    [Senate Hearing 119-253]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                            S. Hrg. 119-253

                           NOMINATION OF PAUL DABBAR,
                        NOMINEE TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY,
                          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

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

                                    HEARING

                                   before the

                             COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
                          SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION
                                   __________

                                  MAY 1, 2025
                                   __________

        Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
                                 Transportation

                   [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                    Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov

                                    ______

                       U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

    62-324 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2025

           SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                           TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
    JOHN THUNE, South Dakota             MARIA CANTWELL, Washington,
    ROGER WICKER, Mississippi              Ranking
    DEB FISCHER, Nebraska                AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
    JERRY MORAN, Kansas                  BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
    DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska                 EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts
    MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee          GARY PETERS, Michigan
    TODD YOUNG, Indiana                  TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
    TED BUDD, North Carolina             TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
    ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri               JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
    JOHN CURTIS, Utah                    BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
    BERNIE MORENO, Ohio                  JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
    TIM SHEEHY, Montana                  JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
    SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  ANDY KIM, New Jersey
    CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming              LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
                     Brad Grantz, Republican Staff Director
               Nicole Christus, Republican Deputy Staff Director
                       Lila Harper Helms, Staff Director
                     Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page
    Hearing held on May 1, 2025......................................     1
    Statement of Senator Cruz........................................     1
        Letter to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria Cantwell from Dan R.
          Brouillette, Former U.S. Secretary of Energy...............    44
        Letter to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria Cantwell from Hon.
          James (Rick) Perry, 47th Governor of Texas and 14th
          Secretary of Energy........................................    46
        Letter dated March 13, 2025 to Hon, Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Paul Stimers, Executive Director, Quantum
          Industry Coalition.........................................    48
        Letter dated March 26, 2025 to Senator Ted Cruz and Senator
          Maria Cantwell from Ernest J. Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green
          Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems (emeritus),
          Special Advisor to the MIT President, Massachusetts
          Institute of Technology....................................    49
        Letter dated April 8, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Persis S. Drell, Laboratory Director,
          Emerita, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Chi-Chang
          Kao, Laboratory Director, Emeritus, SLAC National
          Accelerator Laboratory.....................................    51
        Letter dated April 29, 2025 to Hon. Ted Cruz and Hon. Maria
          Cantwell from Christopher A. Mohr, President, Software &
          Information Industry Association (SIIA)....................    53
    Statement of Senator Cantwell....................................     2
    Statement of Senator Sullivan....................................    20
    Statement of Senator Klobuchar...................................    22
    Statement of Senator Moreno......................................    24
    Statement of Senator Baldwin.....................................    26
    Statement of Senator Moran.......................................    28
    Statement of Senator Kim.........................................    29
    Statement of Senator Schmitt.....................................    31
    Statement of Senator Peters......................................    33
    Statement of Senator Blunt Rochester.............................    35
    Statement of Senator Lujan.......................................    37
    Statement of Senator Rosen.......................................    40

                                   Witnesses

    Paul Dabbar, Nominee to be Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of
      Commerce.......................................................     4
        Prepared statement...........................................     6
        Biographical information.....................................     7

                                    Appendix

    Response to written questions submitted to Paul Dabbar by:
        Hon. Ted Cruz................................................    57
        Hon. Roger Wicker............................................    58
        Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    59
        Hon. Dan Sullivan............................................    60
        Hon. Maria Cantwell..........................................    63
        Hon. Amy Klobuchar...........................................    73
        Hon. Brian Schatz............................................    73
        Hon. Tammy Duckworth.........................................    75
        Hon. Ben Ray Lujan...........................................    76
        Hon. Andy Kim................................................    76
        Hon. Lisa Blunt Rochester....................................    77

                           NOMINATION OF PAUL DABBAR,
                        NOMINEE TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY,
                          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

                                  ----------

                             THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2025

                                           U.S. Senate,
            Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:06 a.m., in
    room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Ted Cruz,
    Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
        Present: Senators Cruz [presiding], Moran, Sullivan,
    Schmitt, Moreno, Cantwell, Klobuchar, Peters, Baldwin, Rosen,
    Lujan, Kim, and Blunt Rochester.

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

        The Chairman. Good morning.
        The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
    Transportation will come to order.
        Today we will consider the nomination of Paul Dabbar to
    serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce.
        Mr. Dabbar, congratulations on your nomination. We look
    forward to hearing about your professional experience and your
    vision for supporting and complementing Secretary Lutnick's
    leadership of the Department.
        As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Dabbar will serve as the second in
    command at the Department. He will oversee daily operations and
    help tackle a wide array of issues, from fixing Biden's failed
    BEAD program, which connected not a single American to high-
    speed internet, to countering climate alarmism at NOAA. These
    are not small tasks.
        Mr. Dabbar has an impressive background. After graduating
    from the United States Naval Academy he served as a nuclear
    submarine officer for six years.
        He then earned an MBA from Columbia University before going
    to work for JPMorgan for nearly two decades. There, he oversaw
    more than $400 billion in energy investments spanning oil, gas,
    nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal energy.
        During the first Trump administration, Mr. Dabbar was
    unanimously confirmed as the fourth under secretary for science
    at the Department of Energy.
        In that role he managed a workforce of tens of thousands of
    personnel across more than 100 sites with a $14.5 billion
    budget.
        He oversaw the majority of U.S. national laboratories at a
    time when they faced a growing threat of Chinese espionage.
        He implemented the National Quantum Initiative Act and
    sought to spur the development of next-generation energy
    storage technologies.
        Following his tenure at the Department of Energy, Mr.
    Dabbar co-founded Bohr Quantum Technology, a pioneering
    cybersecurity company developing quantum networking systems.
        If confirmed, he will draw on his technical expertise and
    entrepreneurial experience to tackle complex challenges at the
    intersection of science, government, and industry.
        I will note that he has the explicit support of five former
    Cabinet secretaries from both Republican and Democratic
    administrations.
        This nomination comes as the Department of Commerce works
    to preserve access to the Gulf for oil and gas exploration,
    expand commercial access to mid-band spectrum, and maintain
    U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence, quantum, commercial
    space, and advanced manufacturing.
        It also comes amid a public trade battle. President Trump
    is rightfully standing up to China and working to reshore
    industries vital to our national security.
        But we should be mindful that long-term tariffs on
    manufacturing inputs and other goods would function as a de
    facto tax increase on small businesses and the American middle
    class.
        My hope is that the Commerce Department leadership will
    work alongside the President to steer a course that addresses
    our supply chain vulnerabilities and restores dignity to the
    American worker, but aims for freer and fairer trade with our
    allies, not simply protectionism.
        There are two paths before us, one that uses tariffs
    strategically to secure better trade deals, incentivizing our
    trading partners to lower the tariffs they charge to American
    goods and services in exchange for lowering our own tariffs.
        The other path is a path that locks in place high tariffs
    indefinitely. I very much hope we are on the former path and
    not the latter.
        Just this week Secretary Lutnick has touted an
    international trade deal now in its final stages. The President
    has also signed a proclamation offering relief to the auto
    industry following the results of a Commerce Department Section
    232 investigation into the import of automobiles and automobile
    parts.
        These are signals the administration wants to use its trade
    authorities to secure better deals for the American people.
        I am confident that Mr. Dabbar, an experienced dealmaker
    himself, can assist in this effort. I hope he will outline for
    us today the path that he plans to take under the direction of
    the President.
        I will now turn to Ranking Member Cantwell for her opening
    remarks.

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

        Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Mr.
    Dabbar. Congratulations on your nomination.
        Welcome to your wife and welcome to one of those energy
    secretaries here supporting you, Mr. Brouillette. I enjoyed
    working with both of you at the Department of Energy.
        I know this isn't the first time you have testified before
    a Senate hearing, and having been confirmed for the Under
    Secretary of Science at the Department of Energy we worked
    together in the implementation of not just the National Quantum
    Initiative but your role in Hanford cleanup, and I very much
    appreciate that.
        The Deputy Secretary of Commerce plays a significant role
    in shaping the U.S. economy and if confirmed you will be a
    representative for the day-to-day operations of the department
    in assisting American businesses and promoting policies that
    help us create economic growth.
        But your nomination comes at a time when we have had a
    significant period of disruption and chaos at the agency. Under
    Secretary Lutnick's leadership I believe we have had a series
    of alarming decisions and actions that are damaging the
    opportunities for economic growth.
        First and foremost, the Minority Business Development
    Agency, a 56-year-old agency that Congress permanently
    authorized in 2021, has been dismantled.
        For those unfamiliar with the MBDA, I believe my colleague,
    Senator Wicker, was quite accurate when he said, I quote, ``The
    Minority Business Development Agency has been a lifeline for
    many minority businesses, owners, and entrepreneurs seeking to
    grow their businesses,'' end quote.
        And, indeed, Secretary Lutnick testified before this
    committee that he would not support dismantling of the Minority
    Business Development Agency, which helped create and retain
    approximately 23,000 jobs in Fiscal Year 2024 alone.
        This is about capacity building. This is about capacity
    building within a community that may not necessarily have the
    same access to capital, may not have the same parameters, and
    this agency has been quite successful.
        But within two months of his confirmation he has fired all
    of its employees, canceled all of its grants, and even the sign
    that once marked the MBDA office at the Department of Commerce
    building has been pulled down under his watch.
        Meanwhile, the department continues to slash essential
    workers at NOAA with approximately 2,500 employees of the 12-
    person workforce fired or otherwise departing since the start
    of this administration.
        These staffing shortages are already impacting NOAA's core
    functions including reduced and suspended weather balloon
    launches at many of our weather forecast offices, and I cannot
    tell you how important this is for us particularly related to
    fire season.
        These NOAA weather activities are giving us essential data
    about how best to prepare for fire season, and further cuts are
    expected in the coming weeks.
        On top of that, the Trump administration is pursuing a 2026
    budget proposal that would reduce NOAA's budget by more than 27
    percent including a 75 percent cut to the Office of Oceanic and
    Atmospheric Research, the closures of all its weather climate
    labs, and an 85 percent cut to the Office of Space Commerce.
        I can tell you this, Mr. Dabbar, as somebody who ran a
    science organization that we are going to hold this
    administration accountable for the cuts in science. It is not
    acceptable.
        Innovation is the way we are going to grow our economy. It
    is the way we are going to protect our industries that exist
    today.
        At the same time, the administration is calling for major
    reorganizations of NOAA including moving out the National
    Fisheries marine service to the Department of Interior.
        I am not sure why. The most important management resource
    we have for our fisheries, having our science management
    system, we would give up to the Department of Interior.
        I am particularly shocked to see this proposal, given that
    Mr. Lutnick promised to me during his confirmation hearing
    that, ``I have no interest in separating NOAA,'' and that
    breaking up NOAA, ``is not on my agenda.'' What changed?
        What is equally concerning is the Office of Management and
    Budget proposal to eliminate the Economic Development
    Administration entirely.
        I believe this would jeopardize important decisions that
    continue to help us grow our tech hubs and important
    investments that keep growing our economy across the United
    States.
        So I could go on and on about tariffs. While I appreciate
    many of the things that the Chairman just mentioned in his
    tariff statement, yes, I probably would be more comfortable
    with you leading our tariff charge than the current secretary.
        But I can tell you this. Tariffs are hurting small
    businesses today. They are significantly reducing our economic
    growth.
        They are significantly constraining opportunities and
    people just may not even be in business by the time these deals
    are done.
        And I know that some people think that might be the price
    to pay. I do not. I do not believe in that view of an American
    economy where we lead on alliance building and we lead on
    moving forward on economic opportunities by opening up markets,
    particularly big opportunities that I think we have in front of
    us.
        So that is to say I very much appreciate, Mr. Dabbar, your
    leadership in the past. I am outlining the big challenges I see
    in front of you in stabilizing the agency's core mission.
        I look forward to hearing the answers to our questions
    today. But, again, welcome to you and congratulations on your
    nomination.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        Mr. Dabbar, you are now recognized for your opening
    statement.

