Our review of 
those requests are in the final stages within the Department of 
Commerce.
    In addition, I have received two requests for Washington non-Tribal 
fisheries in 2021. NOAA Fisheries has received the necessary 
information from the State and is expediting its review.
    I have also received requests from tribes in Oregon, California, 
and Alaska, and NOAA Fisheries is working to secure the necessary 
finalized commercial revenue loss data.
    If any of these requests are positively determined, they will be 
eligible for funding. NOAA Fisheries will work as quickly as possible 
to allocate a portion of the remaining FY22 fishery disaster 
appropriation.
    I support the intent of the Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement 
Act to create more predictability and speed in the decision-making 
process, and understand your concerns regarding the amount of time it 
takes to determine fishery disasters, currently defined as commercial 
fishery failures due to a fishery resource disaster in the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. NOAA Fisheries is also taking several steps internally to 
streamline the process. NOAA Fisheries is more clearly describing the 
information needed to complete reviews consistent with the NOAA 
Fisheries Disaster Policy and is implementing additional measures to 
streamline the review process.

    Buyback. Congress has legislated several buyback programs for our 
West Coast fisheries. Numerous fishing fleets in the State of 
Washington are currently paying extremely high interest rates on 
fishing capacity reduction loans. Several of these programs are quite 
old and interest rates have dropped since they were established. Like 
you would for your home mortgage, our fishermen should be able to 
refinance and lower their interest rates. However, it has been 
challenging to get the Executive Branch to work with Congress to help 
our fishermen. For several years I have been requesting technical 
drafting assistance on legislation to allow these fishermen to reduce 
the rates on these loans. Fishermen should be able to take advantage of 
lower interest rates like other commercial entities.

    Question 7. With the Federal Reserve looking to increase interest 
rates, it is imperative that we pass this legislation quickly. Will you 
commit to providing technical drafting assistance on legislation to 
allow fishermen in my state to refinance these loans?
    Answer. Yes, we will provide technical drafting assistance.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Brian Schatz to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. In your Fiscal Year 2023 budget justification, you say: 
``Addressing the climate crisis is an essential and existential 
component of the Department's mission to create the conditions for 
economic growth and opportunity.'' \1\ It is therefore extremely 
troubling that the Department recently initiated an unwarranted 
antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) circumvention 
investigation requested by a single, small manufacturer. This 
investigation threatens to subject 80 percent of U.S. solar imports to 
tariffs ranging up to 250 percent, including potential retroactive 
tariffs. In a survey of 200 companies operating across the solar value 
chain, 90 percent reported that your Department's investigation alone 
will have a ``severe to devastating impact'' on their business in 2022, 
with 75 percent of respondents already experiencing cancelled or 
delayed module shipments.\2\
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    \1\ https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/Commerce-
FY2023-BIB-Introduction.pdf
    \2\ https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/04/05/seia-speaks-on-
potential-devastation-of-the-solar-anticircumvention-investigation/
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    a) Do you see this circumvention inquiry as consistent with your 
Department's commitment to using ``every tool at [your] disposal to 
help address this [climate] crisis and related economic impacts,'' as 
you stated just last week?\3\
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    \3\ https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2022/04/secretary-
raimondo-establishes-commerce-climate-council-directs
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    Answer. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to addressing 
the climate crisis. The Department of Commerce will continue investing 
in supply chains, technology, and infrastructure to combat climate 
change while creating millions of good-paying, union jobs. And we will 
continue supporting U.S. workers and businesses to compete and win 
globally, including by vigilantly protecting American workers and 
businesses from unfair foreign practices, such as state-sponsored 
subsidies that harm the competitiveness of U.S. firms and undermine 
free and fair trade. Circumvention, that is, avoiding existing 
antidumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) undermines the effect 
of these duties to provide the intended relief to U.S. manufacturers 
and workers.
    Ensuring U.S. workers and businesses can compete on a level playing 
field globally is at the core of our trade enforcement laws and 
Commerce's mission. American businesses are sharpened, not threatened 
by competition, so long as that competition is not rigged through 
unfair practices. AD/CVD duties are not punitive, rather they ensure 
that imports are fair by counteracting unfair subsidies and dumping.
    However, in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 10414 issued 
on June 6, 2022, Commerce issued a Final Rule on September 16, 2022, on 
the suspension of liquidation, duties and estimated duties for 24 
months or until the President declares the emergency is over.

    Question 2. Pursuant to 19 U.S. Code Sec. 1677j, the Secretary of 
Commerce is charged with determining whether a circumvention 
determination is ``appropriate . . . to prevent evasion'' of an AD/CVD 
order.
    a) In weighing the appropriateness of this inquiry, are you taking 
into account the totality of disruption to the domestic solar industry 
from a potential affirmative circumvention ruling, including a 
projected reduction in solar deployment of up to 16 gigawatts annually 
and a threat to 70,000 U.S. solar jobs?\4\
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    \4\ https://www.seia.org/auxin-solar-tariff-petition-impact-survey
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    Answer. Commerce reached its decision to initiate these 
circumvention inquiries based on U.S. laws and regulations governing 
circumvention inquiries. AD/CVD proceedings address unfair trade 
practices and are not related to fluctuations in industry supply or 
prices, and Commerce cannot, by law, consider extra-statutory factors 
when conducting trade remedy proceedings.

    Question 3. In alleging circumvention of existing AD/CVD orders on 
China, the petitioner argues that the manufacturing happening in the 
four Southeast Asian countries in question is ``minor or 
insignificant.'' However, Commerce has repeatedly established that the 
conversion of a wafer into a cell is not minor processing, but rather a 
technologically complex and capital intensive process that is essential 
to converting sunlight into energy.
    a) Can you explain why the Department is reexamining this issue 
when its own precedent, affirmed multiple times over the past decade, 
has already asked and answered the central question at issue in this 
petition?
    Answer. Commerce was scheduled to announce its preliminary and 
final determinations in these circumvention inquiries by August 30, 
2022, and January 27, 2023, respectively. Due to the complex nature of 
circumvention investigations, the preliminary determinations will now 
be made by November 28, 2022. Commerce's determinations are 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.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Kyrsten Sinema to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Semiconductor Supply Chains. The importance of semiconductors has 
never been clearer. Unfortunately, the United States has fewer 
available silicon deposits required to produce semiconductors than 
other nations. This leaves our country vulnerable to disruptions should 
the world's major silicon producers, including China and Russia, reduce 
silicon exports to the United States.

    Question 1. What actions has the Commerce Department taken in 
regards to critical minerals and rare earth's supply chain and domestic 
production vulnerabilities and are there additional steps Congress can 
take to assist the Department in its efforts?
    Answer. Through stakeholder engagements, Commerce has identified 
several specific critical minerals, materials, and rare earth elements 
that are essential to the supply chains associated with defense, 
advanced batteries, and semiconductors, and their end-use applications. 
We are working with interagency partners on the identification of 
domestic and global critical mineral deposit resource locations and 
processing facilities and will continue to work with allies to secure 
more reliable and resilient supply chains to foster long-term strategic 
access of these materials for the United States. We are also 
identifying U.S. companies involved in the development of advanced 
recycling technologies to recover critical minerals from end-of-use 
advanced batteries contained within electric vehicles, so that we can 
sustainably reuse these materials for the next generation of 
domestically manufactured products. Finally, we are working with the 
White House and other agencies to implement a whole-of-government 
approach to secure reliable and resilient supply chains.
    For example, on March 31, 2022, the President signed a Presidential 
Determination (PD) under the Defense Production Act, Title III, 
invoking the use of that authority to bolster our clean energy economy 
by finding that strategic and critical materials used for large-
capacity batteries--such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and 
manganese--are essential for the national defense. This will result in 
contracts, grants, and other economic incentives to expand sustainable 
domestic production of these critical materials and this initiative 
would benefit from additional Congressional support. Commerce and other 
relevant agencies are working closely with the Department of Defense in 
support of that agency's efforts to utilize Defense Production Act 
funding to support critical minerals-related projects.
    In order to help the Department move forward on critical minerals, 
the Department urges the Congress to fund the 2023 President's Budget 
request for an additional $10.85 million and 38 positions at ITA's 
Industry and Analysis (I&A) business unit. I&A plays a central role in 
identifying risks and opportunities for the growth of U.S. industries 
and has a unique strength in understanding industries and their global 
supply chains. This analytical work informs and directs many of the 
Administration's supply chain activities, including staffing most of 
the Department's actions on critical minerals, for crisis response, 
such as for Russia-Ukraine, and long-term strategic and policy efforts 
to counter risks posed by foreign adversaries, such as the PRC's civil-
military fusion and their efforts to exploit U.S. technological 
breakthroughs and corner the market in specific supply chains, as it 
has with the solar industry. With the FY 2023 request, I&A can add 
value on existing lines of effort, including understanding and 
advancing strategies and specific recommendations on critical minerals, 
electric vehicle batteries, and semiconductors as well as leading 
international engagements.

    Broadband. The bipartisan infrastructure law represents a historic 
investment in broadband deployment, with Arizona set to receive 
hundreds of millions of dollars to expand access to broadband internet. 
This is the largest ever investment in broadband expansion, and is 
crucial for Arizonans living in rural and tribal areas to join the 
Internet economy. The bipartisan infrastructure law directs the 
National Telecommunications and Information Administration to issue 
guidance on the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment 
program within one-hundred-eighty days.

    Question 2. Is NTIA on track to issue the guidance on time and will 
the guidance be technology neutral in its approach?
    Answer. On May 13, 2022--several days ahead of the 180-day 
statutory deadline--NTIA released its Notice of Funding Opportunity 
(NOFOs) for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) 
Program. Consistent with the statute's requirements, the NOFO sets 
forth minimum technical requirements for BEAD-funded networks and takes 
into account the reliability of any proposed solution. The statute also 
directed NTIA to establish a category of ``priority broadband 
projects'' that can be expected to serve Americans' connectivity needs 
well into the future. We expect that those projects will, in most 
cases, rely on end-to-end fiber-optic connections, though ``fiber-to-
the-curb'' may be the most cost effective solution in some cases. 
However, we believe that there is room in the BEAD program for many 
technologies, including cable, wireless, and in some cases other 
options, and we expect a wide variety of platforms to compete 
aggressively for grant funding.

    Department of Commerce Solar Investigation. I was disappointed to 
see the Department open a circumvention investigation regarding solar 
panels and modules imported from four Southeast Asian countries. One of 
Arizona's major electric utilities, Salt River Project, has six solar 
projects and 1,400 megawatts of future energy generation that will 
likely be delayed, or even cancelled, as a result of this 
investigation. Considering Arizona's abundance of natural sunshine, I 
strongly support efforts to harness solar energy while supporting an 
all-of-the-above energy framework.

    Question 3. Will the Department conduct an expedited preliminary 
review to settle this matter and remove the uncertainty facing solar 
manufacturers, installers, utilities, and homeowners throughout the 
country?
    Answer. Commerce was currently scheduled to announce its 
preliminary and final determinations in these circumvention inquiries 
by August 30, 2022, and January 27, 2023, respectively. Due to the 
complex nature of circumvention investigations, the preliminary 
determinations will now be made by November 28, 2022. However, in 
accordance with Presidential Proclamation 10414 issued on June 6, 2022, 
Commerce issued a Final Rule on September 16, 2022 on the suspension of 
liquidation, duties and estimated duties for 24 months or until the 
President declares the emergency is over. This Final Rule should 
provide certainty to those stakeholders.
                                 ______
                                 
 Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. John Hickenlooper to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Orbital Safety: The U.S. Innovation & Competition Act (USICA) would 
authorize the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to carry out a program to 
improve the collection, processing, and dissemination of space 
situational awareness data, information, and services for civil and 
commercial operators in space to address on-orbit safety. OSC is 
developing an Open Architecture Data Repository (OADR) to integrate 
commercial data on orbital objects, including debris, into a 
comprehensive space object tracking system.

    Question 1. What additional Congressional support does OSC need in 
order to deliver on their critical space object tracking, monitoring, 
and notification capabilities? Are additional Congressional authorities 
or funds needed in order to foster robust and responsible United States 
civil and commercial space activities?
    Answer. The Department of Commerce supports provisions that 
authorize the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to carry out a program to 
improve the collection, processing, and dissemination of space 
situational awareness (SSA) data, information, and services for civil 
and commercial operators in space to address on-orbit safety. While no 
additional statutory authority is required by OSC to implement such an 
SSA program, additional appropriations are necessary as indicated in 
the President's Budget Request. To fully foster robust and responsible 
United States civil and commercial space activities, additional 
authorizations and appropriations will be required.

    Supply Chain Resiliency: The U.S. Innovation & Competition Act 
(USICA) establishes a Supply Chain Resiliency Program at the Department 
of Commerce to work with the private sector to identify and work with 
non-federal entities to recommend opportunities to mitigate or address 
supply chain vulnerabilities. USICA also expands the capability of key 
manufacturing programs at NIST, such as the Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership (MEP) program, that support manufacturers and advanced 
manufacturing research and development.

    Question 2. Could you describe or quantify how USICA would help 
grow domestic manufacturing of critical products?
    Answer. There are key provisions which would help the Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership (MEP) program reach more small and medium-sized 
manufacturers (SMMs) in order to bolster domestic supply chain 
resiliency. First, it would authorize the expansion of MEP's supplier 
scouting program which uses MEP Center experts to locate domestic SMMs 
and assess each SMM's capabilities to produce critical products, parts, 
and components.
    Another provision would allow NIST MEP to exercise a new authority 
known as ``Expansion Awards.'' Under this authority, MEP could issue 
new awards in a more streamlined manner, enabling more SMMs to become 
active participants in the Nation's critical supply chains.
    MEP Centers are located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico would help 
modernize SMMs' manufacturing processes, help SMMs search and close on 
contracts, match SMMs to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and 
enable SMMs to become active participants in national initiatives like 
the Defense Production Act.
    Additionally, these provisions will enable innovation for 
manufacturing ``scale-up'' and train the domestic workforce for 
critical product production in two important ways--first, through the 
establishment a new Manufacturing USA (MFG USA) institute focused on 
the semiconductor ecosystem; and second, through funding a significant 
expansion of the 16 existing MFG USA institutes that currently work to 
make domestic production more cost-effective, including niche aspects 
of microelectronics. Advanced manufacturing innovation reduces the need 
for offshoring critical products and MFG USA institutes create advanced 
manufacturing processes that improve cost efficiencies and 
environmental impact, provide alternative supply chains, and ensure 
that U.S. workers are trained and ready. For example, MFG USA 
institutes have created new sensors and `digital twin' manufacturing 
models for production efficiencies, developed robots for manufacturing 
processes, designed smaller-footprint equipment, and produced 
manufacturing alternatives that reduce the cost of new facilities and 
new manufacturing capabilities. In addition to semiconductors, these 
approaches can be applied to the production of additional critical 
products like Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Personal 
Protective Equipment (PPE).
    I also support the financing provisions proposed in the America 
COMPETES Act to strengthen supply chain resiliency. Over the last 25 
years, there has been 25 percent less invested capital in the 
industrial base--an investment gap of $300-$400 billion. The passage of 
the CHIPS and Science Act is a positive step in strengthening supply 
chain resilience, and the 2023 President's Budget includes various 
other proposals to advance U.S. manufacturing. I look forward to 
working with Congress in this critical area. If enacted and fully 
appropriated, the $45 billion authorization of low-cost loans, loans 
guarantees, and grants for critical suppliers like what Congress has 
authorized through the CHIPS and Science Act for semiconductor supply 
chains, the Commerce Department could leverage that up to eight times 
in private-sector capital.
    In addition to financial incentives, the Department urges the 
Congress to fund the 2023 President's Budget request for an additional 
$10.85 million and 38 positions at ITA's Industry and Analysis (I&A) 
business unit. I&A plays a central role in identifying risks and 
opportunities for the growth of U.S. industries and has a unique 
strength in understanding industries and their global supply chains. 
This analytical work informs and directs many of the Administration's 
supply chain activities, including for crisis response, such as for 
Russia-Ukraine, and long-term strategic and policy efforts to counter 
risks posed by foreign adversaries, such as the PRC's civil-military 
fusion and their efforts to exploit U.S. technological breakthroughs 
and corner the market in specific supply chains, as it has with the 
solar industry. With the FY 2023 request, I&A can add value on existing 
lines of effort, including understanding and advancing strategies and 
specific recommendations on critical minerals, electric vehicle 
batteries, and semiconductors as well as leading international 
engagements.

    Spectrum Coordination: The National Telecommunications & 
Information Administration's (NTIA) Institute of Telecommunications 
Sciences (ITS) in Boulder, CO is the premier Executive Branch entity 
responsible for telecommunications research. In recent years, as the 
demand for spectrum to provide wireless broadband services, lead the 
world in 5G development, and unleash new connected technologies for 
Smart Cities continues to increase, we have become very aware of the 
need for a whole-of-government approach to wireless spectrum 
coordination and sharing informed by scientific research, robust 
testing, and thorough analysis.