    STATEMENT OF PAUL DABBAR, NOMINEE TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY, U.S.
                         DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

        Mr. Dabbar. Thank you, Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member
    Cantwell, and members of the Committee. It is an honor to be
    here today.
        I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary Lutnick for
    their trust and confidence in me for this nomination to be
    Deputy Secretary of Commerce.
        Joining me today is my wonderful wife of 25 years Andrea.
    Our children, Katie and Will, are watching from their efforts
    at work and college. I greatly appreciate their support when I
    was Under Secretary for Science.
        Also here today is my former boss, former Energy Secretary
    Dan Brouillette and friends of my time in government, the Naval
    Academy, and the private sector.
        If my nomination is confirmed by this body it will be the
    fourth time I will have sworn to support and defend the
    Constitution of the United States, the first time when I was 17
    years old after my appointment by former Senator Don Nichols
    for Induction Day at the Naval Academy.
        My second time was when I was commissioned a Navy ensign. I
    joined the Nuclear Submarine Force and had the honor to serve
    in many operations including deployment to the Arctic with the
    Arctic Research Laboratory with a team supported by NOAA, and
    my third time occurred when I was sworn in as Under Secretary.
        Since my time in the Navy my career has spanned
    investments, trade, science, and technology. I recently helped
    startup two technology companies, one in energy tech and
    another, a spinout of Cal Tech in quantum.
        I stayed involved in public policy testifying regularly
    before Congress, serving as a fellow at Columbia University on
    policy and a contributor at the Wall Street Journal, the Hoover
    Institution, and elsewhere.
        During President Trump's first term, I was honored to serve
    as the fourth Under Secretary of Science at the Department of
    Energy managing research and operations at the National
    Laboratories.
        During my tenure, I worked with many members on driving
    America forward on science and technology, and I led our robust
    efforts in environmental cleanup efforts from our nuclear
    weapons program.
        I was the lead on the exascale computing program, which led
    to four number-one global computers including the first use of
    the GPU chip, and many of them were completed ahead of schedule
    and under budget.
        I also led the National Quantum Initiative. I broke through
    decades of long issues in environmental management at Hanford
    and elsewhere, and completed large nuclear projects including
    several ahead of schedule and under budget.
        As Under Secretary, I worked extensively with the
    Department of Commerce bureaus including USPTO, NIST, NOAA, and
    BIS.
        Earlier in my career I was a senior executive at JPMorgan
    leading several hundred billion dollars of global investment
    and helping lead our global--our efforts in global commodities
    trading including energy and critical materials.
        I am excited to join the Commerce Department and my
    experience will well fit me for this position. This is an
    exciting time for the sectors covered by the department. U.S.
    commercial competitiveness and trade are clearly at the front
    and center of many issues.
        Additionally, science and technology efforts including AI,
    semiconductors, quantum, intellectual property, the Blue
    Economy, and technology security are also at the forefront.
        My significant experience across the scope of the
    Department will enable me to manage and lead its various
    bureaus from experience and trade in the private sector, my
    maritime service in NOAA, DOE technology security efforts in
    BIS, my science and technology background in NIST, starting up
    a quantum communications company at NTIA, just to name a few,
    and I have deep experience in managing large government
    efforts.
        And, finally, I have the persistence to get things done and
    take on challenges of any magnitude. For example, I have
    completed a 146-mile Ironman triathlon and I am one of the few
    people who have been to both the geographic North and South
    Poles.
        I was honored and humbled to receive wide support from the
    Senate from my last confirmation including being confirmed by
    unanimous consent.
        Today, I humbly ask for every member's vote and support for
    my nomination. Thank you, and I look forward to answering your
    questions.
        [The prepared statement and biographical information of Mr.
    Dabbar follow:]

     Prepared Statement of Paul M. Dabbar, Nominee to be Deputy Secretary,
                          U.S. Department of Commerce

        Thank you Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and members of
    the Committee. It is an honor to be here today. I am grateful to
    President Trump and Secretary Lutnick for their trust and confidence in
    me with this nomination to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce.
        Joining me today is my wonderful wife of twenty-five years, Andrea.
    Our children Katie and Will are watching from their efforts at work and
    college. I greatly appreciate their past support when I was Under
    Secretary for Science. Also here today is my former boss, former Energy
    Secretary Dan Brouillette, and friends from my time in government, the
    Naval Academy, and the private sector.
        If my nomination is confirmed by this body, it will be the fourth
    time that I will have the opportunity to swear an oath to support and
    defend the Constitution. The first time I was seventeen years old,
    after my appointment by former Senator Don Nichols, at Induction Day at
    the Naval Academy. The second time was when I was commissioned a Navy
    ensign. I joined the nuclear submarine force and had the honor to serve
    in many operations, including a deployment to the Arctic with the
    Arctic Research Laboratory, a team supported by NOAA. And my third time
    occurred when I was sworn in as Under Secretary.
        Since my time in the Navy, my career has spanned investments,
    trade, science and technology. Recently, I helped start two technology
    companies, one in energy tech, and the other a spin out of Caltech in
    quantum. I stayed involved in public policy by regularly testifying
    before Congress, serving as a visiting fellow at Columbia University,
    and as a contributor at the Wall Street Journal, the Hoover Institution
    and elsewhere.
        During President Trump's first term, I was honored to serve as the
    fourth Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy,
    managing research and operations at the National Labs. During my
    tenure, I worked with many members on driving America forward on
    science & technology, and I led our robust environmental clean-up
    efforts from our nuclear weapons program. I was the lead on the
    exascale computing program, which led to four #1 global supercomputers,
    including ones that were completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
    I also led the National Quantum Initiative. And I broke through decades
    long issues on environmental management at Hanford and elsewhere,
    completing large nuclear projects, including several ahead of schedule
    and under budget. As Under Secretary, I worked extensively with
    Department of Commerce bureaus, including USPTO, NIST, NOAA and BIS.
        Earlier in my career, I was a senior executive at J.P.Morgan,
    leading several hundred billion dollars in global investment, and
    helped lead efforts in global commodities trading in energy and
    critical minerals.
        I am excited to join the Commerce Department, and my experience is
    well fit for this position. This is a very exciting time in the sectors
    covered by the Department. U.S. commercial competitiveness and trade
    are clearly front and center issues. Additionally, the science and
    technology efforts, including AI, semiconductors, quantum, intellectual
    property, the Blue Economy, and technology security are also at the
    forefront.
        My significant experience across the scope of Department will
    enable me to help manage and lead its varied bureaus. From my
    experience in trade in the private sector, my maritime service and
    NOAA, my DOE technology security efforts and BIS, my science &
    technology background and NIST, and starting up a quantum
    communications company and NTIA, just to name a few. And I have deep
    experience at managing large government efforts. All of these
    experiences have prepared me to take on this role.
        And finally, I have the persistence to get things done and take on
    challenges of any magnitude. For example, I completed a 140.6 mile
    Ironman triathlon, and I am one of the few people ever who have been to
    both the geographic North and South Poles.
        I was honored and humbled to receive wide support from the Senate
    for my last confirmation, including being confirmed by unanimous
    consent. Today, I humbly ask for every member's consideration and
    support for my nomination. Thank you and I look forward to answering
    your questions.
                                     ______

                          a. biographical information

        1. Name (Include any former names or nicknames used): Paul M.
    Dabbar.
        2. Position to which nominated: Deputy Secretary, Department of
    Commerce.
        3. Date of Nomination: March 11, 2025.
        4. Address (List current place of residence and office addresses):

            Residence: Information not released to the public.
            Office: Information not provided.

        5. Date and Place of Birth: July 8, 1967; Passaic, NJ.
        6. Provide the name, position, and place of employment for your
    spouse (if married) or domestic partner, and the names and ages of your
    children (including stepchildren and children by a previous marriage).

            Spouse: Andrea Dabbar. Employment: None.
            Children: Katie Dabbar, 23. William Dabbar, 21.

        7. List all college and graduate schools attended, whether or not
    you were granted a degree by the institution. Provide the name of the
    institution, the dates attended, the degree received, and the date of
    the degree.

            U.S. Naval Academy, 1985-1989, B.S., May 1989
            Columbia University, 1994-1996, M.B.A., May 1996

        8. List all post-undergraduate employment, including the job title,
    name of employer, and inclusive dates of employment, and highlight all
    management-level jobs held and any non-managerial jobs that relate to
    the position for which you are nominated.

       U.S. Navy, nuclear submarine officer, Lieutenant. 1989-1994

       J.P.Morgan, energy mergers & acquisitions, investment
            banking, commodities trading. 1996-2017

       Department of Energy, Member of the Advisory Board,
            Environmental Management program. 2005-2017

       Department of Energy, Under Secretary for Science. 2017-2021

       Bohr Quantum Technology, Co-founder and CEO. 2021-2025

       Power & Digital Infrastructure I & II, board member, 2021-
            2024

       Dominion Energy, board member, 2023 to current

       AirJoule Technologies, board member. 2024 to current

       Warburg Pincus, advisor. 2021 to current

       Transition Equity Partners, advisor. 2023 to current

       Columbia University, Center on Global Energy Policy,
            Distinguished Visiting Fellow & Adjunct Senior Research
            Scholar. 2021 to current.

       Advisor, Department of Defense. 2023 to current

        10. Attach a copy of your resume.
        Attached.
        11. List any advisory, consultative, honorary, or other part-time
    service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other
    than those listed above after 18 years of age.

       U.S. Naval Academy, Midshipman. 1985-1989

       U.S. Navy submarine officer. 1989-1994

       Department of Energy Environmental Management Advisory
            Board, board member. 2005-2017

        12. List all positions held as an officer, director, trustee,
    partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any
    corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business, enterprise,
    educational, or other institution.

       U.S. Navy, nuclear submarine officer, Lieutenant. 1989-1994

       J.P.Morgan, energy mergers & acquisitions, investment
            banking, commodities trading. 1996-2017

       Department of Energy, Member of the Advisory Board,
            Environmental Management program. 2005-2017

       Department of Energy, Under Secretary for Science. 2017-2021

       Bohr Quantum Technology, Co-founder and CEO. 2021-2025

       Power & Digital Infrastructure I & II, board member, 2021-
            2024

       Dominion Energy, board member, 2023 to current

       AirJoule Technologies, board member. 2024 to current

       Warburg Pincus, advisor. 2021 to current

       Transition Equity Partners, advisor. 2023 to current

       Columbia University, Center on Global Energy Policy,
            Distinguished Visiting Fellow & Adjunct Senior Research
            Scholar. 2021 to current

        13. List all memberships you have had after 18 years of age or
    currently hold with any civic, social, charitable, educational,
    political, professional, fraternal, benevolent or religiously
    affiliated organization, private club, or other membership organization
    (You do not have to list your religious affiliation or membership in a
    religious house of worship or institution). Include dates of membership
    and any positions you have held with any organization. Please note
    whether any such club or organization restricts membership on the basis
    of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability.

       Council on Foreign Relations, member.

       U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1989 Fundraising Committee, co-
            Chair, 2004-2017

       POTUS Transition Team, volunteer, 2024-2025.

       America First Policy Institute, volunteer, 2023-2024.

        14. Have you ever been a candidate for and/or held a public office
    (elected, non-elected, or appointed)? If so, indicate whether any
    campaign has any outstanding debt, the amount, and whether you are
    personally liable for that debt. No.
        15. List all memberships and offices held with and services
    rendered to, whether compensated or not, any political party or
    election committee within the past ten years. If you have held a paid
    position or served in a formal or official advisory position (whether
    compensated or not) in a political campaign within the past ten years,
    identify the particulars of the campaign, including the candidate, year
    of the campaign, and your title and responsibilities. None.
        16. Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign
    organization, political party, political action committee, or similar
    entity of $200 or more for the past ten years.

       RNC, 2024. $360

       Campaign of D. Trump, 2024. $2940

       Campaign of D. Trump, 2024. $360

       Save America, 2024. $4640

       RNC, 2024. $4640

       Save America, $360

       Campaign of D. Trump, 2024. $3300

       NRCC, 2023. $2500

       Campaign of Chuck Fleischmann, 2023. $2000

       Campaign of Chuck Fleischmann, 2023. $2000

       Stand for America, 2022. $1000

       Campaign of Themis Klarides (CT governor), 2022. $500

       RNC, 2019. $250

       Campaign of D. Trump, 2019. $750

       Campaign of Steve Obsitnik (CT governor), 2018. $100

       Campaign of D. Trump, 2017. $1000

        17. List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary degrees, honorary
    society memberships, military medals, and any other special recognition
    for outstanding service or achievements.

       U.S. Department of Energy, James R. Schlesinger Award,
            senior Secretary of Energy service award.

       Council on Competitiveness, Fellow.