    Question 3. How does the work of the Institute of 
Telecommunications Sciences (ITS) support communications technology 
development and interagency spectrum deliberations and decision-making? 
Would expanding NTIA's eligible uses of funds collected from the 
Spectrum Relocation Fund (SRF) enhance the spectrum research and 
testing capabilities of ITS?
    Answer. ITS performs lab and field measurements of both commercial 
and Federal spectrum dependent systems which support comprehensive, 
end-to-end analyses of their compatibility in proposed shared or 
adjacent band assignments. This includes characterizing transmitter 
emissions and band occupancy, developing radio wave propagation models 
for given scenarios, and assessing the impact of signals--individually 
or in the aggregate--on receiver performance. Working under compressed 
schedules, ITS often performs ``quick reaction'' measurements to inform 
decision-making. For example, in support of DoD, ITS measured C-band 5G 
base station out-of-band emissions and showed that they have little 
effect on some radio altimeters used in military airspace. This allowed 
decision makers to focus on the other possible cause of interference to 
military operations--fundamental 5G emissions, which can be mitigated 
with improved filtering.
    The Department looks forward to working with the Congress on ways 
to enhance ITS' spectrum research and testing capabilities. Engaging 
ITS measurement, modeling, and analysis earlier in the auction timeline 
could result in more accurate NTIA feasibility assessments and provide 
more advance notice and time to respond to problems.

    Artificial Intelligence Technology Standards: The promises of 
Artificial Intelligence (AI) depend on developing transparent and 
resilient software development practices. NIST is developing an 
Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework to help incorporate 
trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, and use of 
AI products and services. The National Artificial Intelligence Advisory 
Committee (NAIAC) convened for the first time on May 4, outlining their 
planned work to promote trustworthy AI.

    Question 4. How is the Department of Commerce working with 
international standard setting bodies to promote the safe and effective 
adoption of AI in commercial products or services? What will be the 
impact of the AI Risk Management Framework developed by NIST when it is 
completed?
    Answer. The Department of Commerce is actively leading and 
participating in many standards-related efforts to promote trustworthy 
AI that is safe and effective. As the Federal Coordinator for AI 
Standards, NIST experts are active in standards development in ISO/IEC 
JTC 1/SC 42 focused on Artificial Intelligence, as well as other 
standards for applications of AI, for example AI in robotics and 
manufacturing. To support this work in international standards, the 
NIST laboratories conduct a major AI program focused on AI research, AI 
measurement and evaluation, and AI technical standards. The President's 
FY 2023 budget includes a request of $15 M to catalyze research, 
advance innovation, and cultivate trust in AI technologies. The 
International Trade Administration (ITA) is assessing how the adoption 
of internationally developed AI standards could help facilitate trade 
of AI technologies. By engaging with a broad array of stakeholders, 
including representatives from the private sector and academia, ITA is 
exploring how those standards could impact U.S. economic interests.
    The AI Risk Management Framework currently under development by 
NIST will provide organizations with the ability to incorporate 
trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use, and 
evaluation of AI products, services, and systems. NIST is developing 
the AI RMF in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including 
those from outside the U.S., and in alignment with approaches that 
could be adopted by international Standards Developing Organizations. 
This will result in a risk management approach that is consistent 
globally and provides a robust foundation for wide implementation by 
governments and firms in the U.S. and worldwide. Such an approach has 
proven successful with NIST's work on the Cyber Security Framework.
    The Department is engaging with like-minded partners and allies to 
develop and promote technical standards for trustworthy AI. For 
example, ITA and NIST are co-leading a Standards Working Group under 
the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) to bring the U.S. and EU 
into stronger alignment on international standards for critical and 
emerging technologies like AI. NIST currently leads an effort under 
this Working Group to develop a joint roadmap for trustworthy AI and 
risk management. The Department is also actively engaged in the Working 
Party on AI Governance of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and 
Development, which is focused on putting principles of trustworthy AI 
into practice. NIST serves as Vice Chair of this effort.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Raphael Warnock to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    5G. The implementation of 5G will be critical for connecting 
Americans, and as we roll out this technology, we must also preserve 
the safety of airline travels for Georgians and all Americans.

    Question 1. What role does the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration (NTIA) have in coordinating spectrum use?
    Answer. NTIA serves as the President's principal adviser on 
telecommunications policies pertaining to the Nation's economic and 
technological advancement. Congress authorized NTIA to establish the 
policies for use of spectrum by the Federal government and to promote 
the best possible and most efficient use of spectrum, including 
protecting the integrity of Federal missions. S NTIA has the authority 
to coordinate the telecommunications activities of the Executive 
Branch, including consideration of spectrum use. NTIA, in cooperation 
with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is charged with 
management of spectrum resources, including analytical, engineering, 
and administrative functions.

    Question 2. What is your view on the current efforts to reach a 
resolution to the 5G safety issues presented by the Federal Aviation 
Administration and airlines in a way that will best serve Georgians and 
protect their safety in the skies?
    Answer. We are pleased with the agreements reached thus far by the 
wireless service providers and the Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA) to ensure airlines are not adversely impacted by new 5G 
operations. We hope those agreements can be extended so that 
stakeholders can continue their efforts to address concerns about 
possible interference to radio altimeters. Please be assured that the 
protection of airplane passengers is clearly paramount, but we 
understand it also is important to advance 5G deployment. We recognize 
that the wireless industry spent significant amounts of money for the 
ability to deploy their 5G networks. We also recognize the significant 
time and effort expended by the aviation industry to modify its 
operations and fleets to enable safe co-existence with 5G networks. 
NTIA is working hard to assist the FAA by providing its expertise to 
advance the process.

    Question 3. What current work is underway to ensure appropriate 
coordination going forward, especially regarding communication with all 
impacted public and private stakeholders, and who is leading those 
efforts?
    Answer. We are working to coordinate with all stakeholders. As we 
focus on new spectrum bands that will become available to auction 
winners, we are trying to get ahead of the engineering and the science 
and working in close partnership with the FCC, FAA, U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT), and the aviation and telecom sectors.

    Competition Bill. The House-passed H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES 
Act, contains provisions to provide $45 billion in grants, loans, or 
loan guarantees to supporting U.S. manufacturing and supply chains in 
critical areas.

    Question 4. Do you believe that these provisions strengthen supply 
chain resiliency, and are there alternatives that Congress should 
consider?
    Answer. Over the last 25 years, there has been 25 percent less 
invested capital in the industrial base--an investment gap of $300-$400 
billion. The passage of the CHIPS and Science Act is a positive step in 
strengthening supply chain resilience, and the 2023 Budget includes 
various other proposals to advance U.S. manufacturing. I look forward 
to working with Congress in this critical area.
    In addition to financial incentives, the Department urges the 
Congress to fund the 2023 President's Budget request for an additional 
$10.85 million and 38 positions at ITA's Industry and Analysis (I&A) 
business unit. I&A plays a central role in identifying risks and 
opportunities for the growth of U.S. industries and has a unique 
strength in understanding industries and their global supply chains. 
This analytical work informs and directs many of the Administration's 
supply chain activities, including for crisis response, such as for 
Russia-Ukraine, and long-term strategic and policy efforts to counter 
risks posed by foreign adversaries, such as the PRC's civil-military 
fusion and their efforts to exploit U.S. technological breakthroughs 
and corner the market in specific supply chains, as it has with the 
solar industry. With the FY 2023 request, I&A can add value on existing 
lines of effort, including understanding and advancing strategies and 
specific recommendations on critical minerals, electric vehicle 
batteries, and semiconductors as well as leading international 
engagements.

    FOIA. In October 2021, the Commerce Department received a Freedom 
of Information Act request for your calendars, planners, and meeting 
agendas between March and October 2021. These calendars have yet to be 
released.

    Question 5. When do you expect to be able to fully comply with this 
request?
    Answer. The Department is responding to this Freedom of Information 
Act request on a rolling basis. The date on which the Department 
completes its response will depend in part on consultations with other 
agencies, the timing of which is outside the Department's control.

    Question 6. What has caused the delay in responding to this 
request?
    Answer. The Department should have had more effective coordination 
in responding to this request. The Department has made process 
improvements and expects to respond to similar requests more promptly 
in the future.

    Broadband Expansion. Connecting every single Georgian to high-
speed, reliable Internet is one of my top priorities. I look forward to 
working with you and your staff at NTIA to ensure that the broadband 
funding in the bipartisan infrastructure law goes to the communities 
who need it most so that we can finally close the digital divide.

    Question 7. In addition to infrastructure buildout, BEAD funding 
can be used to provide reduced-cost broadband within a qualifying low-
income multifamily residential building and broadband adoption 
(including the provision of devices). How will NTIA communicate to 
states that BEAD grants can be used in this way, and will NTIA offer 
some specific examples of broadband adoption projects that Commerce 
will consider funding?
    Answer. NTIA has communicated to the States and territories in the 
BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that they may allocate BEAD 
Program funds to provide reduced-cost broadband within a multi-family 
residential building, with priority given to a residential building 
that has substantial share of unserved households or is in a location 
in which the percentage of individuals with a household income that is 
at or below 150 percent of the poverty line. See BEAD NOFO section 
IV.B.5.b. NTIA also will ensure that States and territories are aware 
that this is an eligible use of BEAD Program funds as part of our 
robust technical assistance program.

    Question 8. What is the timeline for administering funds under the 
Digital Equity Act, and how will Commerce coordinate funds between the 
BEAD program and digital equity grants?
    Answer. NTIA released its Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) in 
connection with the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program on May 
13, 2022. States and territories had until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight 
Time on July 12, 2022 to submit their applications. I am pleased to 
share that all 50 states and six territories submitted an application. 
NTIA expects to complete its review, selection of successful 
applicants, and award processing by September 15, 2022. Within one year 
of the date on which a State is awarded State Digital Equity Planning 
Grant Program funds, that State must develop a State Digital Equity 
Plan. NTIA expects to issue a NOFO next year initiating the State 
Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, and then--when NTIA has begun to 
disburse those funds, we expect to initiate the Competitive Digital 
Equity Grant Program. Throughout this process, we expect states to be 
closely coordinating their activities under the State Digital Equity 
Programs and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. Both 
the BEAD NOFO and the State Digital Equity Planning Grant NOFO require 
States to take a holistic and integrated approach to these programs, 
developing plans that account for both sources of funding as they seek 
to meet their residents' needs. NTIA will be reviewing plans carefully 
to ensure that States have taken this directive seriously.

    Question 9. How can the NTIA ensure broadband funding is 
distributed in an equitable way to minority communities in urban and 
rural areas?
    Answer. I strongly support the efficient use of Federal funds for 
broadband expansion. I also recognize that some communities, especially 
in rural areas of the State, have already taken on significant costs to 
begin connecting their communities before the passage of the bipartisan 
infrastructure law.
    Our programs are designed to ensure that States and territories 
work closely with their minority communities and take account of the 
feedback those communities provide. At various stages in the BEAD 
process, including in the Initial Proposal and the Final Proposal, each 
eligible entity must provide a detailed description of its efforts to 
engage various groups, including underrepresented populations. Specific 
engagement efforts must be targeted at underrepresented communities 
within the eligible entity, as well as employment engagement strategies 
tailored to each specific community's needs, including providing 
outreach in the languages used in those communities. We urge measures 
such as the creation of task forces or advisory boards with 
representatives from underrepresented communities; frequent engagement 
with Tribal, State, Territorial, county, and municipal associations 
that may have a greater reach to these communities through their local 
elected official members; engagement with other eligible entity 
departments or agencies that regularly serve these communities and can 
help identify and engage with them; and investment in surveys, data 
collection, and mapping initiatives to better understand gaps in 
connectivity and needs. In addition, we require eligible entities to 
take all necessary affirmative steps to assure that minority 
businesses, women's business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms 
are used when possible, and we encourage each eligible entity to invite 
participation in the subgrantee selection process by a broad cross-
section of potential subgrantees, including minority-owned business and 
other socially or economically disadvantaged individual-owned 
businesses.

    Use of Federal Funds. I strongly support the efficient use of 
Federal funds for broadband expansion. I also recognize that some 
communities, especially in rural areas of the state, have already taken 
on significant costs to begin connecting their communities before the 
passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

    Question 10. Some communities have already received Federal funding 
from various programs, including the American Rescue Plan Act, the 
Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, and 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ReConnect program, for broadband 
buildouts. Some of these buildouts are ongoing but incomplete while 
others have not yet begun. How will NTIA consider these prior 
commitments in the context of eligibility for the Broadband Equity, 
Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program?
    Answer. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) directs 
that for the purposes of funding allocation--that is, the establishment 
of each State's BEAD program budget--NTIA must rely on the FCC's 
Broadband DATA Act maps. Those maps will not, and are not intended to, 
show where broadband has not been deployed but there is a Federal 
funding commitment to do so. When contemplating how to spend their 
budgets, the BEAD NOFO explicitly prohibits States and territories from 
treating any location that is already subject to an enforceable 
Federal, State, or local commitment to deploy qualifying broadband as 
``unserved'' or ``underserved.''--and therefore prohibits the use of 
BEAD funds to overbuild such locations. See BEAD NOFO section 
IV.B.7.a.ii, item 3. Minimizing funding duplication is critical to 
success of the BEAD program and the overarching goal of ensuring that 
all Americans have access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. 
NTIA works closely with the other Federal agencies that fund broadband 
(the FCC, USDA, Treasury, and Commerce's Economic Development 
Administration (EDA)) to minimize Federal broadband funding 
duplication, and will continue to do so as we move forward with the 
BEAD program.

    Question 11. How will the BEAD program consider whether Federal 
grants should be ``stackable'', especially in unserved areas, provided 
they do not fund overlapping projects within the same area?
    Answer. Except as expressly provided for in the IIJA, funds from 
other Federal programs (including funds from the FCC's Universal 
Service Fund programs) may not be used as matching funds. The IIJA 
expressly provides that matching funds for the BEAD Program may come 
from a Federal regional commission or authority and from funds that 
were provided to an eligible entity or a subgrantee for the purpose of 
deploying broadband service under the Families First Coronavirus 
Response Act (Public Law 116-127; 134 Stat. 178); the CARES Act (Public 
Law 116-136; 134 Stat. 281); the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 
(Public Law 116-260; 134 Stat. 1182); or the American Rescue Plan Act 
of 2021 (Public Law 117-2; 135 Stat. 4), to the extent permitted by 
those laws. The NOFO encourages eligible entities to consider terms and 
conditions that may be associated with potential sources of match funds 
and how those may impact the project overall. For example, if an 
eligible entity utilizes Federal regional commission funding as a 
match, the project will need to comply with all BEAD programmatic 
requirements and any requirements imposed by the Federal regional 
commission. Likewise, eligible entities that use funds from the 
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds or Coronavirus 
Capital Projects Fund as the source of matching funds for the BEAD 
Program must comply with the requirements of both the BEAD Program and 
the relevant Treasury program. Loan funding issued through a Federal 
agency, such as through the USDA ReConnect Program, may also be used as 
match funding.

    Question 12. How will the BEAD program consider Federal awards that 
only partially fund projects within a census block, including whether 
this partial funding disqualifies the entire census block from further 
Federal funding?
    Answer. As discussed in the BEAD NOFO (specifically footnote 52), 
eligible entities may fund qualifying projects that include locations 
in an area that has an enforceable commitment for the deployment of 
qualifying broadband to less than 100 percent of the locations in that 
area. Eligible entities must, however, seek to identify as part of 
their challenge process (described in section IV.B.6 of the BEAD NOFO) 
those unserved locations and underserved locations that will not be 
served by qualifying broadband service as a result of such enforceable 
commitment, and use that information in determining whether to treat 
each location as unserved or underserved within the relevant area.

    Question 13. Will the BEAD program consider ``lookback'' funding 
for projects in previously unserved and underserved communities that 
have completed a substantial portion of their buildout?
    Answer. No. Expenses incurred prior to the award of any BEAD 
Program funds generally are not allowable. See, e.g., BEAD NOFO section 
IV.B.2, item 10. In addition, grant funds awarded to an eligible entity 
under this program shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, the 
amounts that the eligible entity would otherwise make available for the 
purposes for which the grant funds may be used. See BEAD NOFO section 
V.H.2.

    Industrial Clusters. I was so glad to see you in Georgia last year 
to announce that Georgia Tech Research Corporation's Georgia Artificial 
Intelligence Manufacturing Pilot Facility and Technology Corridor was 
one of the finalists in the Economic Development Administration's Build 
Back Better Regional Challenge. I'm glad to see funding for this 
critical project to build a manufacturing cluster in Georgia, which 
will help spur innovation and job growth across the region.