       Navy Achievement Medal

       Navy Arctic Service Medal

        18. List all books, articles, columns, letters to the editor,
    Internet blog postings, or other publications you have authored,
    individually or with others. Include a link to each publication when
    possible. If a link is not available, provide a digital copy of the
    publication when available.
        All of these that are available are listed and linked on my
    Linkedin page, Publications section, link below:

       Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/
            settings?trk=d_flagship3_
            profile_self_view_public_profile&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagsh
            ip3_profile
            _view_base%3BzoYKmzhDTB21h%2BcGDksa3Q%3D%3D

        19. List all speeches, panel discussions, and presentations (e.g.,
    PowerPoint) that you have given on topics relevant to the position for
    which you have been nominated. Include a link to each publication when
    possible. If a link is not available, provide a digital copy of the
    speech or presentation when available.
        All of these that are available are listed and linked on my
    Linkedin page, link below:

       Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/
            settings?trk=d_flagship3_
            profile_self_view_public_profile&lipi=urn%3Ali%%3Apage%3Ad_flags
            hip3_pro
            file_view_base%3BzoYKmzhDTB21h%2BcGDksa3Q%3D%3D

        20. List all public statements you have made during the past ten
    years, including statements in news articles and radio and podcasts and
    television appearances, which are on topics relevant to the position
    for which you have been nominated, including dates. Include a link to
    each statement when possible. If a link is not available, provide a
    digital copy of the statement when available.
        All of these that are available are listed and linked on my
    Linkedin page, link below:

       Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/
            settings?trk=d_flagship3_
            profile_self_view_public_profile&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagsh
            ip3_profile
            _view_base%3BzoYKmzhDTB21h%2BcGDksa3Q%3D%3D

        21. List all digital platforms (including social media and other
    digital content sites) on which you currently or have formerly operated
    an account, regardless of whether or not the account was held in your
    name or an alias. Include the full name of an ``alias'' or ``handle'',
    including the complete URL and username with hyperlinks, you have used
    on each of the named platforms. Indicate whether the account is active,
    deleted, or dormant. Include a link to each account if possible.

       Twitter/X: @PDabbar https://
            na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%
            3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fpdabbar%3Fs%3D11%26t%3DWu4E9wNLHfH-Z1bDTjkyV
            Q&data05%7C02%7C%7C194edb6319f34efe589208dd5e908b6c%7C84df9e7fe9
            f6
            40afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638770697083905657%7CUnknown%7C
            TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOi
            JXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C57C%7C&sdata
            =3FioERCBHdfMj7aOVqph1qgucyC7NwVbtIHq6j5KbAM%3D&reserved=0

       Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/
            settings?trk=d_flagship3_
            profile_self_view_public_profile&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagsh
            ip3_profile
            _view_base%3BzoYKmzhDTB21h%2BcGDksa3Q%3D%3D

       Truth Social:@PMDabbar https://truthsocial.com/@PMDabbar

        22. Please identify each instance in which you have testified
    orally or in writing before Congress in a governmental or non-
    governmental capacity and specify the date, committee, and subject
    matter of each testimony.
        I have testified a significant number of times before the House and
    Senate. Starting from my Under Secretary confirmation hearing at SENR
    in 2017, subsequently as Under Secretary at many authorization and
    appropriations hearings, and subsequent to my role as Under Secretary
    over the last four years. I believe these are all of my testimonies:

       SENR, July 20, 2017. Nomination hearing for Under Secretary
            DOE

       SENR, Sept 25, 2018. Hearing on Quantum Information Science

       SENR, Feb 7, 2019. Hearing on Energy Innovation

       SENR, Apr 15, 2021. Hearing on Role of DOE in Innovation

       SENR, Feb 20, 2025. Hearing on Research Security Risks

       SEPW, Nov 1, 2023. Hearing on Extreme Event Attribution

       House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Jan 30, 2018.
            Hearing on DOE Reorganization

       House Science, Space and Technology Committee, June 7, 2023.
            Advancing Leadership in Quantum Technology

       House E&C, Feb 7, 2019. State of Energy Innovation

       House E&C, Jan 31, 2023. Hearing on American Energy
            Expansion

       House E&C, Oct 19, 2023. Hearing on Unlocking AI's Potential
            in the Energy Sector

       Senate Appropriations, Apr 11, 2018. DOE budget request

       House Appropriations, E&W Subcommittee, April 3, 2019,
            Budget proposal review

        23. Given the current mission, major programs, and major
    operational objectives of the department/agency/commission/corporation
    to which you have been nominated, what in your background or employment
    experience do you believe affirmatively qualifies you for appointment
    to the position for which you have been nominated, and why do you wish
    to serve in that position?
        My most applicable past experience that qualifies me for this role
    was my role as Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of
    Energy. In that role I had a budget of $15 billion per annum, which is
    about the size of the Department of Commerce. I was also the manager
    and leader of 30,000 career employees and contractors. As a part of
    that, I directly managed 11 of the 17 National Labs, as well as over
    100 other sites. In that role I managed operations, research and
    construction of a wide set of facilities at the highest level of
    complexity, include large nuclear and scientific projects. As a part of
    operations, I managed CFO, General Counsel and Human Capital efforts of
    my organizations. I also led efforts of authorization and
    appropriations for my offices at Congress, EPA and other environmental
    requirements, and collaboration with other agencies, including DOC, on
    our joint efforts. I also was a major funder of research in the
    physical sciences at universities in all fifty states. And I led
    commercialization of technology developed at the National Labs,
    including generation of patents.
        I had significant overlap and cooperative efforts with many areas
    of DOC. Including efforts on atmospheric and estuary research with
    NOAA, quantum, neutron science and standard setting with NIST, Bayh-
    Dole and other IP policy with the USPTO, and technology security policy
    with BIS.
        24. What do you believe are your responsibilities, if confirmed, to
    ensure that the department/agency/commission/corporation has proper
    management and accounting controls, and what experience do you have in
    managing a large organization?
        My responsibilities would be to manage the day-to-day operations
    the Department. From managing efforts of the various program offices
    run by the various Under Secretaries, to Department level management
    offices such as legal affairs, CFO, and legislative affairs. I would
    also help manage trade policy efforts as directed by the Secretary, as
    well as any additional new efforts that might be assigned to the
    Department during my tenure.
        I believe I am well qualified based on my experience as Under
    Secretary previously as described in #23 above. As well as a broad set
    of other professional experiences described in my attached biography.
        25. What do you believe to be the top three challenges facing the
    department/agency/commission/corporation, and why?
        Trade policy and negotiations will certainly be a significant
    effort of the department during my tenure. In addition, management of
    export controls of key U.S. technologies by the BIS office. And finally
    helping drive key new technologies and U.S. leadership at NIST, the
    Chips Act programs, and securing new technology intellectual property.

                       b. potential conflicts of interest

        1. Describe all financial arrangements, deferred compensation
    agreements, and other continuing dealings with business associates,
    clients, or customers. Please include information related to retirement
    accounts, such as a 401(k) or pension plan.
        My only continuing dealing will be a 401K and a Defined Benefit
    penion from a previous employer that existed prior to my last
    appointment in 2017 as Under Secretary. They are a JPMorgan Chase 401K,
    and a JPMorgan Chase Defined Benefit Program. Both have has no
    additional contributions by my past employer or myself since my
    separation in 2017, and no more will be added going forward. I also
    have a past U.S. government Thrift Savings plan. I might sign up for
    the current U.S. government Thrift Savings plan if I am confirmed as
    Deputy Secretary.
        2. Do you have any commitments or agreements, formal or informal,
    to maintain employment, affiliation, or practice with any business,
    association, or other organization during your appointment? If so,
    please explain. No.
        3. Indicate any investments, obligations, liabilities, or other
    relationships which could involve potential conflicts of interest in
    the position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will
    resolve each potential conflict of interest.
        The following are the companies and organizations which could
    involve potential conflicts of interest in the position to which I have
    been nominated:

            Bohr Quantum Technology: Past CEO/employee, current shareholder
            Dominion Energy: current board member, shareholder

            AirJoule Technologies, current board member, shareholder

            Warburg Pincus: current paid advisor

            Transition Equity Partners: current paid advisor

            Columbia University: current paid Adjunct Senior Research
            Scholar

            Council on Competitiveness: current unpaid Fellow

            Clearpath: current unpaid advisory board member

            Energy Capital Ventures: current unpaid advisory board member

        I will step down from all of those that I am currently engaged upon
    confirmation and prior to being sworn in, and meet and abide by all
    requirements directed by the Office of Government Ethics, including as
    needed divesture or other directed mitigation steps as directed by OGE.
    I did these steps successfully when I was appointed Under Secretary for
    Science.
        4. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial
    transaction which you have had during the last ten years, whether for
    yourself, on behalf of a client, or acting as an agent, that could in
    any way constitute or result in a possible conflict of interest in the
    position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will resolve
    each potential conflict of interest.
        In addition to the list in B3 above, I was also an employee of
    JPMorgan in the last ten years.
        I will have no ongoing relationship with any of the entities if I
    am confirmed, other than my disclosed JPMorgan pension plans. and will
    abide by all directions for the Office of Government Ethics on conflict
    of interest.
        5. Identify any other potential conflicts of interest and explain
    how you will resolve each potential conflict of interest. None.
        6. Describe any activity during the past ten years, including the
    names of clients represented, in which you have been engaged for the
    purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or
    modification of any legislation or affecting the administration and
    execution of law or public policy. None.

                                c. legal matters

        1. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics,
    professional misconduct, or retaliation by, or been the subject of a
    complaint to, any court, administrative agency, the Office of Special
    Counsel, an Inspector General, professional association, disciplinary
    committee, or other professional group?
        None. If yes:

      a.  Provide the name of the court, agency, association, committee, or
            group;

      b.  Provide the date the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or
            personnel action was issued or initiated;

      c.  Describe the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or
            personnel action;

      d.  Provide the results of the citation, disciplinary action,
            complaint, or personnel action.

        2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by
    any Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority of any Federal,
    State, county, municipal, or foreign government entity, other than for
    a minor traffic offense? If so, please explain. None.
        3. Have you or any business or nonprofit of which you are or were
    an officer ever been involved as a party in an administrative agency
    proceeding, criminal proceeding, or civil litigation? If so, please
    explain. None.
        4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo
    contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic
    offense? If so, please explain. None.
        5. Have you ever been accused, formally or informally, of sexual
    assault, sexual harassment, or discrimination on the basis of sex,
    race, religion, or any other basis? If so, please explain. None.
        6. Please advise the Committee of any additional information,
    favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be disclosed in
    connection with your nomination. None.

                         d. relationship with committee

        1. Will you ensure that your department/agency/commission/
    corporation complies with deadlines for information set by
    congressional committees, and that your department/agency/commission/
    corporation endeavors to timely comply with requests for information
    from individual Members of Congress, including requests from members in
    the minority? Yes.
        2. Will you ensure that your department/agency/commission/
    corporation does whatever it can to protect congressional witnesses and
    whistleblowers from reprisal for their testimony and disclosures? Yes.
        3. Will you cooperate in providing the Committee with requested
    witnesses, including technical experts and career employees, with
    firsthand knowledge of matters of interest to the Committee? Yes.
        4. Are you willing to appear and testify before any duly
    constituted committee of the Congress on such occasions as you may be
    reasonably requested to do so? Yes.
                                     ______

                   [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Dabbar.
        And just to clarify for the record, members of this
    committee will not be required to run an Ironman in----
        Senator Klobuchar. Speak for yourself.
        [Laughter.]
        The Chairman. You are encouraged to run an Ironman if you
    feel so inspired but you will be enabled----
        Senator Cantwell. She climbed Kilimanjaro.
        The Chairman. I climbed Mount Fuji, but I was 19.
        [Laughter.]
        Mr. Dabbar. I have my past staff behind me. I tried to
    encourage them to do a half Ironman when I was at DOE and I got
    some significant H.R. pushback on pressuring them.
        The Chairman. Understandably.
        And I will say on the Republican side of the aisle two of
    our members, Markwayne Mullin and Dave McCormick, are both
    former very accomplished wrestlers and more than a few of us
    have been trying to arrange a cage match which we think would
    sell a lot of tickets.
        We have been unsuccessful in scheduling that, but hope
    springs eternal. Senator Sheehy just--would just shoot them
    both, so it is all a difference in perspective.
        All right, to the work at hand.
        Mr. Dabbar, your experience at the Department of Energy,
    your two-decade career in financial management, your success as
    the founder of a quantum technology company, all of that makes
    you very well qualified for this position.
        Tell us why do you want to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce?
        Mr. Dabbar. As I mentioned, Senator, this is an exciting
    time for the scope. Obviously, trade, as was mentioned by both
    you and the Ranking Member, is obviously front and center.
        I have a significant amount of background to that in the
    private sector, and the bureaus that are primarily science and
    technology--no BIS, the Patent Office, the CHIPS Act, those
    are--those and others are--NTIA--are primarily science and
    technology efforts and, obviously, I have a great background in
    it but I am also very passionate about each and every one of
    those areas.
        The Chairman. So as you and I discussed in my office
    yesterday, the President and this administration has two paths
    before it. One path that I think is very, very positive, one
    path that I think is very, very negative.
        The positive path I think President Trump right now has
    extraordinary leverage--unprecedented leverage--to negotiate
    lower tariffs from our trading partners in exchange for
    lowering the tariffs that he has threatened to impose on them.
        I think if we end up 30, 60, 90 days from now in a world
    where we have got markedly lower tariffs across the globe that
    would be an historic victory for Americans, for American jobs,
    for American workers.
        On the other hand, the second path we could go down is a
    path that maintains very high tariffs in perpetuity, American
    tariffs on all of our trading partners, and we can expect
    retaliatory tariffs from our trading partners.
        I believe that would be a very bad path. I believe that
    would be a path that would hurt Texas and would hurt America.
        What is your view which path is preferable for the
    administration to take?
        Mr. Dabbar. So the President has been very clear on support
    of the President's positions on the different drivers of trade
    and the different potential accomplishments of trade.
        One of them may be to drive down barriers in tariffs and
    nontariff barriers in our trading counterparties. Another one
    is to reindustrialize the U.S. as we lost a significant amount
    of jobs, especially since the WTO acquisition of the PRC drove
    down industrial jobs.
        The third one is national security. I think yourself and
    many others here talk about the national security impact of the
    trade deficits.
        And the last one is, potentially, revenues. I am not
    certain of the exact negotiations between various parties but I
    could certainly see that some negotiations may be more focused
    on the accomplishment of one or two of those and some might be
    others.
        For example, I have testified many times before the Senate
    about China and national security issues, and I certainly think
    that when we talk about the PRC national security and
    reindustrialization it is going to be much more focused as a
    likely outcome of negotiations.
        The Chairman. I recognize you will not be the ultimate
    decisionmaker when it comes to the President's trade policy,
    but you will be one of the voices in the room and it is my hope
    that you will be a voice in the room advocating for using these
    tariffs as leverage to secure freer and fairer trade because I
    think that is the right direction for the administration to go.
        Let me shift to a different topic. One of the Department of
    Commerce's most consequential responsibilities is the
    allocation and management of spectrum through the NTIA.
        Last year Leader Thune, Senator Blackburn, and I introduced
    a bill to restore the FCC's authority and establish a clear,
    actionable spectrum pipeline, one that empowers commercial
    businesses to invest, innovate, and create jobs.
        We now have the opportunity to advance a pipeline through
    reconciliation, which will not only bring in significant
    funding to the Treasury but will also help unleash American
    prosperity through market innovation and investment.
        Notably, the bill does not contain the various--constrain
    the various parties in determining how to meet the goals of the
    pipeline. It provides instead a framework for success.
        It also enhances our national security as any agency that
    becomes more efficient in its use of spectrum will receive
    significant funding.
        The NTIA will play a lead role as the Federal Government's
    Spectrum Management Agency. Do you agree that it is important
    for the Federal Government to make additional spectrum
    available for commercial use and that this can be done without
    compromising national security?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        The Chairman. Tell this committee what the benefits are of
    making additional spectrum available for private development?
        Mr. Dabbar. So there are two in particular, Mr. Chairman,
    that I would highlight.
        One is satellite 5G, which is still very early stage, and
    then one that I am particularly interested in focusing on if I
    am so lucky to be confirmed is on satellite 6G where the U.S.
    needs to jump forward as the next competitive battlefield with
    the PRC.
        So the utilization of spectrum to not only get to 5G
    satellite, but also get to 6G satellite which, hopefully, by
    the end of my term if I am so lucky to be confirmed that we
    will be moving forward on that and showing leadership on that
    over the PRC.
        The Chairman. I very much agree that it is critical that
    America win the race for 5G and for 6G and that we not fall
    behind China, and if we find ourselves in a world where China
    and Huawei in particular has provided the global architecture
    for telecommunications worldwide that would do enormous damage
    both to our economic security and our national security, and I
    trust you will work hard in this new role to prevent that from
    happening.
        Ranking Member Cantwell.
        Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Again, I appreciate working together with you on many
    energy fronts including quantum and the Hanford cleanup.
        Mr. Dabbar, do you support the CHIPS and Science Act?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes. I have been on the record and testified in
    support of that when it was going through Congress.
        Senator Cantwell. So you believe in honoring the agreements
    that are in place with companies?
        Mr. Dabbar. I am not familiar with actual agreements
    underneath the CHIPS Act at the Commerce Department but the
    President has been----
        Senator Cantwell. Generally, if you think we have signed an
    agreement with a company and allocated resources that we should
    fulfill them, barring any--you know, barring any major problems
    with them?
        Mr. Dabbar. So Secretary Lutnick and the President have
    been very clear about how to take the resources under the CHIPS
    and Science Act and how to get the most bang for the buck for
    the taxpayer.
        And I think the President and the announcement--and
    Secretary Lutnick was just in Arizona on the announcement
    around TSMC moving from one fab for $65 billion of support to
    three fabs and $165 billion with no additional chip support.
        And so I think that is a great example of taking the CHIPS
    Act subsidies and support and how to get the most out of it
    within agreements.
        I am not familiar, for example, with all the TSMC
    agreements but I think I have----
        Senator Cantwell. OK. I have more questions.
        I actually saw Secretary Lutnick last night and he was
    emphasizing how much he enjoyed being there. But I will tell
    you this, this committee and the last administration got that
    done.
        Now, I am glad you feel like you get to rearrange some of
    the chess pieces but the President of the United States saying
    he is not for CHIPS and Science and then all of us having to
    push back every damn day is nuts. OK?
        This is policy that we have implemented that will make the
    United States competitive and so I just need to know that you
    are not going to be another one of these people that is going
    to make this harder for us. That is all we want to know. OK.
        Will you commit to maintaining the NIST budget and the
    other R&D programs that are under the agency?
        Mr. Dabbar. Sorry. Yes. I did not know it was a question.
    Sorry.
        Senator Cantwell. Thank you.
        What about the money for the tech hubs?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes. I think as appropriated and authorized I
    certainly know a bit about the tech hubs but assuming it is
    funded and authorized.
        Senator Cantwell. OK. What about moving marine fisheries
    out of NOAA and into Interior, also a ridiculous idea?
        Mr. Dabbar. So I only know what I read in the newspaper
    about different potential proposals. I do know that over time
    that various proposals have been made about NOAA including in
    the last Congress about separating it completely. So I would
    review any sort of proposal, given many has been made over the
    decades on NOAA.
        Senator Cantwell. I get this may not be one of your areas
    of expertise but if you could bone up a little bit more on this
    for the record and give us an answer.
        The science that NOAA does helps us manage our fisheries
    and right now we are being taken advantage of by both the
    Chinese and the Russians.
        And so we do not want to be more disenabled at NOAA to
    advocate for our fisheries. My colleague from Alaska who is
    here probably has a thought on this.
        But we want to be more empowered to fight and fight the
    injustices against the United States. We see a huge opportunity
    for the Department of Commerce to provide that leadership. You
    want to talk about a trade issue, talk about fisheries, and
    talk about the unfairness that is happening.
        But we need the science and we need that agency to be
    complete on its R&D mission in NOAA. So what about the Office
    of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research that also is being proposed
    to be eliminated?
        Mr. Dabbar. Well, just to address your first point,
    Senator, when I was Under Secretary for Science we had a--
    smaller than NOAA but we did have a number of topics around
    fish and around atmospheric sciences. We had one plane rather
    than several. There is a bit of a history of that on nuclear
    weapons and so on.
        But the fish, as you know, Senator Cantwell, we had
    research in Washington State along the Columbia River that I
    helped run. Sequim, which was another facility----
        Senator Cantwell. A national lab, yes.
        Mr. Dabbar.--and at Senator Blackburn's state at Oak Ridge
    on so very----
        Senator Cantwell. OK. I have one more question to ask you.
    So I got that you have a little bit of--you will come back to
    me on this point.
        So but on the spectrum issue you do not--the warfare of the
    future is in the skies, correct?
        Mr. Dabbar. Sorry?
        Senator Cantwell. The warfare--on the spectrum issue the
    warfare of the future is in the skies, correct?
        Mr. Dabbar. Absolutely, Senator.
        Senator Cantwell. OK. And so we cannot give away DOD assets
    that could have interference if that hurts our warfare
    capabilities for the future. Is that correct?
        Mr. Dabbar. We absolutely need to be careful, and I do have
    a technical--a bit of a technical background in this and I know
    there are many people working on how to use the spectrum from a
    technical point of view more efficiently.
        So in addition to just what the actual spectrum set aside
    is but also how to manage it better from a technical----
        Senator Cantwell. But you do not believe in compromising
    DOD?
        Mr. Dabbar. Oh, absolutely not, Senator. Yes. Yes. Sorry.
        Senator Cantwell. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Senator Moreno [presiding]. Senator Sullivan for more
    discussion on fish.

                    STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN,
                        U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA

        Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I will save fish for a minute but, Mr. Dabbar, I am very
    impressed by your background. I think you are eminently
    qualified and I certainly plan on supporting you.
        And you mentioned, your father worked at the Kenai LNG
    facility or helped get LNG from Alaska sold to Japan. Is that
    correct in your testimony?
        Mr. Dabbar. He was--he worked for Phillips 66 in the late
    1960s selling LNG to Tokyo Gas.
        Senator Sullivan. That is amazing. It is great. Well, that
    fits perfect.
        Last night I also saw the Secretary at a dinner--Secretary
    Lutnick. He mentioned to me, and I agree with Senator Cruz,
    that we have enormous leverage right now to reduce tariffs.
        One of the things that we are also trying to do is get our
    Asian allies to commit like your father did to purchase Alaskan
    LNG from the large-scale LNG project that we are now working
    on.
        The Secretary is fully on board with that, he mentioned
    again to me last night. So is the President. So is the U.S.
    trade rep.
        Can I just get your commitment to work with them on that
    big opportunity we have? This is a huge strategic opportunity
    for our country.
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        American energy superpower status, now we are in a better
    position than ever before on energy contributing to the
    positive trade.
        Senator Sullivan. Great.
        Speaking of superpowers, I like to refer to Alaska as the
    superpower of seafood. About two-thirds of all seafood
    harvested--commercial, sport, subsistence--of all the fish
    harvested in America over two-thirds comes from Alaska. So we
    are it. Multi-billion-dollar industry, multi-billion-dollar
    exporter.
        So Secretary Lutnick during his confirmation said he wanted
    to be, quote, ``The godfather of the American fisherman.'' I do
    not know if there is a another phrase I can use for you--
    consigliere or something like that.
        But can you also commit to making this a high priority? He
    got tons of questions during his confirmation hearing on fish.
    Can I get your commitment on that?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Sullivan. So I think we are off to a good start,
    certainly, on fisheries. We have this unleashing Alaska's
    extraordinary resource potential executive order from President
    Trump on day one. This includes fisheries, LNG, all kinds of
    great things in Alaska.
        And then just a couple days ago Restoring America's Seafood
    Competitiveness EO, so we are off to a good start and I want to
    commend the President, Secretary Lutnick, on their team.
        But I am concerned, to Senator Cantwell's points--and this
    is a big issue--that we are not having the staffing to do the
    two things that Commerce has to do for fisheries. So American
    fisheries, unlike CHIPS and Science, 200--a quarter of a
    trillion dollar subsidies--my guys do not get subsidized at
    all.
        The Federal Government has to do two things. They need to
    do robust surveys to inform accurate stock assessments and they
    need to do timely promulgation of regulations to open
    fisheries. That is it.
        And when the Federal Government does not do that you screw
    the hardworking fishermen of Alaska and America. Just think
    ``Deadliest Catch.'' They do have to compete with Russia and
    China.
        And to be honest, right now it is not starting to look good
    and I am starting to get really upset because when you got--
    look, Biden was horrible on the surveys. Horrible.
        We threw a ton of money at NOAA and the guy did climate
    change and all this BS. He did not do the blocking and tackling
    of NOAA which is stock assessment surveys.
        So you guys came in, hey, we are not going to be like
    Biden, but you are not--I am getting really worried that you
    guys are not doing this either.
        And when you do not do stock assessment surveys you know
    what happens? My fishermen cannot fish. They do not go $240
    billion in subsidies. All they need is a survey and it is not
    happening.
        I got a whole list and I am going to mention them here, and
    I hope to hell someone from Commerce is watching, OK, because
    if you are not doing surveys--that is the basic stuff you are
    supposed to do at NOAA--then my guys cannot fish. They do not
    want subsidies. They just want to fish.
        So can I get your commitment? And I hope to hell someone
    from NOAA is watching this. I got a whole list of surveys right
    now that looks like you are not going to complete.
        So what happens? My fishermen do not fish. That is wrong.
        Can I get your commitment? And hope to hell someone from
    NOAA and Commerce is watching this right now. Get on with the
    surveys, God damn it. Can I get your commitment? As you can
    tell I am a little rattled about this.
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes. Yes, Senator, and I know that--I have read
    your proposed bill, the latest one, and also how understanding
    research of, for example, salmon in Alaska where some things
    are going well, you know, strong and some things are weaker and
    why. So certainly committed on that also.
        Senator Sullivan. We just need--I just need your commitment
    to get the staffing and money to do the surveys. That is it,
    and if we are failing on this this is not good.
        Let me ask one final question. This relates. There is a
    contract we are trying to get the Secretary to sign, like,
    right now that is for the Oscar Dyson. It is a NOAA survey
    vessel home ported in Kodiak, Alaska.
        It is coming up for its contract that needs to be signed
    this week. Again, I hope Commerce people are watching. OK. Just
    sign the contract so we can do the surveys from the Oscar
    Dyson. That is a NOAA survey vessel ship.
        If that is not signed in the next couple days that vessel
    will not be able to do surveys. So, again, this is blocking and
    tackling to take care of our fishermen, which is in the
    President's EOs.
        But we got to be able to support them with science, and can
    I get your commitment on that and maybe have someone get to the
    Secretary and sign this contract on the Oscar Dyson, like,
    today?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will follow up, and there are people behind
    me and watching, listening to you I am certain.
        Senator Sullivan. Really, really important. Thank you.
        Senator Moreno. All right. I will now recognize Senator
    Klobuchar and note that the swear jar is being passed around.
        [Laughter.]

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

        Senator Klobuchar. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
        I was up till 1 a.m. watching the Timberwolves beat the
    L.A. Lakers, just for the record. Kind of a surprise in that
    series. We are very excited so----
        Senator Moreno. The Cavs are ready for you.
        Senator Klobuchar. OK, great.
        So, I appreciate your background very much and your
    commitment to science and economic opportunity. I view this,
    being from a state with 15 Fortune 500 companies, fourth for ag
    exports, Mayo Clinic, a big medical device presence that we are
    literally on this cusp of economic expansion or were on it, I
    should say, with everything from mapping of the human genome to
    the work that has been done on AI, as long as we--and I am
    going to ask about this--put some rules in place.
        But I am concerned, and my colleagues have asked you about
    this, just about these tariffs setting us backward with the
    rest of the world.
        I cannot tell you how concerned I am about this because not
    everyone--you know, Tim Cook can get into the White House but
    my little company down that makes high chairs stuff, Busy Baby,
    she cannot get in there and she cannot get at the investment
    meetings. Does not know which tariffs are going to change,
    what's going to happen, and so I just hope you will be a voice
    on that front.
        So first question, I have National Science Foundation
    grants (and the administration has cutoff hundreds of these
    grants including at the University of Minnesota) and I just--
    this scientific research going on again. Very exciting.
        Will you commit to funding the NSF and will you commit to
    restoring funding for the NSF grants?
        Mr. Dabbar. So Commerce does not fund NSF. I am reasonably
    familiar because when I was Under Secretary, and we also do
    work with NSF at South Pole and elsewhere.
        Senator Klobuchar. Right.
        Mr. Dabbar. And so, certainly, NSF is a very important
    aspect to the funding research. But I do not have that scope.
        Senator Klobuchar. Will you be an advocate for it was
    probably the better words?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will certainly be supporting S&T investment
    and I think as you know, Senator, when the sequester was lifted
    last time the President signed the quantum bill, the AI bill,
    and so on and I was certainly a part of both supporting that
    and executing on that.
        Senator Klobuchar. Speaking of AI, the--you know, we have
    had a lot of bipartisan work over here still haven't really
    passed. Senator Thune and I have a base bill for nondefense
    applications of AI.
        Talk about what your priorities would be for AI? I'm just
    concerned that we have not put in place any guardrails and that
    could actually set everyone back if we don't do that.
        Mr. Dabbar. So it is a long topic having----
        Senator Klobuchar. Yes, I do not--yes, you cannot
    filibuster----
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes. I will try to Senator. The opportunity set
    for AI is so incredibly broad. I think it is very important to
    allow every medical device maker and every company out there to
    look at AI for operations and allow people to expand.
        I am on the board of Dominion Energy, which is--currently I
    will be resigning if I am so lucky to be confirmed. But using
    AI for utility operations, for dispatching power plants, to
    storms. You could use this for weather so getting to NOAA.
        Senator Klobuchar. Got it.
        Mr. Dabbar. There is a long list and I want to try to
    facilitate all the different opportunities including within the
    scope of Commerce.
        Senator Klobuchar. Yes, and I just would hope that you
    would be an advocate--I can ask this more in writing--just for
    some rules of the road in place because even the companies want
    this, and we can talk about it more back and forth or meet
    about it.
        OK. Rural exports--Senator Hoeven and I passed legislation
    on this. You know, we have the Foreign Commercial Service, but
    in a lot of areas they do not have a--a big company might have,
    you know, a full time trade expert on a certain part of the
    world and this rural export center in Fargo assists rural small
    businesses to access international markets.
        And you may not be familiar with the details, but will you
    commit to supporting the work of the Commerce Department with
    rural exports?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Klobuchar. OK. Thank you.
        We talked about CHIPS and Science, Broadband Program. Had a
    confirmation come through this committee on that. As you know,
    we allocated a lot of money. Has not really gone out quite yet.
        We do not want to get back into that whole history but we
    do have to get it out, and are you committed to getting that
    funding out to the states and put to work?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Klobuchar. OK. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

                   STATEMENT OF HON. BERNIE MORENO,
                         U.S. SENATOR FROM OHIO

        Senator Moreno. Thank you for being here. Thank you for
    serving your country for the fourth time. I appreciate that.
    Look forward to having you confirmed.
        Taking up from my colleagues who were talking about
    innovation, something that is near and dear to my heart, I
    recently introduced a very bipartisan bill called the
    ``Deploying American Blockchain Act''. Passed this committee
    pretty unanimously, which is good to see, and I just want to
    make certain that you are committed to implementing that
    properly when it gets passed by both chambers to really look at
    what America can do to take that next step in being the center
    for the evolution of blockchain technology.
        Mr. Dabbar. So I have not read your bill, Senator, but
    certainly support American leadership on blockchain.
        Senator Moreno. All right.
        And shifting gears, you are somebody who has run pretty
    complex organizations. There is not a lot of people who have
    that in their background. So I look forward to having you run--
    help Secretary Lutnick run Commerce.
        Is it fair to say in your experience in the government and
    in the private sector running complex organizations, does more
    money always equal better results?
        Mr. Dabbar. No, Senator.
        Senator Moreno. Sometimes the opposite, right? But that is
    something that I think most people who have not run
    organizations would feel that that is an odd paradigm, right,
    because typically the idea is more people, more money. You have
    a problem, throw money at it. Throw people at it.
        Can you talk about what you have seen in your experience
    why that is a fallacy?
        Mr. Dabbar. So a lot of times money can be spent on things
    that have not been--are not needed I think is a good way of
    putting it.
        So I will give you an example. When I was Under Secretary
    for Science we had just won--we were just winning when I showed
    up--the Nobel Prize for the lithium ion chemistry.
        But the department was still spending money on lithium ion
    battery discovery science--not scaling, not manufacturing, but
    discovery science. And so we were spending something that we
    won the Nobel Prize on and I think we could say that that was a
    declaration of victory for discovery science.
        And so that was not a really great place to kind of keep on
    spending money into something that we already had victory on so
    we refocused the money on the future, and so I think that is an
    example of, you know, the right way to think about where the
    taxpayer money should be looking at.
        Senator Moreno. So as we talk about cuts and assessments of
    different programs it is absolutely something that is
    essential, right, to see where is the money most efficiently,
    and setting up better processes, better systems, and taking
    advantage of technology is a much better way to go than just
    randomly throwing a bunch of money into a problem.
        Mr. Dabbar. Absolutely, and I am going to be mildly
    dangerous and bring up Hanford with Senator Cantwell. There was
    a lot of money spent for a very long period of time and a lot
    of different directions have been--I am always paraphrasing the
    senator from many years ago--heading in different directions
    that we are not accomplishing very much.
        And when the senator looked at me and Secretary Brouillette
    8 years ago and said, can you say that we are going to focus on
    the things that work rather than things that are not working,
    not pivot back and forth and get things done, and one of the
    proudest things I think the two of us and others did was the
    last couple of days of the previous administration was to call
    up the senator and say that we had completed construction.
        Senator Moreno. That is great.
        Shifting gears again, 25 years ago--so we are in the 25th
    year anniversary of what I think is the most toxic, most
    outrageously terrible bill in the history of the United States
    of America, which is the U.S.-China Normalization Act.
        The GDP of China at that point in time, 25 years ago, was
    $1.2 trillion. It is projected to be $20 trillion next year.
    Who won and who lost?
        Mr. Dabbar. The accession of China to the WTO and the
    normalization was very, very poor to the U.S. economy and in
    particular to the manufacturing workers that about 5 million
    people lost their jobs.
        And given the velocity of money in the communities that--
    you can multiply that by five or six--we lost about 25 to 30
    million jobs in this country as a result of--to a large degree
    of that topic.
        Senator Moreno. And what kind of jobs?
        Mr. Dabbar. Well, certainly the manufacturing jobs were the
    5 million that had dropped.
        Senator Moreno. These are jobs that are family sustaining
    wages where you could live, provide for a family, retire with
    dignity?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes. Dignity and middle class jobs is what was
    lost because of that.
        Senator Moreno. And what would happen, in your mind, if we
    just ignored it? If we just said, look, we can make cheap goods
    in some other country and bring them into the United States
    where would we be in 10 years?
        Mr. Dabbar. We are--I think the trends that we are seeing
    around fentanyl, trends that we are seeing on small town
    America that really accelerated over the last 20 years because
    of that collapse of manufacturing related jobs.
        Yes, I think you will see that continue and I think all of
    us, you know, do not want to see that continue.
        Senator Moreno. Well, thank you.
        I recognize Senator Baldwin.