    Question 14. What is your long-term vision for the importance of 
building such industrial clusters in the United States?
    Answer. Industry clusters are essential to building communities 
that are globally competitive and provide good jobs for workers at all 
skill levels. They are also important drivers of shared prosperity by 
increasing the amount of investment and talent going to underserved 
areas of the country. Industry clusters also enable communities to 
realize the other benefits of ``agglomeration'' that arise when 
businesses and people locate near one another, such as lower 
transportation costs, better matching between employers and employees, 
and knowledge spillovers that enhance innovation and raise 
productivity.
    Increasing the number of regions that can compete globally through 
their industry clusters isn't just good for the workers and companies 
in those communities but strengthens the U.S. economy in critical areas 
such semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and artificial 
intelligence as in the case of your state of Georgia. But to reach our 
full potential we need significant Federal investment. According to the 
Brookings Institution, just five cities account for over 90 percent of 
new jobs within the innovation sector. My long-term vision is dozens of 
regional clusters across the country with the catalytic investment 
needed for them to successfully capture global markets and accelerate 
U.S. competitiveness. To that end, the Economic Development 
Administration (EDA) is in the process of finalizing grant winners for 
the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC).

    Question 15. How will the Department of Commerce, National Science 
Foundation, and other Federal agencies collaborate to support the 
commercialization of research efforts as well as the need for workforce 
development in these critical clusters?
    Answer. Commerce and the National Science Foundation (NSF) continue 
to collaborate to design complementary programs that align with their 
respective missions. Technologies each have their own unique journey 
from conception to the commercial market, and where NSF focuses on 
enabling research, development, and some demonstration, EDA focuses on 
the demonstration and deployment of technologies into the market. EDA 
is increasingly linking economic development, technology 
commercialization, and workforce development in its national 
competitive programs such as the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, 
the Good Jobs Challenge, Build to Scale, and the STEM Talent Challenge, 
and is engaging NSF and other Federal science and technology agency 
expertise in its proposal evaluations. In fact, to support this 
collaboration, NSF staff have helped with the reviews of applications 
for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
    In terms of workforce development in these critical clusters, EDA 
will continue to work closely with relevant Federal agencies, most 
notably the Departments of Labor and Education, on workforce 
development initiatives to ensure collaboration and coordination on our 
complementary efforts. We have and will continue to leverage our 
respective expertise and experience around workforce by collaborating 
on efforts such as the following: designing new programs to minimize 
duplication and ensure complementary efforts and utilizing other 
Federal agencies' staff and resources in grant application evaluation 
processes.
    In addition, regarding technology transfer, NIST is the host agency 
for the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC), a statutorily chartered 
nationwide network of over 300 Federal laboratories, agencies and 
research centers supporting technology transfer. One of FLC's key 
objectives in FY22 and FY23 is upgrading the public-facing database of 
available Federal technologies, facilities, equipment, and 
collaborative research opportunities. Further, NIST is co-chair of the 
National Science and Technology Council's Lab-to-Market (L2M) 
subcommittee, which develops strategies to foster a healthier 
technology transfer environment through activities, such as reducing 
common barriers to development, sponsoring research, developing 
regulatory and legislative packages, and increasing awareness of 
Federal assets.
    Two sub-bodies of L2M, the Interagency Working Group for Technology 
Transfer and the Interagency Working Group for Bayh-Dole, are also 
convened by NIST to implement these strategies and create cohesion and 
consistency across the Federal agencies to aid in the ability to 
commercialize Federal technologies. NIST collects metrics on technology 
transfer, both from Federal agencies via annual technology transfer 
reports, and, beginning later this year, from Federal funding 
recipients through the iEdison system. iEdison, currently managed by 
NIH, is being transferred to NIST, which has undertaken a complete 
rebuild of the system to update its features, improve its user 
interface, and upgrade its capabilities. NIST's completely updated 
iEdison system is scheduled for launch before the end of the current 
Fiscal Year.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Roger Wicker to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. The majority of countries around the world have 
eliminated or significantly reduced COVID testing requirements for 
international travel, yet the United States continues to have a policy 
in place where a negative test is required within one day of departure 
when flying into our country, regardless of vaccination status. This 
restrictive policy discourages travel to the United States and hurts 
our global competitiveness, particularly for the tourism industry 
during the height of the summer travel season. The economic costs 
associated with these policies remain significant--according to the 
U.S. Travel Association, business travel spending is still 56 percent 
below 2019 levels while international travel spending is down 78 
percent. Is the Administration considering eliminating or changing the 
predeparture testing requirement for travel to the United States? If 
not, why does the United States feel this policy is in the best 
interest of public health when the majority of countries have 
eliminated it?
    Answer. As of June 12, 2022, the CDC will no longer require air 
passengers traveling from a foreign country to the United States to 
show a negative COVID-19 viral test or documentation of recovery from 
COVID-19 before they board their flight.

    Question 2. The CHIPS Act required the establishment of an 
Industrial Advisory Committee to provide you with critical expert 
advice from the private sector and academia on microelectronics R&D, 
manufacturing and policy. NIST issued a request for nominations in 
November 2021. When you do plan to announce the members selected for 
this Committee so that they can start helping to guide CHIPS Act 
implementation decisions?
    Answer. The Department of Commerce and NIST received nominations to 
the Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC) from different sectors of the 
semiconductor ecosystem, including design, software, equipment, 
foundries, integrated device manufacturers, academia, and automotive. 
We are currently at the latter stages of vetting the nominees and 
expect to make an announcement of the new membership, and inaugural 
meeting soon.

    Question 3. There are important national security benefits of 
having chips manufactured in the U.S. Do you plan to allocate money 
from the Commerce Department's financial incentives grant program to 
DoD for their secure microelectronics public-private partnership 
program, as authorized under the CHIPS Act? Or do you believe DoD 
should have its own dedicated funding appropriated by Congress to 
develop access to secure, leading-edge and commercially viable chips?
    Answer. The Department of Commerce recognizes the important 
national security benefits of having semiconductors manufactured in the 
U.S. and the unique needs of the Department of Defense. The Department 
of Commerce and the Department of Defense are working closely together 
to utilize the authorities laid out in section 9902 and 9903 of the 
CHIPS Act to ensure that DOD's critical microelectronics manufacturing 
needs are addressed, while also ensuring that the economic security 
goals of expanding the U.S. share of commercial semiconductor 
manufacturing capacity are met.

    Question 4. Let's assume we can reach agreement on the competition 
package in the near future, what is your best guess as to how long will 
it take the Commerce Department to stand up the CHIPS Act financial 
incentives grant program and for grant money to begin making its way to 
qualified/approved grantees?
    Answer. It is our firm belief that any CHIPS Act financial 
incentive program should be carried out as quickly and as judiciously 
as possible. This will allow the recipients to quickly put the funds to 
use and build the Nation's chip manufacturing capacity. The Department 
of Commerce is working very hard to do as much advanced planning as we 
can prior to the funding of the CHIPS Act to ensure a speedy, 
responsible implementation of financial incentives. Commerce released 
its CHIPS for America Strategy Paper in early September, noting that 
the Department will solicit applications for funding six months after 
enactment of the CHIPS and Science Act in February 2023.

    Question 5. What are the most important things that the Commerce 
Department is planning to focus on and prioritize as you implement new 
programs for semiconductor manufacturing and R&D?
    Answer. As we plan for the implementation of these programs, one of 
the most important things for the Department of Commerce is to make 
sure that we listen to industry and the entire semiconductor ecosystem. 
The chip shortages and need for R&D are not due to a single factor, so 
it is important for us to hear from all stakeholders as we plan these 
programs.
    To this end, we issued a request for information (RFI) and received 
over 200 unique responses from a broad range of the semiconductor 
ecosystem including foundries, facilities, software designers, 
academia, equipment suppliers, materials suppliers, trade associations, 
and professional organizations. We are currently reviewing the 
responses and they will inform the planning and implementation of these 
programs. Issues that have emerged include improved energy efficiency 
of chips, incorporation of security as a design factor, multiple topics 
relevant to advanced packaging including the development of substrates, 
approaches for heterogeneous integration of memory logic and other 
functions, continued advances in semiconductor manufacturing tool 
development, automation of processes, and new design capabilities to 
name just a few. Workforce has also emerged as a consistent and 
critical need that must be addressed to support both our manufacturing 
and R&D goals.

    Question 6. Under USICA, applicants for CHIPS Act grants need to 
satisfy two requirements related to workforce development. First, 
applicants must commit to funding ``training and education benefits'' 
for workers and to expanding ``employment opportunity for economically 
disadvantaged individuals.'' And applicants must prove that they have 
``secured commitments from regional educational and training entities 
and institutions of higher education to provide workforce training, 
including programming for training and job placement of economically 
disadvantaged individuals.'' In implementing the grant program, how 
will the Commerce Department ensure that grantees are both complying 
with the U.S. education and training requirements and prioritizing 
opportunities for American workers? Will the Commerce Department 
prioritize projects that prioritize U.S. workers?
    Answer. Workforce is a topic that cuts across all sections of the 
CHIPS Act and will be an important element in the overall success of 
the law. As you noted, applicants must commit to workforce development 
and show that they have secured commitments from regional educational 
and training entities and institutions of higher education to provide 
workforce training as part of their application or proposal. When 
implementing these programs, the Department of Commerce will closely 
follow congressional intent and make sure that all awardees meet the 
requirements stipulated in the legislation.

    Question 7. Is the FCC coordinating with NTIA on its mapping 
process? Yes or no?
    Answer. Yes.

    Question 8. Will you commit to waiting for the FCC to resolve 
challenges to its maps before allocating and releasing money?
    Answer. The IIJA directs the Assistant Secretary, in coordination 
with the FCC, to allocate Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment 
(BEAD) funds amongst the States once the broadband DATA maps are made 
public. I believe that accurate mapping data is vital. The challenge 
processes for those maps--which include separate processes for States, 
consumers, and providers to challenge (i) the map ``Fabric,'' which 
identifies the universe of broadband serviceable locations, and (ii) 
provider-submitted broadband availability data--will start when the 
maps are released and continue indefinitely, ensuring continuous 
improvement. We are working closely with our colleagues at the FCC to 
determine how best to balance the need to provide certainty regarding 
the amounts to be allocated to the States and territories in a timely 
manner against the need to allow the FCC, States, and providers to 
validate the content of the maps through the challenge process.

    Question 9. When do you expect the FCC will complete that process?
    Answer. The FCC has stated that its goal is to release the initial 
version of the Broadband DATA Maps in November of this year. We are 
working closely with our colleagues at the FCC to determine how best to 
balance the need to provide certainty regarding the amounts to be 
allocated to the States and territories in a timely manner against the 
need to allow the FCC, states, and providers to validate the content of 
the maps through the challenge processes.

    Question 10. During the hearing, you discussed interagency meetings 
at the White House with Mitch Landrieu to address coordination of 
broadband funds. Please provide more detail on how agencies, 
specifically the Federal Communications Commission, the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, Treasury, and 
Agriculture, are coordinating to ensure that funds are not used to 
duplicate already-subsidized projects or overbuild existing networks or 
projects with existing funding commitments. Can you commit to ensuring 
a process that provides a fair opportunity for all technologies to 
participate in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) 
program?
    Answer. Pursuant to the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act, 
NTIA staff have been participating in regular meetings with staff from 
the FCC and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) since April 
2021, to discuss issues such as how best to prevent duplicative funding 
of broadband projects. In May, the FCC, USDA, the Treasury Department, 
and NTIA entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding under which 
Treasury Department staff would join these regular meetings. These 
meetings are held biweekly, but NTIA staff also coordinates with other 
agencies' staff members, both formally and informally, on a much more 
frequent basis.

    Question 11. Will NTIA adopt objective standards by which 
applicants for funding will be vetted, before being invited to 
participate in the BEAD program, to ensure that they have the 
capability necessary to perform?
    Answer. The BEAD NOFO sets forth a variety of requirements designed 
to ensure that only entities with the technical, operational, 
financial, and managerial capability to build and operate the networks 
they seek to deploy are able to obtain BEAD funding for such purposes. 
For example, prospective subgrantees must certify that they are 
financially qualified to meet the obligations associated with a 
project, that they will have available funds for all project costs that 
exceed the amount of the grant, and that they will comply with all 
program requirements, including service milestones. Applicants must 
also provide evidence that a bank has committed to issue a standby 
letter of credit in the event they win funding and must obtain such a 
letter before receiving any such funding. Each prospective subgrantee 
must also provide a narrative describing the prospective subgrantee's 
readiness to manage a broadband services network, as well as resumes 
for key personnel and organizational charts. Likewise, prospective 
subgrantees must submit a network design, diagram, project costs, 
build-out timeline and milestones for project implementation, and a 
capital investment schedule evidencing complete build-out and the 
initiation of service within four years of the date on which the entity 
receives the subgrant, all certified by a professional engineer, 
stating that the proposed network can deliver broadband service that 
meets the requisite performance requirements to all locations served by 
the project. Prospective subgrantees also must certify that they 
possess the operational capability to qualify to complete, operate, and 
maintain the project they propose to build and submit documentation 
evidencing their ability to do so.

    Question 12. Will the NTIA commit to ensuring that broadband 
providers pursuing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) 
funding will not be favored based on their corporate form or 
organizational status?
    Answer. Consistent with the IIJA's terms, the NOFO states that, in 
awarding subgrants for the deployment of a broadband network using 
grant funds, an eligible entity (State or territory) may not exclude 
cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, 
private companies, public or private utilities, public utility 
districts, or local governments (``potential providers'') from 
eligibility for grant funds. The NOFO does not favor any type of 
provider over any other on the basis of its corporate form or 
organizational status.

    Question 13. How will NTIA interpret and administer the ``priority 
broadband projects'' provisions for the BEAD program?
    Answer. The BEAD NOFO states that ``Priority Broadband Projects'' 
are those that use end-to-end fiber-optic architecture, because only 
these projects will meet the statutory criteria--that is, will ``ensure 
that the network built by the project can easily scale speeds over time 
to . . . meet the evolving connectivity needs of households and 
businesses'' and ``support the deployment of 5G, successor wireless 
technologies, and other advanced services.'' The NOFO directs each 
eligible entity to design a project selection process that (with 
limited exceptions) gives first priority to these ``Priority Broadband 
Projects'' where a potential provider has proposed service using end-
to-end fiber. Where no prospective subgrantee proposes to deploy an 
end-to-end fiber solution (i.e., fiber-to-the-home, or FTTH), the 
eligible entity remains free to choose among proposals using other 
technologies that do not extend fiber all the way to the end user, such 
as fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) or fiber-to-the-neighborhood (FTTN).

    Question 14. How does the NTIA plan to address supply chain issues 
that may increase project costs or slow down the timeline for providers 
to complete a project in order to obtain equipment needed to build the 
networks?
    Answer. We understand the concerns about how supply chain 
disruptions might impact timely deployment of high-speed networks. The 
Administration has been working directly with manufacturers to make 
sure that grant recipients have the resources they need. The Department 
of Commerce 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 intend to leverage the resources and expertise within the 
Department and NTIA and to work closely with industrial stakeholders to 
address this critical issue, while at the same time incentivizing 
increased use of domestic supply sources.

    Question 15. Will NTIA consider waiving Buy America requirements, 
which it did in 2009 for the Broadband Technologies Opportunity 
Program, if such requirements create a bottleneck for the deployment of 
broadband?
    Answer. NTIA is looking carefully at whether to waive Buy American 
requirements in connection with the BEAD Program. Any use of waivers 
will be narrowly tailored and time-limited, to ensure that network 
components that can feasibly and economically be produced in the United 
States are produced here, and that exceptions are only made where 
necessary to achieve our broadband deployment goals. We will also be 
careful to send appropriate market signals on the importance of 
increasing opportunities for domestic suppliers.

    Question 16. Commerce's Budget Request proposes $36.2 million for 
BIS to implement the regulatory regime proposed under the Securing the 
Information and Communication Technology and Services (ICTS) Supply 
Chain EO (13873). Given this request, it seems clear that Commerce 
intends to proceed with the rulemaking. Can you further explain how the 
Commerce Department plans to use the authorities granted to it under 
the rulemaking, the status of the licensing program, and whether this 
amount will allocate sufficient resources to investigate transactions 
that the Commerce Dept. is interested in?
    Answer. U.S. businesses and governments at all levels rely heavily 
on Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS), which 
underpin the U.S. economy; support critical infrastructure and 
emergency services; and facilitate the Nation's ability to store, 
process, and transmit vast amounts of data. Former President Trump 
signed Executive Order 13873 to establish a process at Commerce to 
ensure secure U.S. supply chains for ICTS, originally placing that 
review function in the Secretary's office. Executive Order 14034 
clarified that the term ``ICTS'' includes connected software 
applications and set out criteria to evaluate ICTS transactions that 
include connected software applications. On November 26, 2021, the 
Commerce Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking to add 
the definition and accompanying criteria to 15 C.F.R. part 7. The 
Department requested public comments by January 2022 and has reviewed 
and adjudicated those comments. Accordingly, BIS is drafting a final 
rule to incorporate the terms and criteria into existing regulations. 
Over the past year the team has been working to develop the legal, 
regulatory, enforcement and policy regime to make sure that Commerce 
can effectively reduce and manage risks posed by foreign adversaries, 
such as Russia and China, to the ICTS supply chain here in the United 
States. The FY 2022 appropriations bill has helped formally consolidate 
the ICTS program at BIS, and that transition work is ongoing. The 
President's Budget request will help build on that groundwork and 
provide the necessary resources to ramp up this important work, and I 
hope the Committee will fully fund it. Our FY 2023 Budget requests 
$36.2M and 114 new positions for the ICTS program within BIS, which is 
better situated to conduct these reviews.
    The budget request will allow us to build the program from the 
ground up and make strategic investments to develop a new regulatory, 
policy and enforcement program to address the risks to national 
security posed by dangerous ICTS transactions. We will hire people to 
defend our domestic ICTS supply chain--attorneys, analysts, subject 
matter experts, investigators, and auditors. The team will:

   Review (and investigate) ICTS transactions;

   Draft and implement regulations;

   Ensure compliance with mitigation agreements;

   Create and administer a new pre-clearance program for ICTS 
        transactions; and

   Assist with litigation flowing from this work.

    In practice, if the Department determines that an ICTS transaction 
poses an undue or unacceptable risk, the Department may prohibit the 
transaction or modify it (i.e., subject that transaction to mitigation 
measures). Prohibitions or mitigation measures may be imposed on a 
single ICTS transaction or on a category of ICTS transactions, through 
individualized determinations targeted at specific companies and 
following processes specified in the Department's implementing 
regulations. The Department will consult regularly with specified 
agency heads before making a determination on a particular ICTS 
transaction or category of transactions.

    Question 17. People who lose their homes in a storm or flooding 
event may not receive compensation, even with flood insurance, if the 
cause of damage is undetermined between water and wind hazards. This 
``indeterminate loss'' classification can leave people without 
financial support after a serious disaster. The COASTAL Act required 
NOAA to work with FEMA to provide detailed post-storm data that will 
prevent more ``indeterminate loss'' classifications. What is the 
current impact on individuals when their home is completely destroyed 
in an ``indeterminate'' loss? Do you anticipate these determinations 
occurring in future storms?
    Answer. NOAA's work for the COASTAL Act is substantially complete 
and we are working with FEMA to begin the validation phase. The NOAA 
work will feed post-storm data for winds, water, and waves into FEMA's 
model for determining risk. NOAA has done excellent work determining 
the weather and water related parameters in a post-storm environment 
for these devastating storms and looks forward to collaborating with 
FEMA to help address the issue of ``indeterminant loss.''

    Question 18. The President's Budget eliminates COASTAL Act funding. 
Wouldn't suspending work on the COASTAL Act, along with severing 
existing public and private partnerships, set the program back in terms 
of data quality and future research capabilities?
    Answer. As directed by the COASTAL Act, NOAA developed the Named 
Storm Event Model (NSEM) and the Coastal Wind and Water Event Database 
(CWWED), which provide information that FEMA will use in their models 
to identify ``indeterminate loss'' classifications. We have also 
entered into agreements with universities and private sector partners 
to obtain critical information from storms that will impact land and 
possibly result in ``indeterminate losses.'' FEMA has advised that they 
will not be ready to incorporate NOAA information into their models for 
a few years, which makes sustaining the program in a holding pattern an 
inefficient use of taxpayer funds. The work done for the COASTAL Act 
has led to improvements in NOAA operational model predictions of waves, 
water levels, and winds. NOAA will archive all of its work completed 
for the COASTAL Act, including the datasets that were used for 
developing NSEM and CWWED. This information can be used for further 
research.

    Question 19. Why is the COASTAL Act being suspended when the 
development of the Named Storm Event Model and Coastal Wind and Water 
Event Database is 92 percent complete? What further information and 
support do you require from FEMA and other agencies to complete the 
COASTAL Act?
    Answer. NOAA's work for the COASTAL Act is substantially complete, 
except for the final validation and transition phase, which constitutes 
the remaining 8percent of work, and is appropriate to be completed 
closer to the time FEMA is ready to integrate our information.
    We developed the NSEM and the CWWED and are ready to transition the 
program into operations. NOAA will work with FEMA to incorporate our 
information into their models to identify ``indeterminate loss'' 
classifications.

    Question 20. Specialty aircraft that fly into storms, known as 
Hurricane Hunters, provide critical atmospheric and storm data to NOAA 
that supports hurricane forecasting and modeling. NOAA's P-3s are 
nearing the end of their service life. The reduced reliability and 
effectiveness of these aircraft will lead to a significant loss of 
hurricane forecast data relied that is relied on by coastal communities 
and emergency managers throughout the country. Will there be a 
detrimental impact to forecasts if these planes are not replaced?
    Answer. Yes. There would be a detrimental impact if those data were 
not available. We will need new hurricane hunters in the future and 
NOAA is developing a plan to address this requirement, which is being 
finalized.

    Question 21. The 2019 NOAA Aircraft Plan, ``Building NOAA's 21st 
Century Fleet,'' says that ``the observations and forecasting activity 
will be detrimentally impacted if aircraft are not sustained'' and 
``this significant loss of capability will negatively impact NOAA's 
ability to provide accurate forecasts critical for protection of lives, 
property, and the national economy.'' Why are you suspending the P-3 
recapitalization program if these aircrafts are so crucial for 
protecting life, property, and the economy? We have been told an 
updated aircraft plan is forthcoming. Can you provide information on 
when that will be delivered?
    Answer. The updated Aircraft Recapitalization Plan is in the final 
stages of review and we are aiming to deliver it to Congress soon.

    Question 22. A toxic workplace culture can put the scientific 
enterprise and the stewardship of our Nation's natural resources in 
jeopardy. As was seen most recently at the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, leadership within the science agencies sets the tone 
for the rest of the workforce. We have heard that there have been 
issues of disrespect and a toxic work environment within NOAA. How are 
you and Dr. Spinrad ensuring that there is a culture of respect in the 
workplace, particularly for women and minorities? How do you and Dr. 
Spinrad plan to ensure that the leadership of women and minorities is 
given equal respect at NOAA?
    Answer. NOAA is committed to creating a workplace environment that 
fosters inclusion and belonging for all members of the workforce. To 
that end, NOAA has recently developed a set of values informed by its 
employee resource groups and other members of the workforce that focus 
on creating a respectful environment for all members. Likewise, many 
diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts, activities and 
initiatives are taking place throughout the agency. Additionally, the 
NOAA Administrator's leadership team is the most diverse in NOAA 
history. This includes, for the first time, a Senior Advisor on Equity 
and a Senior Advisor on Tribal Engagement in his office.
    In March 2021, NOAA launched a workforce culture survey to gather 
critical data on the prevalence of misconduct and discrimination. This 
survey is the first-of-its-kind to examine this information through an 
intersectional lens of race, gender, and sexual orientation. From that 
survey, line offices will work with subject matter experts to identify 
ways to address the findings and foster a culture where employees can 
thrive. In addition, NOAA implemented mandatory training for Federal 
employees (supervisor and non-supervisor) on the prevention of 
harassment and discrimination. NOAA also has partnered with employee 
resource groups to deliver monthly webinars on various topics infused 
with intersectionality and social justice principles. These are just a 
few examples of how NOAA and the Department are seeking to create a 
diverse and inclusive workforce and agency culture that we hope will 
outlast our tenure.

    Question 23. Does the Department of Commerce budget reflect the 
anticipated need for staff to efficiently process requests from energy 
companies to obtain MMPA authorizations?
    Answer. The FY23 DOC budget includes an increase of $2.5 million to 
process requests for offshore wind Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) 
authorizations as well as Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7 
consultations. The FY23 DOC budget also includes an increase of $5.0 
million to address ESA section 7 consultations and MMPA authorizations 
nationwide--beyond just offshore wind, including requests from non-wind 
energy companies and other entities carrying out projects under the 
2021 Infrastructure Act. NMFS currently lacks staff capacity to keep up 
with our authorization workload demand; however, funding both of these 
requests would greatly help ensure we have the staff required to focus 
on multiple high priority requests, such as oil and gas development and 
offshore wind, for authorizations that we anticipate in FY23.

    Question 24. In the Gulf of Mexico, the Incidental Take Rule (ITR), 
as written, has resulted in a number of limitations because it was 
based on mistaken assumptions and faulty science, which NMFS itself has 
recognized. This has proven to be an impediment to the development of 
domestic energy resources when our nations and ally's energy security 
is of paramount concern. Do you have the right resourcing and staffing 
in place to expedite the revision of the Rule allowing critical seismic 
surveys to occur when they are needed the most? Is the Department aware 
of delays to on-lease development due to an inadequate and 
scientifically deficient ITR and do you have any plans to expedite 
corrections to the deficient ITR? Are additional resources needed to 
correct the limits that are not reflective of the best available 
scientific information?
    Answer. Yes, the Department is aware of delays with on-lease 
development and additional resources would be helpful to revise the 
rule and address outstanding Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) 
applications.
    Oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico have the potential to 
``harass'' marine mammals and if so, they are prohibited unless the 
project sponsor received a form of incidental harassment authorization 
under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In order to create 
efficiencies, NOAA issued a programmatic ``Incidental Take Rule'' (ITR) 
in 2021 and adopted an expedited process for such authorizations. The 
programmatic rule allowed NOAA to issue 25 authorizations under the 
``harassment caps'' established in the programmatic process.
    The programmatic rule was based on estimates of the extent of 
activity and associated marine mammal interactions provided by the 
Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM). Late in 2021, the 
Department became aware that BOEM had underestimated the amount of 
potential take and we are aware of the delays to on-lease development 
that have followed. The result was that some (but not all) oil and gas 
projects for 2022 could not come within the programmatic rule because 
doing so would exceed the harassment cap for killer whale harassment. 
Those projects could still potentially be authorized on an individual 
basis but that process takes longer.
    BOEM provided revised estimates and NOAA is processing a revision 
to the authorization process. NOAA hopes to propose a revised 
determination soon, to be followed by a final determination. At the 
same time, NOAA continues to process harassment authorizations under 
the programmatic rule for those activities that will not exceed the 
current harassment cap. NOAA has recently issued three additional 
authorizations that will not exceed the current harassment cap and is 
processing a number of others. The current and increasing IHA workload 
does require more resources than currently available to NOAA for these 
requests, and the 2023 Budget requests funding to support these 
activities.

    Question 25. In January, the Department released a report 
summarizing the results of a Request for Information (RFI) on the 
semiconductor supply chain. One of the key findings focused on those 
chips facing the biggest disruptions, specifically logic chips, analog 
chips, and optoelectronics chips. As noted in the report, many of these 
chips are used in critical industries like autos, broadband and medical 
devices. Based on these results, the report stated that the Commerce 
Department would begin to engage industry ``on node-specific problem-
solving in the coming weeks. . .'' How is the Department engaging with 
particular industries on this node-specific problem-solving and what is 
the status of that work? How will this effort inform the Department's 
efforts to address the semiconductor shortage moving forward?
    Answer. As part of our planning for the implementation of the CHIPS 
and Science Act, the Department of Commerce is conducting a broad 
outreach to the semiconductor ecosystem to ensure that we receive input 
from stakeholders. These include companies who manufacture chips for 
critical industries such as automotive, health care, aerospace, 
communication equipment, and consumer goods using logic chips, analog 
chips, and optoelectronics chips. The Department of Commerce, with the 
assistance of NIST, also initiated a request for information (RFI) and 
received over 200 unique responses from a broad swath of the 
semiconductor ecosystem including foundries, facilities, design 
software, academia, equipment suppliers, materials suppliers, trade 
associations, and professional organizations. We are currently 
reviewing the responses and they will inform the planning of these 
programs.
    In addition to the RFI, the Department of Commerce has conducted 
more than 50 meetings with industry groups and professional 
organizations, including organizations that are focused on both 
leading-edge nodes and mature node semiconductors, and analog chips. 
The input received from all industry sectors will be invaluable in 
planning the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act.

    Question 26. Funding for the CHIPS Act provisions is unlikely to 
resolve the near-term capacity limitations that continue to constrain 
production across multiple sectors. The Department has identified the 
importance of transparency across the semiconductor supply chain--from 
producers to end-users--to help navigate the near-term demand 
challenge. What steps are you taking to address this question of 
transparency and how are you engaging with industry to drive progress 
on this issue?
    Answer. The Biden-Harris Administration conducted 100-day reviews 
of the supply chains for four critical products under Executive Order 
14017. The Report describes the state of these supply chains and steps 
that should be taken to build resilient supply chains and revitalize 
America's manufacturing sector.
    The Department of Commerce is using its partnership with industry 
to facilitate information flow between semiconductor producers and 
suppliers and end-users and leveraging its convening power, including 
through its advisory committees, to bring stakeholders together to 
promote improved data sharing and transparency.
    In addition, the Department of Commerce, with the assistance of 
NIST, issued a request for information (RFI) earlier this year 
soliciting information that will inform the implementation of the CHIPS 
Act. The Department received over 200 unique responses from a broad 
swath of the semiconductor ecosystem including foundries, facilities, 
design software, academia, equipment suppliers, materials suppliers, 
trade associations, and professional organizations. We are currently 
reviewing the responses and they will inform the planning these 
programs.
    The Department of Commerce also conducted more than 50 meetings 
with industry groups and RFI information sessions and workshops, to 
make sure different parts of the industry are aware of the CHIPS for 
America Act and how they can help with the planning of these programs.
    In order to help the Department move forward on semiconductors, the 
Department urges the Congress to fund the 2023 President's Budget 
request for an additional $10.85 million and 38 positions at ITA's 
Industry and Analysis (I&A) business unit. I&A plays a central role in 
identifying risks and opportunities for the growth of U.S. industries 
and has a unique strength in understanding industries and their global 
supply chains. Their industry relationships and analytical work inform 
and direct many of the Administration's supply chain activities, 
including international and industry engagements for semiconductors, 
for crisis response, such as for Russia-Ukraine, and long-term 
strategic and policy efforts to counter risks posed by foreign 
adversaries, such as the People's Republic of China's (PRC) civil-
military fusion and their efforts to exploit U.S. technological 
breakthroughs and corner the market in specific supply chains, as it 
has with the solar industry. With the FY 2023 request, I&A can add 
value on existing lines of effort, including understanding and 
advancing strategies and specific recommendations on semiconductors, 
critical minerals, and electric vehicle batteries, as well as leading 
international engagements.

    Question 27. We know that there are applications using quantum and 
quantum-hybrid technology which are tackling problems in manufacturing, 
logistics, drug discovery, etc. How is the Department of Commerce 
thinking about the use of quantum and quantum-hybrid technology and its 
role in supporting the development of this technology into applications 
that benefit the public?
    Answer. Quantum and quantum-hybrid technologies are critical and 
emerging areas that are important to our future technological progress; 
however, they are also areas where the U.S. can lead the rest of the 
world. Through research performed at NIST, the Department of Commerce 
is working to ensure that new developments in quantum technologies 
benefit the public at large.
    As an example, the NIST-on-a-Chip research program is developing 
quantum-based technologies that take measurement services out of the 
lab and directly to the end user. These include technologies for 
measuring magnetic and electric fields; biochemical sensing, size, and 
dimensions; current; voltage; and resistance. All of these measurement 
services are critical to the development and success of quantum 
technology.
    NIST also supports the Quantum Economic Development Consortium 
(QED-C). The QED-C is a consortium of stakeholders whose purpose is to 
enable and grow a robust commercial quantum-based industry and 
associated supply chain in the United States. The activities of the 
QED-C include helping companies with quantum-related technology needs 
find suppliers, customers and partners; providing a forum for quantum 
jobs; developing industry-relevant standards; and working on industry-
identified projects where some of the knowledge we've developed at NIST 
is transferred to member companies. There are currently more than 200 
QED-C participating organizations, including members from the 
automotive, aerospace, finance, and software industries, universities; 
government agencies; small and medium-sized companies, and other 
stakeholders.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Deb Fischer to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. With significant sums of taxpayer dollars going to the 
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for 
broadband deployment pursuant to the bipartisan infrastructure law, 
agency accountability is critical. Down the road, we will not be able 
to say the $42.5 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment 
(BEAD) program funding was spent in the best possible way, unless we 
have the right evaluation tools to do so. Does NTIA intend to have a 
standardized method to evaluate states' progress under the BEAD 
broadband deployment program?
    Answer. Yes. Both eligible entities and subgrantees will be 
required to comply with robust reporting requirements. In addition to 
the reporting requirements found in 2 C.F.R. part 200, NTIA will 
provide additional reporting instructions in connection with the 
requirements set forth in section VII.E of the BEAD Notice of Funding 
Opportunity (NOFO), including details on the manner and format that 
Eligible Entities will be required to report information in support of 
Federal agency obligations under the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, (47 U.S.C. 
Sec. 1307) and Section 60105 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 
Act (IIJA).