                   STATEMENT OF HON. TAMMY BALDWIN,
                      U.S. SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN

        Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
        Mr. Dabbar, congratulations on your nomination. I want to
    pick off or pick up on a point that our Ranking Member made in
    her opening comments.
        When Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law we
    included a bipartisan amendment in this committee that put the
    Minority Business Development Agency into statute.
        Our intention was to invest in entrepreneurs and small
    businesses by expanding the reach of business centers that
    provide high-quality technical assistance to minority business
    enterprises including counseling and mentoring, assisting with
    access to capital and contracts, and supporting job creation
    and retention.
        That recent bipartisan accomplishment led by many members
    of this committee and, again, on a bipartisan basis has been
    dismissed by this administration, which is set on eliminating
    the agency and closing the business centers in our states.
        President Trump, in dismantling the Minority Business
    Development Agency, issued an executive order that requires a
    report and that report needs to explain which functions of the
    Minority Business Development Agency are statutorily required,
    which is what we did in this committee when we included our
    amendment.
        My calls for that report have gone unanswered. So, Mr.
    Dabbar, if confirmed I will be following up with you to get
    that report and the answers on the Minority Business
    Development Agency.
        Can I count on you to be responsive?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will certainly make certain that we respond
    to your letter.
        Senator Baldwin. Mr. Dabbar, we have seen the Minority
    Business Development Agency grant a termination notice that was
    signed by a DOGE member named Nate Cavanaugh.
        Mr. Cavanaugh signed a notice claiming that he was acting
    under the authority of the Acting Under Secretary of the
    Minority Business Development Agency, Keith Sonderling.
        We have since learned that Mr. Cavanaugh may have
    potentially sent these grant termination notices without Mr.
    Sonderling's approval, which if true raises very serious
    questions about whether DOGE is now running the Department of
    Commerce.
        So, Mr. Dabbar, if confirmed will you commit to review the
    MBDA grant termination notices that were signed by Mr.
    Cavanaugh and promptly inform this committee whether Mr.
    Cavanaugh sent those notices with proper approval?
        Mr. Dabbar. If I am so honored to be confirmed, I have a
    great amount of experience in running organizations including
    review criteria of who has certain approvals. I did that as
    Under Secretary. I will certainly----
        Senator Baldwin. So you will immediately let us know
    whether Mr. Cavanaugh had the authority and approval to sign
    those grant termination notices?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will certainly look into it, Senator. I do
    not know the details but I will certainly look into it if I am
    confirmed.
        Senator Baldwin. And provide those details?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will respond to any of the requests that you
    have submitted.
        Senator Baldwin. In Wisconsin our biohealth tech hub
    furthers the state position as a global leader in personalized
    medicine. The first tranche of funding provided by the CHIPS
    and Science Act has been disbursed, but there are millions more
    owed to the tech hub program over the next 5 years.
        I understand the administration is considering submitting a
    budget request to Congress that would eliminate the Economic
    Development Administration that disburses those funds.
        If confirmed, do I have your commitment to keeping the
    promises that were made to the technology hubs?
        Mr. Dabbar. So I am not familiar with the budget proposals
    that are being drafted and so on, but I will follow whatever
    the law is and whatever is appropriated by Congress.
        Senator Baldwin. So you would--I have your commitment to
    keeping the promises that we made to the tech hubs? Is that
    what you said?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will follow authorization and appropriations.
        Senator Baldwin. The tech hubs will have an enormous amount
    of potential to make strides in artificial intelligence, in
    quantum computing, in advanced manufacturing, in addition to
    advancements in personalized medicine like the one that is
    housed in Wisconsin.
        Under your leadership how will the Department of Commerce
    utilize innovation from these regional technology hubs?
        Mr. Dabbar. So I will give you a Wisconsin example.
        Senator Baldwin. Great.
        Mr. Dabbar. So of the four number-one supercomputers that
    were built at DOE three were built in Wisconsin.
        Senator Baldwin. Cray. HPE.
        Mr. Dabbar. And I was there. I went to go visit and they
    not only do, you know, DOE computers but many across the
    country including for national security.
        Senator Baldwin. Yes.
        Mr. Dabbar. So Wisconsin's leadership of that and
    manufacturing of high-performance computers and obviously the
    workforce in Wisconsin was highly important in order for us to
    do that.
        So I have personal experience in Wisconsin on workforce, on
    AI, and computing, and it was vitally important to me back then
    and will be vital for the country, going forward.
        Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
        The Chairman [presiding]. Thank you.
        Senator Moran.

                    STATEMENT OF HON. JERRY MORAN,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM KANSAS

        Senator Moran. Chairman, thank you, and, Mr. Dabbar,
    welcome. Good morning.
        A couple of things, mostly related to budget and to trade,
    although Senator Klobuchar in her failure to ask one of her
    questions asked me to ask, and I just would remind you she and
    I co-chair the Travel and Tourism Caucus in the Senate and we
    are looking to see support from the Department of Commerce in
    regard to the events that are occurring in our country related
    to FIFA and all the potential business opportunities our
    country has there, plus then the international Olympics in Los
    Angeles.
        Our country has a lot of preparation to be prepared for
    those--that number of guests. What I want to talk to you about
    first is NOAA.
        I find some reports disturbing about the significant budget
    cuts at NOAA along with personnel shortages. I would like to
    hear you confirm that it is important for our Weather Service
    offices to remain open 24/7.
        It is essential for public safety. It is essential for the
    economy of Kansas and agriculture producers, the aviation
    industry, and that seems to be in jeopardy based upon where we
    are, and that these Weather Service offices need to be staffed
    24/7 and we will work in my capacity as an appropriator to see
    that the money is there as I think we have done in the past.
        We just need to make sure that that would be implemented
    and supported by the Department of Commerce.
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator. As someone who grew up just a few
    miles south of Independence, across the border, Tornado Alley,
    and the support that we have for many parts of the country but
    including your state is vitally important.
        Senator Moran. I thank you for your willingness to
    cooperate.
        In addition to agriculture we are the air capital of the
    world and manufacture more general aviation airplanes but now
    that is expanding into many other aspects of aviation and
    aerospace.
        One of the key frameworks that has made this possible is a
    1979 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, a pact among the
    U.S. and 33 other nations. That agreement is hugely important
    to the supply chain of the industry.
        The aviation industry is one of the bright spots in our
    export markets and I need to know that you are willing to work
    to make certain that we go forward under that agreement in our
    relationships with those countries in a way that does not
    interfere with the supply chain of producing airplanes and
    aircraft and aerospace in this country.
        Mr. Dabbar. Absolutely, Senator. I mean, clearly, in
    addition to agriculture, aerospace and defense is a comparative
    advantage industry for this country and the net trade benefit
    positive should continue to expand in that sector for us.
        Senator Moran. Mr. Dabbar, you just highlighted why trade
    and tariffs are so important to me as a Kansan. Aviation,
    aerospace, and agriculture--we are an export-dependent state
    and we earn our living doing so.
        I want to talk to you a moment, again, about the
    Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the MEP. Last month the
    Department of Commerce informed 10 states--the MEP program
    centers--that it would not renew their funding.
        This is true despite strong bipartisan support for the
    program and seemingly in alignment with the Trump
    administration's interest in improving the environment for
    increasing manufacturing in the United States.
        Do you have any thoughts about how MEP fits into the future
    of manufacturing and the level of support we can see from the
    Department of Commerce for that program?
        Mr. Dabbar. So I had the honor when I was Under Secretary
    to support manufacturing, R&D efforts for new advanced
    manufacturing when I was Under Secretary at a number of
    different senators' states here when I was running the National
    Labs.
        So at least from my point of view, how do we drive advanced
    manufacturing for the next step is vitally important and
    programs to support that I think are vitally important.
        So I would certainly look into that program and try to see
    how that advances advanced manufacturing for the future.
        Senator Moran. Mr. Dabbar, it seems like you have done a
    lot of traveling. I do not remember we have ever met in Kansas
    and I would like to take that 50th state off your list or put
    it on your list, and I assume by that smile and head shake you
    and I will visit my state together.
        Mr. Dabbar. I will be glad to visit Wichita and visit some
    factories or wherever else makes sense, Senator.
        Senator Moran. Thank you for answering my questions.
        The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Moran, and I can attest
    Kansas is a wonderful place to be.
        Senator Kim.

                      STATEMENT OF HON. ANDY KIM,
                      U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY

        Senator Kim. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
        Earlier in this hearing when you were actually having an
    exchange with the Chairman you talked about something that
    caught my attention. You said, you know, we should be trying to
    reindustrialize in order to compete with China and improve our
    national security.
        You also expressed your support for the CHIPS and Science
    Act. Do you see the CHIPS and Science Act and what it is trying
    to do there as part of an effort to try to reindustrialize and
    try to push us further forward to be able to better compete
    with China?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Kim. So I guess I am interested. This is something
    I raised with Secretary Lutnick as well in his hearing.
        I was trying to think through, OK, you know, on that part
    when we deal with semiconductor chips we have used that as an
    effort to move forward.
        I guess I wanted to ask you the same question I asked him
    which is, do you think that there are other sectors, other
    types of technologies, where we can envision sort of a 2.0 not
    necessarily on semiconductors again but I am trying to think
    through where do we go from here?
        How do we try to take the lessons that we learned from
    CHIPS and Science and see whether or not there is another area
    of critical technology that we should be working together in a
    public-private partnership to be able to move forward?
        What are your thoughts on that?
        Mr. Dabbar. So let me hit on one that I know reasonably
    well which is energy technologies. America's leadership and now
    global leadership in energy certainly is in part on production
    but certainly part of it is on technology, and most of which--
    what we are deploying today from the energy sector was not
    invented in a commercial form 20 years ago.
        And I know the pipeline quite well of energy technologies,
    given my background. Let me pick one that might be associated
    with your state, which is fusion.
        The fusion--the likelihood of fusion becoming commercial in
    the next decade and in the next couple of years, first
    commercial fusion cores having big accomplishments is very,
    very likely. Princeton and others are big supporters of that.
        So I think as we think about those sort of things some of
    the ideas that you were asking the question about can certainly
    make sense.
        Senator Kim. I know some of that crosses different
    jurisdictions of departments and agencies, but if you are
    confirmed is that something you would be willing to work with
    me on in terms of trying to think through how we move forward
    in terms of using some of those types of tools and try to see
    if we can create some bipartisan energy going forward?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Kim. Well, I am curious. You know, you also did a
    lot when it comes to quantum.
        Do you see space there as well to kind of further the
    government's role in terms of trying to supercharge that type
    of technology moving forward?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator. I think what has been
    accomplished because of the National Quantum Act that was
    previously passed and in particular it is supported out of this
    committee with the various agencies that the opportunity there
    to move from research to first deployment of systems I think we
    are there.
        And so I think working with Congress and, obviously, I
    think Commerce within its--already within NIST primarily within
    its capabilities but how do we move forward I supported
    previously the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act,
    which I still think is being considered.
        I would love to work with you and other members of this
    committee as that gets considered.
        Senator Kim. A lot of what we talked about just now was
    about efforts to move forward on advanced manufacturing, trying
    to supercharge it. But I would like to just kind of take a step
    back here.
        You talked earlier about the importance of science and
    technology investments writ large. I guess I just wanted to ask
    you what you think the government's role is when it comes to
    basic research, so not necessarily in the implementation side.
        But do you think that we are at the right level of basic
    research investment as a U.S. government? I just wanted to get
    a sense.
        Do you think it is too high? Too low? Where do you think we
    are at?
        Mr. Dabbar. So I have talked about this a lot over the last
    many years, given my last roles. You know, the best bang for
    the buck for the taxpayer many times is discovery and the
    reason why is that it is too far away from cash-flow for the
    private sector to fund well.
        So if you go to--and although there was history, certainly,
    in New Jersey and elsewhere but to a very large degree in
    today's environment you go to GE or you go to a lot of these
    companies and say, please invest in very early discovery
    science and they will say no, I need--you know, we want to do
    it higher up the TRL level.
        And so the best place to invest the Federal money is where
    the private sector really isn't and the best place for that is
    discovery. So----
        Senator Kim. So in terms of going back to that first--the
    quote that I asked you about, you know, that we need to
    reindustrialize in order to compete with China, would you also
    say then we need to be able to make sure we are investing in
    basic research in order to be able to compete with China?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Kim. OK. Thank you. And with that, I will yield
    back.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        Senator Schmitt.