    Question 2. Does NTIA intend to make all BEAD program submissions 
publicly available so that we can fully review what has been submitted, 
whether bids were competitive, and which broadband plans ultimately win 
out?
    Answer. NTIA will comply to the fullest extent possible with the 
robust reporting requirements for eligible entities and subgrantees 
within IIJA that and requires NTIA, the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC), and other agencies to coordinate to make information 
regarding Federal broadband funding, low-cost plans, and other aspects 
of the BEAD Program readily available to and understandable by the 
public. The BEAD NOFO also reminds potential applicants that recipients 
of Department of Commerce and NTIA grants also should be cognizant of 
the access to records requirements set forth at 2 C.F.R. Sec. 200.337.

    Question 3. In November, President Biden issued an Executive Order 
to establish a task force for the implementation of the bipartisan 
infrastructure law. Though this task force was created for 
implementation, it was not part of the legislative statute. During the 
hearing, you referenced the task force's meetings. Could you please 
provide more details about the Commerce Department's work and 
coordination with this task force?
    Answer. President Biden established the White House Infrastructure 
Implementation Task Force to support agency implementation of the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The task force looks to break down 
barriers and drive implementation across all levels of government. As a 
member of the Task Force, I work with the White House Infrastructure 
Implementation Coordinator and my fellow cabinet secretaries to align 
implementation with the Administration's priorities, share lessons 
learned, and tackle cross-cutting efforts like cybersecurity and rural 
outreach. Where possible, I bring the unique resources of the 
Department of Commerce to bear in helping the Administration fulfill 
the promise of this historic legislation.

    Question 4. What has been accomplished since the creation of the 
task force?
    Answer. Since established in November, the Task Force has a number 
of accomplishments that support implementation. The Task Force has 
focused on promoting opportunities and increasing participation by 
releasing resources such as the BIL guidebook, the rural playbook, and 
a catalog of technical assistance resources for potential funding 
recipients. Additionally, the Task Force coordinated and participated 
in the Rural Outreach tour to ensure rural communities can take 
advantage of the opportunities the BIL provides. And, importantly, the 
Task Force coordinates implementation of related programs across the 
government, such as broadband initiatives. This coordination helped the 
Department of Commerce meet its statutory deadline for releasing the 
notice of funding opportunity for its broadband programs while ensuring 
alignment with other related programs at USDA and FCC.

    Question 5. How frequently does it meet? How many meetings have 
occurred to date?
    Answer. The Task Force currently meets monthly; however, the staff 
implementation coordinators meet more frequently.

    Question 6. You noted there are separate meetings to discuss 
broadband matters. Who is present in these meetings?
    Answer. The National Economic Council has been hosting regular 
meetings to coordinate Federal agencies on broadband. Alan Davidson, 
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, 
represents the Department of Commerce in these meetings, and co-leads 
them with the National Economic Council. Other attendees include the 
Office of the Vice President, the Domestic Policy Council, Office of 
Management and Budget, the FCC, Department of the Treasury, USDA, and 
the Department of the Interior.

    Question 7. What considerations has the task force discussed, 
agreed upon, or disagreed about, related to distribution of the 
broadband funding by NTIA?
    Answer. The Task Force was designed to ensure coordination on 
matters of policy. It did not address issues of funding distribution, 
which are largely dictated by statute.

    Question 8. How will the task force's decision making affect NTIA's 
implementation of the law?
    Answer. The Task Force was designed to ensure coordination on 
matters of policy but did not have decision making authority. The NOFO 
is the result of decision-making by the Assistant Secretary for 
Communications and Information, informed by input from me, coordination 
and consultation with the FCC and other agencies as directed by 
statute, and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) 
review process. Additionally, the NOFO reflected input gained through 
NTIA's Request for Comments, listening sessions, and stakeholder 
engagement including with governors, mayors, industry, and public 
interest organizations.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Dan Sullivan to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. Amid delays associated with the rollout of Tribal 
Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) awards, certain Tribal applicants 
are concerned that inflation occurring in the interim may have 
substantially raised the costs associated with the initially-proposed 
project. What steps are the Department and NTIA taking to ``inflation-
proof'' applications so that applicants are not unfairly penalized for 
witnessed inflation that may have occurred since submitting a proposal?
    Answer. Section 905(c)(7) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
2021, provides that a Tribe awarded a TBCP grant may enter into 
contracts and subgrants after ensuring, among other things, that the 
contractor has the financial capacity to meet the obligations of the 
project and the requirements of Section 905(c) of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) 
section 60102(g)(2)(A)(ii) and the Broadband Equity, Access, and 
Deployment (BEAD) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) similarly 
require states and territories to ensure that prospective subgrantees 
have the managerial and financial capacity to meet the commitments of 
the subgrant and any requirements of the Program. NTIA has been working 
closely with applicants to ensure that potential projects and 
subgrantees meet these requirements, and permitting Tribal applicants 
to adjust their project budgets to accommodate external factors like 
inflation so long as such adjustments do not result in a net increase 
in the amount requested in the application.

    Question 2. As you know, the BEAD program offers excellent 
opportunities for our states to bring high speed broadband services to 
long-neglected areas. However, potential issues may extend beyond 
states making, and NTIA approving, wise project awards. There may well 
be additional challenges related to project construction schedules--
especially in Alaska with our narrow seasonal construction window. 
Whether the projects may be delayed as a result of permitting 
approvals, environmental sign-offs, or any number of other project 
implementation hold-ups, many of them related to Federal mandates, how 
do you see your department's role in facilitating smooth project 
completions?
    Answer. NTIA is committed to working closely with, and providing 
support and technical assistance to, eligible entities to help ensure 
that their subgrantees are capable of and prepared to meet the 
timelines and goals established for the program. An eligible entity, 
including Alaska, may extend the four-year network deployment deadline 
for subgrantees by not more than one year if: (1) the subgrantee has a 
specific plan for use of the grant funds, with project completion 
expected by a specific date not more than one year after the four-year 
deadline; (2) the construction project is underway; or (3) extenuating 
circumstances require an extension of time to allow the project to be 
completed. In addition, extensions for eligible entities for any part 
of the process may be granted at the sole discretion of the Assistant 
Secretary when extenuating circumstances demonstrate that additional 
time will support the overall goals of the BEAD Program.

    Question 3. 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. How are 
the Department and NTIA thinking about this high cost set aside as it 
relates to Alaska?
    Answer. NTIA has not yet determined how to identify high-cost areas 
for purposes of BEAD funding allocations but is actively considering 
the factors enumerated in the statute.

    Question 4. What assurances can you give that the Department and 
NTIA are committed to ensuring that Alaska gets the sizeable resources 
needed to connect every Alaskan with affordable broadband service?
    Answer. Recognizing broadband's fundamental role in today's society 
and its centrality to our Nation's continued health and prosperity, 
President Biden has pledged to make sure that every American has access 
to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet. The Department of 
Commerce and NTIA are fully committed to fulfilling that pledge in all 
areas of the country--including Alaska.

    Question 5. Alaska ranks absolutely last in terms of broadband 
access in the United States. Being home to 229 federally recognized 
tribal governments, some of which reside in Alaska's most remote 
communities that can only be accessed by plane or ferry, the need for 
Federal investments in broadband infrastructure has only been 
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. I recently heard from some of our 
communities that they have been paying roughly $1,000 per month just to 
make sure their kids have Internet access necessary to attend school, 
they can continue working, and elders can access healthcare. Despite 
our demonstrated need, we continue to face hurdles in building out 
broadband infrastructure, largely in part because of the vast and 
unique geographical features of our state. Some of Alaska's Tribes have 
broadband service areas covering tens of thousands of square miles. To 
ensure they are able to bring high speed, reliable Internet to the 
different village communities they serve, Federal funding must account 
for the impact of a changing permafrost, distance between village 
communities, and other factors unique to Alaska. In reviewing 
applications for TBCP and other NTIA funds, how will the Department 
factor in the size of a tribe's service delivery area, the unique 
terrain and other geographical barriers that drive up broadband 
infrastructure costs?
    Answer. The TBCP NOFO and application review process were designed 
to ensure that applications to serve particularly remote and 
challenging locations are not penalized during the review process. 
Specifically, the TBCP NOFO establishes objective evaluation criteria 
for use during the 3 phases of review for broadband infrastructure 
deployment projects. These criteria preference applications that seek 
to serve those communities demonstrating the highest level of need for 
the deployment of broadband infrastructure in the proposed service area 
on eligible lands where tribal citizens reside. These criteria also 
include an assessment of each proposal's technical approach and related 
network planning, capacity and performance. Additionally, reviewers 
must take into account, among other things, the geographic location of 
the proposed project, any limitations on the time period available for 
construction, and whether the applicant is requesting an extension of 
time to complete the proposed broadband infrastructure deployment 
projects.

    Question 6. Additionally, the TBCP application provided some level 
of priority consideration for regional applications. How does this 
priority consideration factor into NTIA's decision to fund a project?
    Answer. It is important to clarify that the TBCP NOFO did not give 
priority to regional applications. However, NTIA encouraged in the TBCP 
NOFO a regional approach to Broadband Infrastructure Deployment 
Projects through the submission of applications on behalf of a 
consortium or of multiple Tribal partners (each of which was required 
to be an eligible entity) that proposed to cover regional 
infrastructure gaps or other eligible projects in the most cost-
effective manner, while providing access to those communities that meet 
the definition of ``unserved'' per the statute. Similarly, NTIA 
encouraged eligible entities to collaborate or participate as part of a 
consortium for Broadband Use and Adoption Projects.

    Question 7. NOAA fisheries surveys are the primary data source to 
manage the Nation's commercial fisheries, the majority of which occur 
off Alaska. I continue to be concerned about having adequate funding to 
maintain the entire footprint of surveys across Alaska, including the 
Northern Bering Sea, which has become increasingly important as fish 
and crab stocks move north. In addition, NOAA surveys have been 
cancelled and delayed due to mechanical issues with the Oscar Dyson. 
Ship time is critical to stock assessments for the Nation's largest 
fishery--pollock in both the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. What is 
NOAA doing to ensure we maintain a full complement of surveys, as well 
as have established back-up plans when there are contingencies?
    Answer. While we cannot predict mechanical failures, we are 
proactively inspecting vessels and awarding planned maintenance 
contracts in advance. The Biden-Harris Administration's FY23 budget 
request for NOAA Fisheries includes an increase of $3.3 million to 
continue to build the agency's capacity for climate-informed fisheries 
assessments and management strategies and for survey and data 
collection activities. The FY23 budget includes new investments for 
expansion of surveys, sampling, and analysis capabilities to better 
track species that are shifting, expanding, and contracting their 
distributions due to climate change, while working to address the 
rising costs of surveys to ensure we maintain levels performed in the 
recent past. NOAA appreciates the additional funding provided in FY22 
appropriations and is on target to complete most of its scheduled 
fishery's surveys. Surveys are critical to the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) mission in all of our regions. NMFS relies on 
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) vessels for many of our 
survey activities and we also partner with the fishing industry and 
others to charter vessels for some of our highest priority surveys. Our 
cooperative research with the fishing industry improves our science as 
we are able to benefit from their experience and knowledge. 
Additionally, NMFS continues to invest in automated and remote sensing 
systems to augment our surveys. We also are conducting studies to 
investigate ways to reduce survey effort while maintaining the 
certainty and quality of our stock assessments. We recognize the 
importance of fisheries and fisheries surveys to Alaska and recognize 
the survey needs are increasing in Alaska, expanding the footprint of 
fisheries is one example. We continue to work with OMAO to make full 
use of NOAA supported vessels.

    Question 8. How is NOAA ensuring that ship time for Federal surveys 
in Alaska is not diverted to other NOAA interests such as wind energy 
or marine mammal surveys in other regions?
    Answer. Days at Sea are carefully planned well in advance through 
two layers of approval via the Fleet Working Group and NOAA Fleet 
Council. Priority is given to NOAA projects as prioritized by each line 
office and agreed upon by all NOAA Line Offices.
    NMFS has developed an extensive Strategic Resource Management 
practice to ensure that the right resources are put in the right places 
to support our highest priority activities. Our priorities are outlined 
in 5-Year Strategic Plans and Annual Guidance Memoranda. All NMFS 
Science Centers participate annually in a regional activity 
prioritization process to inform national level resource allocation.

    Question 9. The national marine sanctuary (NMS) program has been 
given new attention given the interest in new conservation areas under 
this administration. This NOAA program strongly emphasizes a locally 
driven sanctuary nomination process, stating that for a sanctuary to be 
successful, it must have the support and involvement of the communities 
that border and rely on it. What are the specific criteria NOAA's NMS 
office uses to determine whether a proposal for nomination and/or a 
sanctuary designation have the necessary broad local community support?
    Answer. In evaluating sanctuary nominations, NOAA uses four 
national significance criteria and seven management considerations in 
deciding whether to add a sanctuary nomination to the inventory of 
successful nominations, as described in the Final Rule ``Re-
Establishing the Sanctuary Nomination Process.'' See 79 Fed. Reg. 
33,851 (June 13, 2014). Management consideration number 7 in Section 
IIIB of the Final Rule specifically defines community-based support as 
coming from a '' broad range of interests, such as: individuals or 
locally-based groups (e.g., friends of group, chamber of commerce); 
local, Tribal, state, or national elected officials; or topic-based 
stakeholder groups, at the local, regional or national level (e.g., a 
local chapter of an environmental organization, a regionally-based 
fishing group, a national-level recreation or tourism organization, 
academia or science-based group, or an industry association).'' Id. At 
33,854. NOAA's final evaluation is then based on a qualitative analysis 
of a nomination's ability to demonstrate the relevant national 
significance criteria and management considerations, with particular 
emphasis on this management consideration number 7 to ensure community-
based support. Once NOAA initiates a sanctuary designation process, 
NOAA solicits public comment at various stages of the process through 
public meetings and notices in the Federal Register. NOAA strongly 
considers input from the local community in formulating a new 
sanctuary's environmental impact statement, management plan, and 
regulations.

    Question 10. How does NMS weigh local community views relative to 
other criteria?
    Answer. In both evaluating sanctuary nominations and conducting 
sanctuary designation processes, NOAA qualitatively considers community 
views in concert with multiple other criteria and standards, including 
those specified in the National Marine Sanctuary Act. NOAA requires all 
nominations to include information addressing all seven management 
considerations, with special emphasis on consideration number 7, 
describing community-based support.

    Question 11. Alaska has natural resources and geography that fuel 
the national economy, support national defense, and astonish hundreds 
of thousands of visitors every year; but it has little commercial 
agriculture or manufacturing to feed and supply Alaska consumer needs. 
Residents of my remote state must ship in most of the food, fuel and 
goods that are consumed in Alaska. Port of Alaska is my state's primary 
inbound cargo facility. It handles three-quarters of all non-fuel cargo 
shipped into Alaska and distributed to final destinations statewide. 
Ninety percent of Alaskans regularly consume food, fuel and goods 
shipped across Port of Alaska's docks. The Department of Defense relies 
on Port of Alaska in Anchorage as a designated commercial strategic 
seaport to defend our Nation and project U.S. forces around the world. 
And Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport--the fourth busiest 
cargo airport in the world--fuels international commerce with Jet A-1 
shipped through Port of Alaska. Unfortunately, this port's half-century 
old docks have exceeded their useful life and are at risk of sudden 
failure and collapse should another large earthquake strike 
Southcentral Alaska--which is a question of ``when'' not ``if.'' 
Alaska's small population size and density cannot economically support 
more than one major, inbound seaport, and cargo logistics mean Alaska 
can only afford to maintain about one week of food security. The Port 
of Alaska Modernization Program aims to rebuild Anchorage's cargo docks 
and stabilize Port uplands to maintain safe, reliable, and economic 
cargo operations into the foreseeable future. Project planners have 
discovered that permitting is the biggest challenge to replacing 
Anchorage's failing docks in a timely fashion. National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed a five-year rule making process for 
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) compliance. I understand that there 
is a MMPA exemption for military readiness activities, but it may not 
be applicable to this Port project and the exemption requires 
consultation between the Secretaries of Defense and Commerce. Given the 
state of the Port, the extreme risk to Alaska's food supply chain from 
the next major earthquake, and the potential national defense impacts 
Port of Alaska failure--are there other avenues to streamline the 
permitting process?
    Answer. The Port of Alaska is critical to Alaska's economy and 
livelihoods, making this a top priority across the state. The MMPA 
provides only two pathways for authorizing incidental take associated 
with projects like the Port of Alaska. An applicant can apply for 
either an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) which is effective 
for only 1 year or an applicant can apply for a Letter of Authorization 
(LOA) which is effective for 5 years. A one-year IHA generally takes 5-
8 months to complete, and a 5-year LOA takes between 9-15 months to 
complete.
    The Port of Alaska has received annual IHAs in 2020 and 2021 and 
NMFS will continue to work with both the Port and NOAA on future 
permitting needs. NMFS has suggested that a five-year LOA could be an 
efficient alternative to the annual IHA. as it allows for authorization 
of take over a five-year period. However, this process does require a 
lengthier development period. Alternatively, or in tandem, the Port may 
continue to pursue one-year IHAs, which may be completed more quickly.

    Question 12. Please tell us if you intend to make every effort to 
have NMFS -at all relevant agency and subagency levels of jurisdiction 
and engagement in the permitting for the project--proactively seek to 
cooperate with the Corps of Engineers (which I anticipate will be the 
NEPA lead for this project), USDOT, the State of Alaska and the 
Municipality of Anchorage at the earliest possible time.
    Answer. Cooperating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 
staff at the Port of Alaska, their contracted environmental consulting 
firms, and other partners, has been and remains a top priority for 
NMFS. Many of our Alaska Region staff live and work in the area that 
would be affected by any disruption of Port services. We are committed 
to a collaborative approach to the consultations and authorizations for 
this project.

    Question 13. How will NMFS work to make sure that as subsequent 
funds and made available for the Port of Alaska Modernization Program, 
via grants, loans, otherwise, that there is one NEPA process and not 
multiple repetitive or redundant processes?
    Answer. NMFS strives to assist in streamlining the permitting and 
authorization processes for large scale projects. In the case of the 
Port of Alaska modernization project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
will lead the NEPA process, and NMFS will provide guidance on the 
timing and information needs for ESA Section 7 and MMPA consultations 
to reduce the likelihood of repetitive processes. The FY23 DOC budget 
includes an increase of $2.5 million to process requests for offshore 
wind MMPA authorizations as well as ESA section 7 consultations. The 
FY23 DOC budget also includes an increase of $5.0 million to address 
ESA section 7 consultations and MMPA authorizations nationwide--beyond 
just offshore wind, including requests from non-wind energy companies 
and other entities carrying out projects under the 2021 Infrastructure 
Act. Funding both of these requests would greatly help ensure we have 
the staff required to focus on multiple high priority requests for 
authorizations that we anticipate in FY23.

    Question 14. Will you commit to implementing a policy that 
encourages people in your agency to reach out early and sincerely to 
their counterparts in other agencies and among stakeholders?
    Answer. Yes. I have prioritized the Department of Commerce and its 
bureaus to reach out and be accessible to stakeholders, other agencies, 
and the general public who are interested and/or impacted by the work 
of the Department pursuant to the availability of resources.

    Question 15. My Save Our Seas 2.0 (PL 116-224), a bill to combat 
marine debris, was signed into law in December 2020. Organizations 
under the Department of Commerce, principally NOAA, are implementing 
SOS 2.0 provisions, particularly by establishing the Congressionally-
chartered Marine Debris Foundation and releasing a number of reports on 
plastic waste. What are the challenges and upcoming milestones in 
continued SOS 2.0 implementation?
    Answer. The Department of Commerce continues to make steady 
progress toward implementing its requirements under the Save Our Seas 
2.0 Act, including the appointment of the Marine Debris Foundation 
Board of Directors and the first meeting of the Board (section 112), a 
study conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine on United States plastic pollution data (section 133), and a 
study on mass balance methodologies to certify circular polymers 
(section 134). The Department expects to complete several other 
components of the Act in calendar year 2022, including the studies 
required in section 135 and section 136. The Department also continues 
to support implementation of reports assigned to the Interagency Marine 
Debris Coordinating Committee. A draft of the report required under 
section 132 is expected to be released for public comment in calendar 
year 2022. The Department has also worked to implement its Title II 
requirements, coordinating with the Secretary of State and the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
to support international efforts to combat marine debris. Several 
bureaus of the Department are involved in developing and supporting 
United States Government positions for international negotiations to 
create a new global instrument on plastic pollution, as decided at the 
February 2022 United Nations Environment Assembly.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. For good reason, I hear from Tennesseans about their 
concerns with the current supply chain situation and the effect it's 
having on their businesses. And this is not limited to any certain kind 
of company--the supply chain shortages are hurting everyone from Oak 
Ridge National Labs to small providers of home appliances. For this 
reason, I worked with Senators Peters and Scott to introduce a bill to 
direct the SelectUSA program to engage with states about how to attract 
foreign direct investment from non-adversarial countries for 
semiconductor manufacturing. How are you working with states and their 
economic development organizations--like the Tennessee Department of 
Economic and Community Development--to think about the role of foreign 
direct investment in helping fill gaps in the supply chain?
    Answer. SelectUSA hosted the 2022 SelectUSA Investment Summit on 
June 26-29, 2022. The annual SelectUSA Investment Summit embodies 
SelectUSA's unique capabilities to convene U.S. economic development 
organizations (EDOs) and foreign investors to attract foreign direct 
investment. 51 of the 56 U.S. state and territory EDOs participated in 
the 2022 SelectUSA Investment Summit, including the Tennessee 
Department of Economic and Community Development. SelectUSA engaged 
directly with these EDOs as well as foreign business investors, to 
provide support as they develop, coordinate, and shape future 
investments in semiconductors and other critical supply chains. 
SelectUSA hosted delegations from over 70 international markets, 
including from Taiwan and South Korea which have recently made 
significant semiconductor investments in the United States.
    Two separate semiconductor announcements were made at the 2022 
SelectUSA Investment Summit, including a groundbreaking $5 billion 
announcement by Global Wafers from Taiwan, which is bringing the 
production of raw silicon wafers to American soil, building the largest 
facility of its kind in Sherman, Texas, creating 1,000 new jobs and 
closing a critical gap in the semiconductor supply chain shortage. 
Additionally, MediaTek, one of the world's largest manufacturers of 
fabless semiconductors announced a major investment in Indiana. Their 
new collaboration with Purdue University will develop the workforce in 
the semiconductor industry, targeting new engineering talent.
    The Department of Commerce, and 13 other Federal agencies, were on 
site to engage directly with EDOs and foreign business investors 
regarding Federal policies and programs to help support and bolster 
U.S. critical supply chains. In addition, Federal leaders engaged 
directly with state and local EDO leaders in planning sessions focused 
on IIJA and supply chain implementation approaches and challenges. 
Finally, SelectUSA is also working with government officials in non-
adversarial countries that actively promote and support foreign direct 
investment into the United States to find common ground on advancing 
investments in critical supply chain sectors.
    Beyond the Investment Summit, SelectUSA provides services that 
directly respond to investor and EDO needs in supply chain critical 
areas.
    In order to help the Department's efforts on foreign direct 
investment, the Department urges the Congress to fund the 2023 
President's Budget request for an additional $10.85 million and 38 
positions at ITA's Industry and Analysis (I&A) business unit. I&A plays 
a central role in identifying risks and opportunities for the growth of 
U.S. industries and has a unique strength in understanding industries 
and their global supply chains. This analytical work informs and 
directs many of the Administration's supply chain activities. I&A also 
supports U.S. economic and national security through identifying 
commercialization opportunities for firms, identifying chokepoints in 
supply chains, directing action to mitigate risks, and supporting key 
industries to enhance domestic manufacturing and expand exports and 
foreign investment.With the FY 2023 request, I&A can add value on 
existing lines of effort. including understanding and advancing 
strategies and specific recommendations on critical minerals, electric 
vehicle batteries, and semiconductors as well as efforts to attract 
foreign investment in key sectors.

    Question 2. And how do we make sure--like our bill contemplates--
that those dollars are not coming from countries like China, but rather 
those who want to work with us and not against us to ensure the U.S. 
can stay a leader in manufacturing?
    Answer. We take the risks involving China and other strategic 
competitors that threaten our national security very seriously and work 
to bring together all elements and resources of the Department of 
Commerce. For example, we apply significant scrutiny to certain 
incoming investments, including from foreign adversaries, through our 
work on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States 
(CFIUS). During the interagency assessment period, Commerce conducts 
analysis to identify risks arising from transactions. In doing so, 
Commerce takes into account United States international technological 
leadership in areas affecting national security. Commerce analysis is 
based on in-depth industry and market expertise and also considers the 
applicability of other authorities such as export controls.

    Question 3. Many of our allies are working on near term cases for 
applied quantum computing. Canada has an Applied Quantum Computing 
Challenge. Australia is looking at quantum computing applications to 
optimize their transportation system. I am concerned the U.S. will fall 
behind others around the globe on getting the benefits of this 
important technology. How will you accelerate your efforts to build a 
program that would be focused on working with industry on developing 
and deploying quantum and quantum-hybrid applications for public sector 
uses?
    Answer. Some of the activities specified by the National Quantum 
Initiative (NQI) Act direct the Department of Commerce to ``Continue 
and expand basic and applied QIS research, including measurement and 
standards infrastructure, necessary to advance commercial development 
of quantum applications.'' To this end, NIST supports the Quantum 
Economic Development Consortium (QED-C). The QED-C is a consortium of 
stakeholders whose purpose is to enable and grow a robust commercial 
quantum-based industry and associated supply chain in the United 
States. Some of the activities in QED-C include helping companies with 
quantum-related technology needs find suppliers, customers and 
partners; providing a forum for quantum jobs; developing industry-
relevant standards; and working on industry-identified projects where 
some of the knowledge we've developed at NIST is transferred to member 
companies. There are currently more than 200 QED-C participating 
organizations, including members from the automotive, aerospace, 
finance, and software industries, universities; government agencies; 
small and medium sized companies, and other stakeholders.
    In addition, the NIST-on-a-Chip research program is developing 
quantum-based technologies that take measurement services out of the 
lab and directly to the end user. These include technologies for 
measuring magnetic and electric fields; biochemical sensing, size, and 
dimensions; current; voltage; and resistance. All of these measurement 
services are critical to the development and success of quantum 
technology. Another aspect of NIST's quantum research is developing 
measurement systems for high-fidelity, scaled quantum systems to 
support of U.S. industry work on quantum computing processors and 
transformative sensors. NIST also runs a Quantum Network Grand 
Challenge for developing a multi-node testbed quantum network in both 
the Washington, D.C. and Boulder areas.

    Question 4. The National Quantum Initiative Act was signed into law 
in December 2018, and directed the Administration to work with industry 
and academia to help build out the quantum computing ecosystem within 
the U.S. In this effort, Congressional intent was clear that we wanted 
to encourage collaboration between industry, academia and government 
for this important emerging technology. One of the best ways to do that 
is to foster public-private partnerships. How is the Department of 
Commerce incorporating public-private partnerships for near term 
application development so that businesses and governments can access 
the benefit of quantum technology applications within the next 5 years?
    Answer. One of the functions outlined in section 210 of the 
National Quantum Initiative (NQI) is for NIST to ``Establish or expand 
collaborative ventures or consortia with other public or private sector 
entities,. . .for the purpose of advancing the field of quantum 
information science and engineering.''
    In response, NIST established the Quantum Economic Development 
Consortium (QED-C). The QED-C is a consortium of stakeholders whose 
purpose is to enable and grow a robust commercial quantum-based 
industry and associated supply chain in the United States. Some of the 
goals of the QED-C are to:

  1.  identify high-impact use cases and applications for quantum 
        information science and technology (QIST);

  2.  identify and develop strategies to address gaps in enabling 
        technologies, standards and performance metrics, security, and 
        workforce;

  3.  inform government of the country's quantum information science 
        and technology needs; and

  4.  facilitate collaborations among members, and with government, to 
        accelerate QIST development, commercialization, and economic 
        benefits.

    There are currently more than 200 QED-C participating 
organizations, including multiple agencies and a diverse set of 
industry, academic, small and medium-sized companies, and other 
stakeholders, who are working together to identify gaps in technology, 
standards, and workforce and to address those gaps through 
collaboration. Public-private partnerships have the potential to lower 
costs and speed development by leveraging private sector technical 
expertise and robust project governance, but implementation can be 
complex and requires a balanced sharing of risks and returns to realize 
the full benefits for society and taxpayers.
    Some of the activities in QED-C include helping companies with 
quantum-related technology needs find suppliers, customers and 
partners; providing a forum for Quantum jobs; developing industry-
relevant standards; and working on industry-identified projects like 
advancing cryogenics for quantum information science and technology. 
NIST will continue to explore additional opportunities to engage U.S. 
industry in commercializing quantum and quantum hybrid technologies.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Todd Young to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. Earlier this month, Gridtential Energy announced a 
product development agreement with Camel Energy, the largest car 
battery manufacturer in China, and an unnamed top-three U.S. automaker 
to manufacture bipolar battery technology. Gridtential was the 
recipient of a Department of Energy grant several years ago that helped 
to develop this technology. Yet Camel, a Chinese company, proudly 
states on its website that it is ``a high-tech enterprise supported by 
the state.'' This announcement looks like an example of the U.S. 
government supporting technology development in a critical sector that 
we are ultimately allowing to be manufactured and co-opted by China, 
costing American jobs and increasing our reliance on China in the 
process. Is the Department of Commerce looking into this case and 
working with the Department of Energy to be sure that we are taking 
steps to protect American technology and reap the benefits of our 
Federal investments right here in the US?
    Answer. Without commenting on any specific party or transaction, 
the U.S. government has tools to address and prevent the acquisition of 
sensitive technologies through foreign investment or export. In 
addition, the Commerce Department, through the Bureau of Industry and 
Security, administers appropriate controls on exports and reexports of 
dual-use commodities, technology, and software subject to the Export 
Administration Regulations (EAR) for national security and foreign 
policy reasons, and regularly instructs industry on whether potential 
transactions involving exports of items subject to the EAR would be 
contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

    Question 2. The private sector is putting significant sweat equity 
and actual equity into the development of quantum computing and leaning 
in on the potential for future technological discoveries.
    Answer. We are encouraged by the number of U.S. companies that are 
investing in different aspects of quantum technology. A good number of 
these companies belong to the Quantum Economic Development Consortium 
(QED-C), a consortium supported by NIST, with the purpose of enabling 
and growing a robust commercial quantum-based industry and associated 
supply chain in the United States.

    Question 3. Understanding quantum applications vary in scope and 
tenure, how is your department studying near term applications of 
quantum to ensure we get the use of the technology today?
    Answer. Related to quantum sensing, arguable the most mature 
subsector of quantum technologies, the NIST on a Chip program is 
focused on building quantum-based devices that are self-calibrating, 
fit-to-function, and manufacturable. This allows us to take measurement 
services out of the lab and directly to the end user and help NIST turn 
quantum research into commercial products. Examples of NIST on a Chip 
technologies that have been commercialized include the chip-scale 
atomic clock and chip-scale magnetometers.
    NIST also continues to play an important role in developing and 
disseminating key enabling technologies relevant to quantum computing 
and quantum networking, including Nobel Prize winning research in ion 
trapping which has been adopted and built upon by several U.S. quantum 
computing companies, and NIST technology for faint light detection that 
has formed the basis for start-up companies.

    Question 4. Is there a plan to fund near-term application 
development that can be deployed between 2023-2026?
    Answer. Several quantum sensing and measurement technologies are 
being co-developed with industry and other government agencies through 
the NIST on a Chip program. These efforts are anticipated to accelerate 
further technology development and to yield commercially viable and 
perhaps deployable devices by 2026.

    Question 5. How are you tasking your science and innovation office 
with building out quantum applications for government uses?
    Answer. The Biden-Harris Administration is making a lot of 
investments in critical and emerging technologies, such as quantum. As 
we make these investments, it is important that we use some of these 
technologies to help improve the U.S. Government's work.
    One of the task forces within the Quantum Economic Development 
Consortium (QED-C), is Quantum for National Security (Q4NS). Q4NS is a 
forum for government and industry to exchange information related to 
advancing quantum information science and technology for national 
security applications. Some of the work includes quantum for 
positioning, navigation and timing, a topic of interest to the 
Department of Defense.
    In addition, some of our NIST-on-a-Chip work is done in 
collaboration with other U.S. Government agencies. For example, the Air 
Force has adopted our devices for measuring laser power and the Army 
has deployed some of our quantum voltage instruments.
    NIST also coordinates efforts with QIS leaders from other 
government agencies, such as NASA, National Science Foundation, Air 
Force Research laboratory, and the Department of Energy, to develop and 
mature critical technologies to build the future quantum internet, 
including terrestrial and space-based tests.
                                 ______
                                 
      Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Lee to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. Madame Secretary, as you are well aware the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act awarded the NTIA with $42 
billion for broadband deployment. My understanding is that NTIA will 
soon be issuing a NOFO for this funding. The IIJA gives the NTIA broad 
discretion to put additional requirements on funding recipients, which 
has raised concerns about implementation. Therefore, I would like to 
have some commitments from you regarding such funding. During his 
nomination process, NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson committed to me in 
writing that he would not advocate for ``net neutrality'' conditions to 
be placed on the broadband fund distributed by NTIA. Can you commit 
that ``net neutrality'' policy will not be a condition for this 
funding?
    Answer. On May 13, 2022, NTIA released the NOFO describing the BEAD 
Program. The NOFO did not impose net neutrality on BEAD-funded (or 
other) networks.