                    STATEMENT OF HON. ERIC SCHMITT,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSOURI

        Senator Schmitt. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        It is good to see you. Now, am I right you grew up in
    Independence then?
        Mr. Dabbar. No. I was right south in a little town called
    Bartlesville.
        Senator Schmitt. I know Bartlesville. I know Bartlesville.
        Having run statewide three times in 8 years I know a lot of
    those towns. It is good to have you here.
        I did want to talk a little bit about--I know that, you
    know, trade is, obviously, a hot topic and I think one of the
    things that has been illuminating for a lot of folks is to
    really kind of understand how we got here.
        I think, you know, after World War II there were a lot of
    favorable conditions created so that our allies could get back
    on their feet principally to defeat Soviet communism.
        That happened, and our foreign policy was sort of dedicated
    to that same proposition. That happened. But after the Cold War
    ended there was not an adjustment by way of foreign policy nor
    on economic policy.
        So that is how you end up. You wake up and you go to--you
    know, you have Liberation Day and you find out that all these
    countries have not just tariffs but all these sort of trade
    practices that make it difficult for our goods to get into
    their markets.
        You cannot sell beef in Australia. You cannot--you do not
    see an American car in Europe. You do not see an American car
    in Japan.
        And so from my perspective it is about time that we
    rebalanced that equation and that is exactly what is happening
    right now, and I think you have got--from my perspective you
    got two buckets.
        You have got China and you have got everybody else, and
    everybody else that is what everybody is working through right
    now.
        Is that how you see it?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Schmitt. That is fair? And I think ultimately you
    are seeing this investment. You are seeing the commitment from
    a lot of companies to start to do their advanced manufacturing,
    their production in the United States.
        I do not think it is--no one is naive. We are not going to
    produce everything here but getting back our fair share as
    opposed to those jobs going to China or to Mexico.
        I think it is time that we have an administration that
    stood up for working folks who have been kind of left behind by
    this globalist dream that borders do not matter and, you know,
    it is just--nations do not matter and I think that is what we
    are sort of on the precipice of.
        So anyway, you know, not to put a bow on the debate because
    it is ongoing but I did want to ask you also last--the first 2
    years I was here I was the Ranking Member on the Space and
    Science Subcommittee.
        We dealt a lot with commercial space, and I just wanted to
    get your thoughts. There is--this is a really important area
    for us. You talk about this global--this competition we have,
    this great powers competition with China. It is not confined to
    the terrestrial. It is not confined to the sea.
        It is in space, too, and having a robust commercial space
    sector is really important for us to compete. You talked about
    discovery.
        We do not really know what those discoveries might be on
    the Moon or in Mars but we know that we better find them before
    China because they certainly have designs.
        Have you been brought up to speed or can you speak to how
    your office intends to sort of operate both with respect to
    NOAA and AST over it?
        Because what you do not want to have is this sort of turf
    battle that defines so much of what happens in Washington and I
    think the newness of all this provides opportunities for
    greater alignment.
        How do you see that? Where do you--how do you plan to deal
    with that?
        Mr. Dabbar. So I have a little bit of a background at DOE.
    We actually did Mars work with JPL and with NASA, and we looked
    at nuclear propulsion. So there is a lot of technology
    advancement.
        Certainly, I would work very closely with NASA and the
    facilities at Kennedy and elsewhere that--to make certain that
    we continue to suck in more investment and more launches and
    more commercial and use of footprint that we have in this
    country, and part of that in order to drive the economy and the
    aerospace sector, which we are so incredibly strong lead in
    including interstate.
        And so I would advocate very strongly with my fellow
    science and technology--other partners at NASA and elsewhere to
    make certain that we open up for the world as well as our own
    launches and expand our leadership that we are already doing
    pretty well on.
        Senator Schmitt. Well, we would love to get you back home
    to Missouri and because, as you mentioned, there is a lot going
    on particularly in the aerospace sector and the defense tech
    industry that sort of exists I think is really important.
        And then, finally, I just want to put it on your radar I
    think one of the concerns with AI is it is a huge opportunity.
        I do not think it is Skynet about ready the universe to be
    destroyed nor do I think cancer is going to be figured out
    tomorrow. It is probably somewhere in the middle, but it is a
    lot of opportunity.
        But one of the concerns I think a lot of folks have is that
    what you do not want to have is AI manipulated in a way that
    affects people's right to express themselves or free speech,
    and that will be sort of on your plate, too.
        We just want to make sure people, regardless of your
    opinion or your point of view, have the ability to speak your
    mind and you do not have this--we saw some of the efforts from
    the previous administration put their thumb on the scale with
    big tech and you are going to be in a position to make sure
    that does not happen, and I am sure that you share those
    concern and want to make sure that it is an open platform right
    for folks.
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Schmitt. OK. Thank you.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        Senator Peters.

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

        Senator Peters. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Dabbar, congratulations on your nomination. Good to
    have you here today.
        Sir, I believe the Department of Commerce has an absolutely
    critical role in supporting U.S. manufacturing. That is why I
    was so concerned when last month the department briefly tried
    to cancel funding for 10 states' Manufacturing Extension
    Partnership programs, or MEPs.
        The Department appeared to quickly reverse course on this
    decision and announce that these centers would be, quote,
    ``under review'' until the end of the Fiscal Year.
        I hope you are aware of MEPs, but the MEPs are essential to
    the U.S. manufacturing base. Every state has a center that is
    charged with helping small and medium manufacturers make their
    businesses successful, especially through workforce training
    and integration with advanced manufacturing as well as putting
    AI into their manufacturing process to increase efficiently,
    oftentimes dramatically.
        Michigan's MEP--the Michigan Manufacturing Tech Center--has
    been extremely successful in helping businesses save money.
        Last year alone they helped nearly 600 businesses save,
    roughly, 5,000 jobs in my state. MMTC generates a lot of its
    own operating costs but they still rely on Federal funding in
    order--for about a third of their operations.
        The Michigan Center contract is up for renewal on July 1st
    and they are waiting for some funding certainty even sooner
    than that. Otherwise, they risk losing services so that they
    can provide to these small and medium manufacturers.
        Historically, the MEP program has been bipartisan. That is
    why I think it is unconscionable that this administration is
    trying to eliminate something that has had broad, broad
    bipartisan support and support within the business community as
    well.
        So my question for you is--this is basically a yes or no--
    if confirmed do you commit to carrying out any appropriated
    funding for MEPs and providing certainty for these centers in
    accordance with congressional intent?
        Mr. Dabbar. We will certainly follow through on
    appropriation--appropriated line items and authorization. I
    would need--I certainly know about the program, Senator, that
    you mentioned and will certainly execute as per appropriated
    and authorized.
        Senator Peters. So you are familiar with the program and
    your assessment of it, at least based on what you know?
        Mr. Dabbar. I have not--I have not done. I am just--I just
    have awareness.
        But I will say, Senator, that having run advanced
    manufacturing development, R&D work, for new advanced
    manufacturing work while I was running the National Labs for
    the country was a clear area of mine that I ran.
        So I have a great amount of experience in that area
    including in some things that people may not think of such as
    FRIB at Michigan State in which manufacturing of isotopes,
    which may not be normal manufacturing but certainly was in my
    scope, which was very important. Obviously, isotopes is
    particularly important, given what has happened with supply
    chains and Russia.
        Senator Peters. Right. Well, it was good to bring up FRIB.
    Those are bonus points right there, and you are right, the work
    that they do is amazing with isotopes.
        I was just talking to the MSU President about that earlier
    this week. It is quite a program.
        Mr. Dabbar, since the President's so-called Liberation Day
    the better--probably the better title would be National Sales
    Tax Day. We have seen just immense chaos in the U.S. economy.
        I am constantly hearing from Michigan businesses,
    especially small businesses, that indiscriminate tariffs and
    facing the higher costs associated with those are also creating
    supply chain disruptions, and we all know that customers are
    basically going to bear the blunt of these effects. They are
    going to see higher costs as they shop and buy everyday goods.
        So given the short- and long-term expected consequences of
    these tariffs, economic forecasters have actually updated,
    unfortunately, their projections to show for a likelihood of a
    U.S. is going to face a recession by the end of this year.
        JPMorgan increased their odds of a recession to 65 percent.
    Goldman Sachs just increased their forecast to 45 percent
    likelihood that we are going to have an economic recession,
    which is going to hurt Americans all across the country.
        I understand the administration is now in the midst of a
    90-day pause on the vast majority of these reciprocal sales
    taxes to allow time for negotiation with trade agreements.
        The fact of the matter, though, is that even with this
    pause there is still just widespread confusion as to how
    businesses are going to be impacted by these tariffs.
        I had one businessman just recently in my office saying,
    basically, a pause is not good. I cannot do anything. I cannot
    hire people. I cannot make business decisions. This is going to
    hurt my business. A pause hurts my business as well.
        And I think you would agree the one thing businesses want
    is certainty. If they have changes in rules they can adapt.
    They may not like them but they can adapt. But you have to have
    certainty and that certainty just does not exist.
        So my question for you, if confirmed, how do you plan to
    provide greater certainty to U.S. businesses so they can do
    what they do best, which is provide services to their customers
    and grow and create jobs instead of being in a world of chaos?
        Mr. Dabbar. So, Senator, as Deputy Secretary I will be
    supporting Secretary Lutnick and the President as directed, as
    a general point.
        I am fully in support of the President and the Secretary's
    positions on the negotiations. I think one of the great steps
    the President took previously was tariffs on China that
    prevented the U.S. car industry from being really decimated
    like Europe's is right now by the Chinese.
        And so I think that was very good steps that were made back
    then that really have protected the car industry, amongst other
    industries.
        But, still, since 2000 there has been about a net $20
    trillion of net trade deficit, which is a stunning number, and
    the numbers have been getting higher every year on the annual
    basis.
        So the President and the Secretary have taken action,
    building on the action of the first administration of the
    President to try to do what was, I think, bipartisanly
    supported, actually, on those topics.
        And the challenge is quite high and I think the steps that
    are going to go from now until where I think the President is
    targeting will accomplish a lot of pulling back that
    increasingly problems for Michigan and elsewhere.
        Senator Peters. Very good.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        Senator Blunt Rochester.

                STATEMENT OF HON. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER,
                       U.S. SENATOR FROM DELAWARE

        Senator Blunt Rochester. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
    welcome, Mr. Dabbar.
        You have heard from some of my colleagues voice their
    concerns but I also want to be very clear about my concern over
    the gutting of the Minority Business Development Agency.
        At his hearing before this committee I personally asked
    Secretary Lutnick if he opposed dismantling the MBDA and he
    said yes, and then gutted the agency's leadership and core
    functions anyway.
        And it has been reported that the agency has gone from 100
    people to one person. I have heard they have been fired. I have
    heard they are on leave. That broken commitment undermines
    decades of bipartisan work.
        It was created by a Republican president in 1969.
    Organizations like the National Urban League fought to codify
    the agency and, ultimately, the goal and what it has done is
    expand economic opportunity for communities in my state as well
    as across the country.
        I was proud to join Senators Cantwell and Baldwin in
    writing letters opposing any effort to dismantle the MBDA. So
    my questions--first, I have a yes or no question. If you cannot
    answer it in a yes or no just say I cannot answer it.
        Do you support the gutting of the MBDA?
        Mr. Dabbar. I do not have enough information.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. Could you talk about what steps
    that you would take to invest in minority-owned businesses that
    have the potential to transform our economy for the better?
        Mr. Dabbar. As Deputy Secretary my role would be primarily
    besides the direction of the President and the Secretary is to
    execute on the authorization and the appropriations of the
    Senate.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. I actually served as a Deputy
    Secretary in my state so I understand the role of deputy
    secretary. I also understand that it is an opportunity to also
    provide wisdom, direction, and advice.
        And I know you have worked in many different capacities--
    public sector, private sector. In your work and in your career
    have you worked to unlock opportunities for minority-owned
    businesses and what recommendations would you give to the
    Secretary toward those goals?
        Mr. Dabbar. Probably the one time where that--when I dealt
    with that was when I was Under Secretary for Science and there
    was a program at DOE that did not report to me but there was a
    DOE program on the topic.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. I will follow up with more detail.
        But I have to say I have a lack of confidence after the
    Secretary sat here and said he would not dismantle it and now
    it is being gutted.
        I want to shift gears. We are, as has been said by many on
    the dais, in a competition with China on quantum. They have
    spent over $15 billion in quantum--public quantum funding, far
    outpacing the U.S. which has invested my understanding $932
    million in 2023.
        There is also a major shortage of skilled quantum
    scientists and engineers with McKinsey stating there is only
    one qualified quantum candidate for every three openings.
        And DOGE is not helping. It is, again, reported that they
    fired over 70 NIST employees in March. This is also a
    concerning trend for a technology area that has the potential
    to revolutionize computers and our economy, as you have stated.
        Are you concerned that we are not currently meeting the
    moment when it comes to our quantum competition with China and
    what are your thoughts on this?
        Mr. Dabbar. So it is an area I know well. I think the
    investment that was made previously under the National Quantum
    Initiative Act was a very good first step.
        I supported in testimony before how science--about the
    reauthorization and if I am so lucky to be confirmed I would
    love to work with this committee on that.
        I do think that the science has now moved to the point that
    we could actually start building real devices, real computers.
    I have quite a bit of experience in that, and I think this is
    the time to go do that.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. I know--I want to turn to cyber
    security as well.
        Quantum is a critical technology for the future of this
    industry and NIST works on quantum cryptography including
    encryption designed to resist quantum-based computer attacks.
        While these quantum attacks have not occurred yet, security
    experts warn bad actors are stockpiling encrypted data to take
    advantage of future breakthroughs called ``harvest now, decrypt
    later'' attacks.
        Given the current Federal employment environment how will
    you grow the quantum workforce to help protect our economy from
    potential quantum attacks?
        Mr. Dabbar. So the Secretary is very focused on post-
    quantum crypto efforts by NIST. We will continue and accelerate
    that. I have personal experience in this quantum topic.
        The President's letter to Director Kratsios also highlights
    this topic, and so I think we would love to work with you and
    the rest of the Senate to try to accelerate that with the next
    quantum bill amongst other program offices.
        Senator Blunt Rochester. I will submit some more questions
    for the record on supply chains and also artificial
    intelligence.
        And thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        Senator Lujan.