    Question 2. Broadband open access is a debate regarding whether 
broadband companies must be required to provide access to their 
facilities for competing businesses that don't own the infrastructure. 
Can you commit that open access requirements are not a condition of 
funding?
    Answer. The BEAD NOFO does not require any provider to offer open 
access over last-mile broadband networks constructed using BEAD 
funding. The NOFO encourages--but does not require--States and 
territories to consider whether a provider will offer open access 
wholesale last-mile broadband service for the life of the subsidized 
networks, on fair, equal, and neutral terms to all potential retail 
providers, when choosing among competing proposals.

    Question 3. Administrator Davidson also committed in writing to 
avoiding the ``overbuilding'' of broadband network. The 
``overbuilding'' of broadband networks has been a serious problem along 
with the duplication of resources from other agencies. What steps has 
the Department taken in the implementation of the IIJA to prevent 
network ``overbuilding'' and the duplication of broadband funds with 
other agencies?
    Answer. The BEAD NOFO explicitly prohibits States and territories 
from treating any location that is already subject to an enforceable 
Federal, State, or local commitment to deploy qualifying broadband as 
``unserved'' or ``underserved.'' See BEAD NOFO section IV.B.7.a.ii, 
item 3. NTIA is committed to implementing the statute faithfully. 
Minimizing funding duplication is critical to success of the BEAD 
program and the overarching goal of ensuring that all Americans have 
access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. NTIA works closely 
with the other Federal agencies that fund broadband (the FCC, USDA, 
Treasury, and Economic Development Administration (EDA)) to minimize 
Federal broadband funding duplication, and will continue to do so as we 
move forward with the BEAD program.

    Question 4. Unfortunately, our spectrum pipeline is dangerously low 
and after the upcoming 2.5Ghz auction, it will be bare. This requires 
identifying more spectrum bands for reallocation in conjunction with a 
national spectrum strategy. Since you have taken office, what steps has 
the Department taken to implement a national spectrum strategy?
    Answer. I strongly disagree that our spectrum pipeline is 
dangerously low. The United States leads the world in wireless 
technologies, and a big reason for this has been our ability make large 
swaths of spectrum available to private industry--and for that spectrum 
to be used effectively and efficiently. The Biden-Harris Administration 
is working hard to make available highly valuable mid-band spectrum 
between 3.1 and 3.45 GHz. This has the potential for an auction of an 
enormous amount of contiguous spectrum--if we do it right. Lots of work 
still needs to be done, and I am confident NTIA will be doing its part.
    The Biden-Harris Administration's work on the 3.1-3.45 GHz is 
proceeding consistent with Congress's directions. The Administration 
puts its imprint on spectrum policies and strategies every day, and 
they will make appropriate announcements in due course.

    Question 5. Related to the spectrum strategy, what steps have you 
taken to review existing allocations, promote greater efficient use of 
Federal bands, and identify future bands for auction?
    Answer. Spectrum is vital to modern economies, and I cannot 
emphasize that enough. We understand the demand for spectrum in the 
private sector. NTIA, thus, constantly evaluates possible bands for 
spectrum repurposing, and we also have an important job in supporting 
critical Federal missions that require spectrum. Repurposing has to be 
done right. It takes time, and the low-hanging fruit is gone. That is 
why we have to manage Federal spectrum more efficiently. We are 
improving coordination among Federal agencies, including the FCC. We 
are emphasizing the importance of evidence-based policymaking and 
leveraging new technology to conduct IT modernization. With these 
steps, we aim to keep the spectrum pipeline flowing.

    Question 6. What steps has the Department taken to improve spectrum 
coordination decision-making between the NTIA and FCC? And have you 
made any changes to improve the transparent sharing of between the 
agencies?
    Answer. Improving spectrum coordination is an important policy for 
NTIA. This year, NTIA and the FCC established the Spectrum Coordination 
Initiative. Under this initiative, Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson 
and FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel reestablished the practice of 
regular high-level meetings to conduct joint spectrum planning. On 
August 2nd, NTIA and the FCC updated their nearly twenty-year-old 
Memorandum of Understanding to help facilitate coordination between the 
two agencies. NTIA and the FCC are contributing to a new spectrum 
strategy that will guide us for years to come. And to foster technical 
exchange and engagement with industry and other Federal agencies, both 
NTIA and the FCC are participating in cross-agency advisory groups--
with the FCC participating as an observer in the Commerce Spectrum 
Management Advisory Committee, and NTIA participating as an observer in 
the FCC's Technological Advisory Council and the Communications 
Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council.

    Question 7. It is no secret that exports contribute significantly 
to our economy. The Department of Commerce has noted their importance, 
and has even posited that businesses that export are less likely to go 
out of business, record higher revenues, and create more jobs, than 
those that don't.\1\ One issue that I believe is important for our 
exports (and imports) is dredging or deepening our port and navigation 
channel's capacity. NOAA itself has found that with just one more inch 
of depth at a port, a cargo ships can carry about 50 more tractors, 
5,000 televisions, 30,000 laptops, or 770,000 bushels of wheat.\2\ This 
means fewer trips overall, which is good for the safety of our 
waterways, the environment, and consumer prices. This issue was brought 
to the surface just last year when the Federal Maritime Commission 
expressed its grave concern over a Texas state bill that restricted on 
way transit of Neo-Panamax vessels due to capacity restraints.\3\ The 
Commission asserted that these restrictions could ``severely hamper the 
competitiveness of the Port of Houston and impact the long-term 
competitiveness of the entire Gulf of Mexico's ocean container trade.'' 
It is my fear that if we do not reduce the many barriers that inhibit 
our dredging practices, problems similar to the ones at the Port of 
Houston will become standard across the nation. Do you agree that 
dredging at our ports is important and should be a key focus of our 
supply chain strategy if we want to increase U.S. competition globally?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ International Trade Administration, COVID-19 Economic Recovery: 
An Important Moment Arrives for U.S. Exporters, May 19, 2021, available 
at: https://blog.trade.gov/2021/05/19/covid-19-economic-recovery-an-
important-moment-arrives-for-u-s-exporters/
    \2\ U.S. Department of Commerce, An Inch of Water. What's it Worth? 
available at: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/economy/inch-water/
    \3\ FMC, A letter to the Port of Houston expressing concerns about 
port regulations, March 2, 2021, available at: https://www.fmc.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2021/03/BentzelSolaHoustonShip
ChannelMarch2021.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Answer. Absolutely. Dredging helps keep our ports working 
efficiently and enables the safe transport of goods and services across 
the country and across the globe, powering our export markets and 
helping to ensure supply chains are able to meet pace with demand. 
However, simply dredging alone is not enough. Once dredging occurs, 
NOAA must re-survey the area and apply the new depth contours to 
electronic navigational charting products to allow mariners to safely 
navigate into ports.

    Question 8. Can you commit to further looking into this matter?
    Answer. Yes, I will commit to looking into this issue further. 
Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

    Question 9. One of the debates currently happening is over the 
government subsidization of semiconductor manufacturing. USICA/America 
Competes Act both would allocate $52 billion. The proposed funding 
doesn't specify the types of semiconductor production that would be 
funded. Is it your view that funding should be used to support all 
types of semiconductors?
    Answer. The chip shortages we are experiencing affects a broad 
range of industries using different types of chips. The Department of 
Commerce is committed to addressing the domestic semiconductor 
manufacturing challenges through a broad-based approach that focuses on 
the overall domestic chip production ecosystem. Currently we are 
planning to fund incentives that would expand manufacturing capacity 
relevant to logic chips at both advanced and mature nodes, memory, 
analog and optoelectronics, as well as investment in advanced packaging 
capabilities, and other efforts related to the broader health of the 
overall semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.

    Question 10. Given the shifts that occur in markets--including 
within semiconductors, how do you prevent government subsidies from 
causing an oversupply of goods?
    Answer. The Biden-Harris administration conducted 100-day reviews 
of supply chains for four critical products, including semiconductors, 
under Executive Order 14017. The Report describes the state of these 
supply chains and steps that should be taken to build resilient and 
robust supply chains and revitalize America's manufacturing sector. As 
we plan for the implementation of the CHIPS Act, the Department of 
Commerce is using some of the recommendations of that report.
    Also, the Department of Commerce, with the assistance of NIST, 
issued a request for information (RFI) and received over 200 unique 
responses from a broad range of the semiconductor ecosystem including 
foundries, facilities, design software, academia, equipment suppliers, 
materials suppliers, trade associations, and professional 
organizations. The input from industry on how to structure the program 
for maximum efficiency will be invaluable during the implementation 
phase.

    Question 11. Could government subsidies in semiconductors cause 
trade disputes? What has the Department done to prepare for potential 
retaliation?
    Answer. The CHIPS and Science Act is a historic investment that 
will help revitalize the U.S. domestic manufacturing economy, spur 
research and development in critical industries, and enable us to 
continue outcompeting and out-innovating the rest of the world. These 
investments will create high-quality, good-paying jobs for hundreds of 
thousands of Americans, secure American supply chains, and protect 
America's global scientific and technological leadership for decades to 
come. The Department will continue to consult other relevant agencies, 
including USTR, on implementation.

    Question 12. We know that U.S. manufacturing costs are higher than 
foreign countries, including Asian markets. In your review of our 
supply chains, have you looked at or considered the regulatory 
compliance burdens associated with our domestic manufacturing?
    Answer. The supply chain reports drafted in response to E.O. 14017 
were coordinated by the White House, with Commerce leading on the 
semiconductor and co-leading with the Department of Homeland Security 
on the ICT supply chain reports. Domestic regulatory compliance burdens 
were covered in those reports, but were not a primary focus area. 
However, the Department does review its own regulatory processes, 
seeking input from relevant stakeholders and working with other 
government agencies where appropriate, to identify and reduce 
regulatory barriers.

    Question 13. It is my understanding that companies have to receive 
a ``letter of authorization'' (LOA) for an allowable number of takings 
from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in order for the 
company to develop its existing Federal oil and gas lease? Just two 
months ago, NMFS noted that the ``takes'' authorized under its rule 
were ``miscalculated'' slowing the approval of LOAs until a rulemaking 
can be conducted. Let me be clear. It was a mistake from the agencies 
that is slowing down the permits. How many outstanding permit 
applications are sitting with NMFS? And how long are they taking to 
approve?
    Answer. Oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico have the 
potential to ``harass'' marine mammals and if so, they are prohibited 
unless the project sponsor received a form of incidental harassment 
authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In order to 
create efficiencies, NOAA issued a programmatic ``Incidental Take 
Rule'' (ITR) in 2021 and adopted an expedited process for such 
authorizations. Individualized authorizations take more time and 
resources but this avenue for securing authorizations is still 
available if the standards are met. The programmatic rule allowed NOAA 
to issue 25 under the ``harassment caps'' established in the 
programmatic process.
    The programmatic rule was based on estimates of the extent of 
activity and associated marine mammal interactions provided by the 
BOEM. Late in 2021, the Department became aware that BOEM had 
underestimated the amount of potential take. The result was that some 
(but not all) oil and gas projects for 2022 could not come within the 
programmatic rule because doing so would exceed the harassment cap. 
Those projects could still potentially be authorized on an individual 
basis but that process takes longer.
    BOEM provided revised estimates and NOAA is processing a revision 
to the authorization process. NOAA hopes to propose a revised soon, to 
be followed by a final determination. At the same time, NOAA continues 
to process harassment authorizations under the programmatic rule for 
those activities that will not exceed the current harassment cap. NOAA 
has recently issued three additional authorizations that will not 
exceed the current harassment cap and is processing a number of others. 
There are an additional 10 pending requests seeking authorization to 
harass killer whales that would exceed the current cap. The problem 
created by BOEM's revised estimates is an issue not of duration of 
approval, but of the ability to issue these LOAs at all due to 
exceeding the harassment cap. When able to issue an LOA (for example, 
when take exceeding the harassment cap is not expected) approval 
periods are approximately two weeks.

    Question 14. How long will NMFS be working on new regulations? And 
why can't an interim decision be made to temporarily prioritize LOAs to 
help advance the development of our existing oil and gas leases?
    Answer. NMFS is continuing to process authorizations that will not 
exceed the current harassment cap. It has recently issued three such 
(as additional take has become available for authorization upon 
completion of currently ongoing surveys) and is processing a number of 
others. Further, NMFS hopes to propose a revised determination soon, to 
be followed by a final determination.
    Nevertheless, NMFS currently does not have the capacity to keep up 
with the need for ESA and MMPA environmental compliance activities. The 
FY23 DOC budget includes an increase of $2.5 million to process 
requests for offshore wind MMPA authorizations as well as ESA section 7 
consultations. The FY23 DOC budget also includes an increase of $5.0 
million to address ESA section 7 consultations and MMPA authorizations 
nationwide--beyond just offshore wind, including requests from non-wind 
energy companies and other entities carrying out projects under the 
2021 Infrastructure Act. Funding both of these requests would greatly 
help ensure we have the staff required to focus on multiple high 
priority requests for authorizations that we anticipate in FY23.

    Question 15. In a recent interview with Time, you stated that as 
co-chair of the President's Supply Chain Disruption Task Force, the 
Commerce Department's solution to rising energy prices is to: 
``increase domestic production of batteries, solar panels, [and] other 
products that need to be made in America. The more we make in America, 
the more supply we have here, it will just bring down prices''.\4\ I'm 
skeptical that fostering domestic production of certain industries like 
batteries and solar panels, will result in picking industry winners and 
losers. How does increasing production of batteries and solar panels 
bring down gas prices?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ TIME, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on the Chip Shortage, 
Supply Chain Issues, and Russian Sanctions, July 22, 2021, available 
at: https://time.com/6156329/commerce-secretary-raimondo-chips/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Answer. As I mentioned in my response to the question posed in the 
Time interview, a detailed analysis of energy prices is best coming 
from the Secretary of Energy. That being said, the Department of 
Commerce is focused on fostering domestic production for critical 
industries, including in the energy sector. A robust domestic supply 
chain in energy will reduce U.S. dependence on other countries and has 
the added benefit of creating American jobs. As renewable sources of 
energy become increasingly important, we should be doing everything we 
can to ensure that the high-quality jobs making batteries and solar 
panels are here at home. By making energy supply chains more resilient, 
we should have fewer supply shocks and lower prices for American 
consumers.

    Question 16. My understanding is the critical minerals needed for 
these projects are in China? Doesn't this stance make us more dependent 
on China?
    Answer.The Chinese Government has tremendous control over that 
nation's State-Owned-Enterprises, which traditionally align themselves 
with the Party's current 5-Year Plan and other national objectives. 
Since the early 1990s, China has dominated the global market for many 
key critical minerals and strategic materials. China is the world's 
leading producer and consumer of several of these materials that are in 
high demand in the United States.
    The U.S. Government, in conjunction with strategic partners and the 
U.S. private sector, must take aggressive, meaningful steps to ease our 
Nation's dependence on China for processed critical materials and their 
associated downstream inputs. For instance, the Department of Energy 
has multiple programs to drive innovation in critical minerals, 
including a Rare Earth Element Demonstration Facility and $675 million 
critical minerals research, development, demonstration, and 
commercialization program, both established in the Bipartisan 
Infrastructure Law. At the same time, the United States must partner 
with allies to diversify supply chains, move aggressively to establish 
secondary sources for the processing and recycling of critical 
minerals, and pursue substitutability and re-engineering alternatives 
to reduce U.S. import reliance on China for critical minerals.
    The one-year Capstone Report for EO 14017 published by the White 
House references the need to update mining laws and regulations related 
to mining critical minerals on Federal lands. Moreover, the Biden-
Harris Administration released a Fact Sheet entitled ``Securing a Made 
in America Supply Chain for Critical Minerals'' to highlight all of the 
actions being taken to ensure we have access to critical minerals 
needed to secure our economic and national security. Finally, in March 
2022, the President authorized the use of the Defense Production Act to 
promote secure critical mineral supplies, an effort that Commerce is 
supporting.
    In order to help the Department move forward on critical minerals, 
the Department urges the Congress to fund the 2023 President's Budget 
request for an additional $10.85 million and 38 positions at ITA's 
Industry and Analysis (I&A) business unit. I&A helped inform the 
aforementioned efforts, and the requested funding for FY 2023 would 
permit I&A to partner more with allies to diversify supply chains and 
to alleviate stress in the supply chain for critical minerals. I&A 
plays a central role in identifying risks and opportunities for the 
growth of U.S. industries and has a unique strength in understanding 
industries and their global supply chains. This analytical work informs 
and directs many of the Administration's supply chain activities, 
including staffing most of the Department's actions on critical 
minerals, for crisis response, such as for Russia-Ukraine, and long-
term strategic and policy efforts to counter risks posed by foreign 
adversaries, such as the PRC's civil-military fusion and their efforts 
to exploit U.S. technological breakthroughs and corner the market in 
specific supply chains, as it has with the solar industry. With the FY 
2023 request, I&A can add value on existing lines of effort, including 
understanding and advancing strategies and specific recommendations on 
critical minerals, electric vehicle batteries, and semiconductors as 
well as leading international engagements.

    Question 17. Wouldn't energy prices have a better chance of being 
lowered if we increased domestic production of all energy sources, 
including oil, natural gas, and coal?
    Answer. While the Administration is committed to achieving energy 
independence and resilience through investments in clean energy and 
increasing domestic production of critical materials needed for 
batteries, we are also increasing domestic production of other energy 
sources, including oil and natural gas. The U.S. Energy Information 
Administration (EIA) forecasts that the U.S. will produce 11.9 million 
barrels of oil per day (b/d) in 2022, and 12.7 million b/d in 2023, 
which would set a record for most U.S. crude oil production in year and 
would represent a major increase on the 11.25 million b/d produced in 
2021. The ETA also anticipates U.S. dry natural gas production to 
average 96.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2022, which would 
also set a record for most natural gas produced in the United States in 
a year. The EIA projects U.S. natural gas production will increase even 
further in 2023, averaging 100.0 Bcf/d.
    While U.S. oil and gas production ramps up to all-time highs, the 
Biden-Harris Administration has taken additional steps to increase 
energy supply to lower prices by announcing the largest-ever release of 
oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and coordinating with partners 
and allies around the world to do the same.

    Question 18. The Digital Equity Act has a ``nondiscrimination'' 
provision that must be enforced consistent with Title VI of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964.\5\ However, categories for ``actual or perceived'' 
sexual orientation and gender identity appear in the Digital Equity 
Act, but not Title VI. Disparities like this have arose in the past 
concerning gender, and the Department of Justice has thus weighed in on 
multiple issues in this space, including public school bathroom 
policy,\6\ \7\ the Violence Against Women Act,\8\ and women's 
sports.\9\ The determinations that the DOJ made in this space are 
problematic to me, and I want to ensure that IIJA funding will not be 
contingent on similar definitions of sexual orientation and gender 
identity. Because the Department of Commerce must enforce the Digital 
Equity Act's ``nondiscrimination'' provisions, please answer the 
following: Will the Department define ``discrimination'' according to 
the DOJ's enforcement under Titles IV and IX?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ P.L 117-58, Title III, Sec. 60307
    \6\ DOJ, United States Reaches Agreement with Arcadia, California, 
School District to Resolve Sex Discrimination Allegations, July 24, 
2013, available at: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-
reaches-agreement-arcadia-california-school-district-resolve-sex-
discrimination
    \7\ DOJ, Case Summaries, G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board, 
available at: https://www.justice.gov/crt/case-summaries#gloucester
    \8\ DOJ, Memorandum on the Interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton 
County, March 10, 2022, available at: https://www.justice.gov/crt/page/
file/1481776/download
    \9\ DOJ, Case Summaries, B.P.G. v. West Virginia State Board of 
Education, available at: https://www.justice.gov/crt/case-
summaries#wvboard
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Answer. The Department has not yet made any determinations 
regarding enforcement of the Digital Equity Act's nondiscrimination 
requirements.

    Question 19. Is access to restrooms regardless of sex a requirement 
of any school that seeks to apply for broadband funds under either the 
State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program or the Digital Equity 
Competitive Grant Program?
    Answer. The IIJA's broadband provisions do not address this issue, 
and it is not addressed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity we have 
issued in relation to the programs created by that legislation.

    Question 20. Would the administration's definition of 
``discrimination'' prohibit an eligible grant recipient from partnering 
with or providing broadband to a school that maintains sex-specific 
facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms?
    Answer. The IIJA's broadband provisions do not address this issue, 
and it is not addressed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity we have 
issued in relation to the programs created by that legislation.

    Question 21. Will a shelter be forced to house female survivors 
with men who identify as women in order to apply for broadband funds 
under either the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program or the 
Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program?
    Answer. The IIJA's broadband provisions do not address this issue, 
and it is not addressed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity we have 
issued in relation to the programs created by that legislation.

    Question 22. Would the administration's definition of 
``discrimination'' prohibit an eligible grant recipient from partnering 
with or providing broadband to a shelter that houses only biological 
females?
    Answer. The IIJA's broadband provisions do not address this issue, 
and it is not addressed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity we have 
issued in relation to the programs created by that legislation.

    Question 23. Would the administration's definition of 
``discrimination'' prohibit an eligible grant recipient from partnering 
with or providing broadband to a school that only allows biological 
females in girls and women's sports?
    Answer. The IIJA's broadband provisions do not address this issue, 
and it is not addressed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity we have 
issued in relation to the programs created by that legislation.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Johnson to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. White House Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep 
Singh recently stated, ``We inherited these tariffs and while they may 
have created negotiating leverage they serve no strategic purpose.'' Do 
you agree with this statement regarding tariffs? If not, please 
explain.
    Answer. USTR has jurisdiction over the 301 tariffs. We understand 
that USTR is currently in the process of starting the statutory 4-year 
review of the China Section 301 tariffs, which provides an opportunity 
to conduct a full assessment of the tariffs. As part of the process, 
USTR will invite comments from the full range of stakeholders, 
including labor, agriculture, and business. This process is a key part 
of the Administration's deliberative, long-term vision for realigning 
the U.S.-China trade relationship around our priorities and making 
trade work for American workers and businesses.

    Question 2. Deputy National Security Advisor Singh also stated, 
``For product categories that are not implicated by those objectives, 
there's not much of a case for those tariffs being in place,'' he said. 
``Why do we have tariffs on bicycles or apparel or underwear?'' Do you 
agree with this statement? If not, please explain.
    Answer. See above.

    Question 3. A recent paper from the Peterson Institute stated 
liberalizing trade ``could deliver a one-time reduction in consumer 
price index (CPI) inflation of around 1.3 percentage points.'' Do you 
believe tariffs contribute to inflation? If not, please explain.
    Answer. My understanding is that economists have differing views on 
that specific estimate. I welcome the opportunity to review the 
Peterson Institute's report along with the range of scholarship on the 
relationship between trade policy and inflation.

    Question 4. What are your plans for lifting or reducing tariffs?
    Answer. USTR has jurisdiction over the 301 tariffs. We understand 
that USTR is currently in the process of starting the statutory 4-year 
review of the China Section 301 tariffs, which provides an opportunity 
to conduct a full assessment of the tariffs. As part of the process, 
USTR will invite comments from the full range of stakeholders, 
including labor, agriculture, and business. Meanwhile, USTR and 
Commerce have negotiated agreements with key U.S. allies on 232 tariffs 
for steel and aluminum products that will protect American jobs; avoid 
retaliatory tariffs on iconic American brands like Harley Davidson and 
the Kentucky bourbon industry; reduce inflationary pressures on 
products like cars, trucks, appliances and canned goods; alleviate a 
major supply chain crunch by supporting increased steel and aluminum 
capacity in the U.S.; and address the national security threats 
identified in the 232 reports.

    Question 5. The argument for the steel tariffs was that it would 
bring back steel manufacturing to the U.S., but American steel 
companies have not appreciably invested in production quality or 
capacity for tinplate steel, which is necessary for the canned food 
industry. Instead, production capacity is dropping, while producers are 
doubling prices to pad profits. In light of this, how do you justify 
continuing steel tariffs, particularly during the current economic 
climate of high inflation and ongoing supply chain issues?
    Answer. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to the 
continued health and productivity of the U.S. steel sector as a matter 
of national security. However, we share your expectation that the 
protection afforded by the Section 232 tariffs will result in 
reinvestment in U.S. production of steel and would be concerned about 
any anti-competitive behavior in this sector.

    Question 6. You stated during the hearing that net neutrality is up 
to the FCC. However, other agencies such as USDA are including net 
neutrality commitments as an evaluation metric for program applicants. 
Are you considering making net neutrality a condition or evaluation 
metric for programs overseen by the Department of Commerce? Please 
explain.
    Answer. On May 13, 2022, the NTIA released the NOFO describing the 
BEAD Program. The NOFO did not impose any net neutrality requirements 
on BEAD-funded (or other) networks.

    Question 7. The President's Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2023 
includes $11.7 billion for the Department of Commerce, an 18 percent 
increase above the Fiscal Year 2022 enacted level. How should Congress 
and the American people pay for this increase, if enacted?
    Answer. The Budget's investments are more than paid for through 
reforms that would make the tax system more equitable. For more detail 
on the specific provisions in the President's Budget Request, we would 
refer you to our colleagues in the Treasury Department.

    Question 8. Are there any programs at Commerce you would recommend 
cutting?
    Answer. Each year the Department conducts a comprehensive review of 
all programs and activities when developing the President's Budget. 
Thoughtful stewardship of Federal resources necessitates that this 
review sometimes leads the Department to recommend reducing or 
eliminating certain programs or activities. No program terminations 
were proposed in the FY 2023 President's Budget, however, the 
Administration proposed strategic reductions within the Bureau of 
Industry and Security, the Census Bureau, Departmental Management, the 
Economic Development Administration, the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, and NOAA to capture savings and better deploy 
Federal funds. Details of the proposed reductions may be found the FY 
2023 President's Budget (https://www.commerce.gov/about/budget-and-
performance/fy-2023-congressional-bureau-justification).

    Question 9. How much funding does the Department of Commerce have 
from the CARES Act that is left unallocated?
    Answer. As of the end of Quarter 2 of FY 2022, $60.4 million, or 
approximately 3percent, of the Department's $1.896 billion in CARES Act 
funding was unobligated. The Department is on track to obligate all 
remaining funding by September 30, 2022.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Rick Scott to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. With Russia's invasion in Ukraine, we now see what our 
adversaries are capable of doing. We must prepare for when Communist 
China invades Taiwan. As of today, is the department prepared to 
decouple from Communist China if Beijing were to invade Taiwan?
    Answer. President Biden has observed correctly that we are in an 
era of competition between democracies and autocracies. Russia is an 
example of why multilateral coordination and partnerships are so 
critical and necessary for success.
    The unprecedented export controls coalition of 38 countries that 
the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has 
assembled is having a powerful impact on Russia's ability to sustain 
its aggression, and these partnerships need to be solidified and 
maintained as we continue to engage in long-term strategic competition 
with the PRC, which is our greatest long-term competitor and threat. We 
have clearly and forcefully communicated to the PRC Government and 
Chinese companies the range of potential consequences for violating our 
export controls.
    Ultimately, we have shown that when our values are threatened, 
governments around the world can lock arms and move quickly--and 
together, we are extremely powerful. I hope that our actions to impose 
swift and severe economic costs on Russia have caused Beijing to change 
its strategic calculus. The Commerce Department will continue focusing 
its efforts on coordinating with allies and partners to deny our 
advanced technologies to authoritarian regimes, invest in our 
resiliency through our people and industries, and lead with our values.

    Question 2. In a recent press release from the Department of 
Commerce, you refer to Taiwan as ``Chinese Taipei,'' while the whole 
world knows that the democratic and self-governing island is called 
Taiwan. Do you believe that such deference to Communist China's 
sensitivities is appropriate?
    Answer. Taiwan signed the declaration under the name `Chinese 
Taipei' and the press release reflects that. There has been no change 
in policy and the Commerce Department continues to refer to Taiwan as 
Taiwan.

    Question 3. In our hearing, you blamed the Federal Reserve for 
rising inflation that is hurting every American. Do you take any 
responsibility for inflation?
    Answer. As you are aware, the Federal Reserve, as the country's 
central bank, has sole responsibility over monetary policy. They have a 
statutory mandate of maximum sustainable employment and price 
stability. I understand that they are working to meet this mandate in 
response to rising inflation.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized growing the economy 
to create more good jobs and address the global problem of inflation 
spurred by the pandemic and Russia's war of choice. In the President's 
first year in office, the economy created 6.5 million jobs more than 
any prior year. We also saw the largest drop in the unemployment rate 
on record. We know that supply chain bottlenecks have been a major 
driver of inflation and are causing real hardship for Americans across 
the country. For example, semiconductor shortages led to sky-rocketing 
used car prices, which accounted for one-third of inflation in 2021. 
This is one reason why I am working tirelessly to get the CHIPS funding 
across the finish line.

    Question 4. For Floridians, NOAA's hurricane data is vital for 
making sure that their families and businesses are prepared for a 
storm. Does NOAA plan to use more uncrewed vessels to collect live 
hurricane data to better predict and prepare for storms?
    Answer. NOAA will continue to lead the regional and international 
effort to conduct research and development of potential operational 
uncrewed ocean gliders in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean region 
during the Atlantic hurricane season, with the collaboration of the 
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the United States Navy, and 
academic partners.
    NOAA is assessing upper-ocean observations from gliders for their 
potential to significantly improve hurricane forecasts, including those 
of rapid intensification associated with ocean conditions, and the 
ability of the gliders to be operated in concert with Saildrone 
missions to improve our knowledge and representation of air-sea 
exchanges in hurricane conditions.
    NOAA is committed to improving hurricane forecasts, including 
through the expanded use of uncrewed systems, which are being tested 
and developed for the potential to improve forecasts by increasing our 
understanding of the ocean and atmospheric conditions. In 2022, OMAO is 
supporting three novel uncrewed technologies to help NOAA collect new 
data sets in the tropical storm environment that will increase our 
knowledge of these storms and enhance hurricane intensity forecast 
ability. For example, NOAA is assessing the benefits of using a small 
fleet of autonomous uncrewed surface vehicles propelled by the wind 
(saildrones) for the observations of the upper ocean and near-surface 
atmosphere. In addition to uncrewed marine systems, NOAA is testing the 
use of expendable aircraft systems that can be flown into hurricanes to 
provide more detailed and greater information than is currently 
available from dropsondes.
    NOAA, in collaboration with the IOOS Regional Associations and the 
U.S. Navy, is leading a multi-organizational (IOOS Regional 
Associations and U.S. Navy) Hurricane Glider Science and Operations 
project to collect ocean observations to improve the initialization of 
numerical forecast models.
    NOAA is also assessing the benefits of using small uncrewed aerial 
systems (UAS) deployed from NOAA's P-3 Hurricane Hunter (P3) aircraft 
as a mechanism to transition into providing real-time near-surface wind 
data to improve tropical storm operational situational awareness. These 
small UAS will improve our physical understanding of tropical cyclones 
at low altitudes and have the potential to enhance situational 
awareness and forecasts of tropical storms and contribute to future 
public advisories and warnings.

    Question 5. For international travel, the United States continues 
to have a policy in place where a negative test is required within one 
day of departure when flying into the United States, regardless of 
vaccination status. Are you working with your colleagues at the CDC and 
the White House to determine the appropriate metrics that would be 
required to lift this requirement?
    Answer. As of June 12, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention no longer required air passengers traveling from a foreign 
country to the United States to show a negative COVID-19 viral test or 
documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board their flight. 
For more information, see Rescission: Requirement for Negative Pre-
Departure COVID-19 Test Result or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-
19 for all Airline or Other Aircraft Passengers Arriving into the 
United States from Any Foreign Country.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Cynthia Lummis to 
                         Hon. Gina M. Raimondo
    Question 1. Secretary Raimondo, are you aware of any letters of 
authorization for seismic permits necessary to the development of oil 
and gas on existing Federal leases which are awaiting approval from 
your Department or its agencies?
    Answer. Yes.

    Question 2. How many of such permit applications exist and how long 
have each been in the queue?
    Answer. There are currently 13 such incidental harassment 
applications for oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico that are 
awaiting approval. All of these applications were received between 
December 2021 and March 2022. 3 applications are for activities that 
would not harass killer whales. Thus, NMFS is able to continue to 
process those applications. However, 10 applications are seeking 
authorization to harass killer whales and would exceed the current 
maximum take. Upon completion of recent survey work, additional take 
has become available for authorization. This allowed NMFS to issue a 
new killer whale-involved authorization in May 2022 and process an 
additional determination.

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