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

        Senator Lujan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate that
    very much.
        Mr. Dabbar, thank you for being before us today.
        The first question I have, Mr. Dabbar, is a continuation of
    something that my colleague was just inquiring about and having
    a conversation with you.
        Congress appropriated over $68 million to the MBDA. Are you
    aware what the MBDA is?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, I am, Senator.
        Senator Lujan. Now, the $68 million that was funded here is
    under the current funding bill. So this is recent. This is now.
        So the agency could effectively carry out its mission to
    promote growth and expand economic opportunities.
        But as you may be aware, and I will ask you if you are
    aware, Secretary Lutnick and the Trump administration have
    dismantled the MBDA. Are you aware of that?
        Mr. Dabbar. I only know what I have picked up from the
    press.
        Senator Lujan. You are here today to be a leader at the
    Department of Commerce. Have you taken time to study the
    Department of Commerce?
        Mr. Dabbar. I certainly have but I do not know every detail
    at the Department right now and that is one of the ones that I
    do not know the details on the current stats.
        Senator Lujan. What areas are you strongest in your
    knowledge base with the Department of Commerce?
        Mr. Dabbar. Well, certainly the area of China security. As
    you know, I ran lab efforts in your state extensively as well
    as some of the nuclear operations. So the China topic, which I
    recently testified before ENR on about two months ago I think I
    have quite a lot of experience.
        Obviously, I ran the bulk of the National Quantum
    Initiative. They built four number-one supercomputers. So while
    I was at DOE I ran WIPP.
        So we also generated vast amounts of patents, as you know,
    under Bayh-Dole and Stevenson-Wydler. I could keep going,
    Senator, but those are a reasonable amount of things that I
    have quite a bit of exposure to.
        Senator Lujan. In all of those responsibilities did you
    ever work with small businesses?
        Mr. Dabbar. Absolutely, in particular at environmental
    management at DOE if you are--if you may remember the small
    business topic at DOE that certainly New Mexico was part of.
        Senator Lujan. Is it fair to say you support small business
    success?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Lujan. I would encourage you to learn more about
    the MBDA. The MBDA was created to help with small business
    success, subcontracting with prime contracts. Looking at the
    major initiatives and investments that America has always had
    depends on success with small businesses.
        The MBDA is one of its own--the only kind that exists to be
    able to provide more support, and I would argue it is the only
    one within the Department of Commerce. It is why there was
    broad support--bipartisan support--for this very small
    investment, I would argue, when you look at the United States
    budget--$68 million.
        And it is very concerning when the Secretary when he was
    here before us as a nominee said he also supported small
    businesses and he is leading efforts with Donald Trump to
    eliminate one of the components that exists and, I would argue,
    ignoring law.
        This is in the laws that were passed by the legislative
    branch of government and one of the prime responsibilities. I
    am sure you have been asked by several of my colleagues about
    the MBDA today.
        So my question simply is because this was under current
    funding is where did the money go. So do you know where the
    Department has diverted the millions of dollars Congress
    appropriated to the MBDA?
        Mr. Dabbar. As I mentioned, Senator, I do not--I am not
    confirmed. I do not have, you know, insight into individual
    line item spending at the department right now.
        Senator Lujan. So if confirmed, will you commit to tracing
    these funds and reporting back to this committee on where
    specifically our money--taxpayer money--for the MBDA has been
    rerouted?
        Mr. Dabbar. I can absolutely commit that I have, and I have
    a long track record of being--of coming back in for oversight
    before the Senate and the House when I was Under Secretary and
    that I will continue to do that if I am so lucky to get your
    vote.
        Senator Lujan. I appreciate that. I am looking for a
    specific commitment in this very narrow space.
        Will you commit to tracing these funds and reporting back
    to this committee on where specifically this money has been
    rerouted?
        Mr. Dabbar. I do not know if it has been rerouted or not,
    Senator, but when it comes to financial accountability for
    anything in the Department including that program you have my
    commitment.
        Senator Lujan. Let me ask the question differently then if
    the word rerouted is what we are going to get hung up on. Will
    you commit to tracing these funds and reporting back to the
    Committee where they are?
        Mr. Dabbar. Absolutely. About any funding at the Department
    you absolutely have my commitment that you will have proper
    feedback for oversight like I did when I was Under Secretary.
        Senator Lujan. Does that include specifically this money
    for the MBDA----
        Mr. Dabbar. I will certainly look into that, too, Senator.
    Yes.
        Senator Lujan. Do you commit to getting back to this
    committee and reporting where the money is?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will certainly--I will certainly look into
    it, and if you ask a question we will respond.
        Senator Lujan. I am asking--I am asking right now will you
    commit to get back to--it is yes or no. It is not I am going to
    look into--I am going to theoretically try to figure out
    something. The money may be somewhere. It may have--rerouted is
    a word that clearly is a bit of distance between us.
        Can you just say yes or no? If the answer is no the answer
    is no. I respect that.
        Mr. Dabbar. I will commit to follow every dollar and report
    back as you request on anything in the Department.
        Senator Lujan. I will be very surprised if you do not get
    confirmed, given the votes and the natures with all these
    confirmations. You will be in this role.
        If you keep your word you will be back for oversight
    hearings and I am sharing with you right now I will be asking
    about it.
        If I need to I will send a formal letter. I will ask all my
    colleagues that voted for this funding to get onto that letter
    so that one of the first letters that you have when you go and
    you sit at your new desk will be this question, if I can be
    clear about that. Is that clear?
        Mr. Dabbar. It is clear and I would like to highlight that
    having run vast operations in your state including very, very
    sensitive environmental management topics in Carlsbad and at
    Los Alamos and quantum operations at Sandia, I think I have a
    large track record with many, many people in your state on many
    topics in terms of all sorts of things including
    accountability.
        Senator Lujan. Appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        Senator Rosen.

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

        Senator Rosen. Well, before I begin my questions I want
    to--of course, thank you, Chair Cruz, and thank you to our
    nominee for your willingness to serve again.
        But I want to associate myself with what Senator Lujan has
    been speaking about because our MBDAs are very important in
    Nevada.
        As you may or may not know, 99 percent of businesses in
    Nevada are small businesses, many of them minority businesses.
    We rely heavily on these services, and so I just want to
    support my colleague on that.
        I am going to move on to something I know we also care
    about is our BEAD proposals. So Nevada's BEAD proposal was
    approved over 3 months ago. The Department of Commerce has
    still not released the $417 million allocated to connect all
    Nevadans to high-speed reliable internet.
        The proposal is tech neutral, cost effective, uses all of
    its funding to building broadband to reach 100 percent of
    unserved Nevadans--100 percent.
        We have a rural frontier state, the most mountainous state
    in the lower 48. Each type of technology is used with over 10
    percent of our unserved locations to be covered by satellite.
        Nevada BEADs awards' average cost per location is so much
    lower than any federally funding broadband programs in the
    state in recent years.
        So, Mr. Dabbar, I would like to just again ask you a simple
    yes or no question. If confirmed, will you commit to releasing
    the funding for the Nevada BEADs proposal?
        It has been approved. It has been fully approved. It is
    tech neutral, cost effective. Fulfills the mission of bringing
    high-speed reliable broadband to every Nevadan.
        Will you commit to releasing that funding, yes or no?
        Mr. Dabbar. I will commit to certainly look at improving
    what has been going on----
        Senator Rosen. I will take that as a no then.
        It has been approved.
        Mr. Dabbar. I do not know, Senator. I apologize for not
    knowing the Nevada----
        Senator Rosen. It has been approved. So you are saying you
    are not going to release funding that has been approved?
        Mr. Dabbar. If something has been fully approved then----
        Senator Rosen. It has been fully approved.
        Mr. Dabbar.--I would want to make certain that it is,
    Senator.
        Senator Rosen. It has been fully approved. I will go under
    oath and tell you it has been fully approved according to the
    proposal. The money has been frozen. Will you commit to
    unfreezing approved appropriated money by the United States
    Congress?
        Mr. Dabbar. So, Senator, I feel very passionate about the
    BEAD program and the fact that the 14-step processes have not
    actually gotten to deployment to Nevada and elsewhere.
        It has, obviously, been quite topical by many people,
    including a recent book. I agree with you on the general point
    that I think I hear from you amongst others about that process
    has not gone as well as it should have.
        Senator Rosen. The process--our process is complete. I am
    trying to be clear. It has been completed. It has been
    approved. The money is coming and now it is frozen.
        So it is not that something is in process or under review
    or any of those things. This is a project that has been
    completed according to the appropriate specifications and
    approved. That is all.
        Well, we will move on to extreme heat because I know--I am
    not going to spend my time fighting about this.
        But Nevada is home to two of the fastest warming cities in
    the country, Las Vegas and Reno, and in 2024 our emergency
    rooms experienced a record number of visits for heat-related
    illnesses, and in southern Nevada alone over 500 people died as
    a result of extreme heat.
        I know in Texas the Chairman's state is pretty hot too so
    you have some of these similar issues with extreme heat.
        NOAA's CAP program builds community resilience to extreme
    weather and in Nevada it supports the Nevada Heat Lab which
    focuses on mitigating the effects of extreme heat and
    protecting families from extreme heat.
        So if confirmed, would you support the continuation of
    programs like CAP that aim to address the challenges of extreme
    heat?
        We just do not have them in Nevada. Like I said, Texas is
    known for being pretty hot in the summer, and what role do you
    think the Department of Commerce should have in helping us?
        Mr. Dabbar. So NOAA has a broad set on a regional basis. A
    lot of them are university centric for drought and for heat.
        Senator Rosen. We have them both. We have both in Nevada.
        Mr. Dabbar. And also there is--you know, there is some
    current work being done by what I would think is kind of lower
    tech but important things like planes, helicopters, balloons
    for some of the mapping and providing feedback and input to
    farmers and others around the topic.
        And, you know, there is some prospect around using
    satellites, and I think moving the technology stack forward on
    your exact point, Senator, to get faster information, better
    information out of NOAA, moving up the technology stack is
    something I think would be very valuable for me to look at.
        Senator Rosen. Thank you. If the Chairman would indulge me
    for a question about tourism.
        Thank you. I so appreciate it.
        Travel and tourism are not only the backbone of Nevada's
    economy but I can tell you every single state in this Nation it
    is a top economic driver for us, supporting 15 million jobs
    nationwide, and international tourism contributes over $180
    billion alone toward the U.S. economy.
        So in the coming years the U.S. is hosting several
    important, major international sporting events that attract
    visitors, of course, from across the country but from around
    the world--this year's Formula One Grand Prix in Las Vegas to
    the FIFA World Cup in 2026 to the 2028 Summer Olympics. So much
    more.
        Unfortunately, I have concerns that some of the recent
    administration's actions could make traveling to the U.S. a
    little harder, a little less attractive, at a crucial time for
    us to prioritize tourism, particularly the Olympics.
        It is just such a shining light for everyone around the
    world and everybody looks forward to that.
        So, Mr. Dabbar, if confirmed will you ensure that
    supporting travel and tourism is a priority at the Department
    of Commerce, understanding how important it is to our Nation
    within the Trump administration, and will you work with me to
    quickly confirm a qualified individual to serve as the first
    ever assistant secretary for travel and tourism?
        That was a position I was proud to create through
    bipartisan legislation with Senators Wicker, Sullivan,
    Klobuchar, and many others on this committee?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate it.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        Mr. Dabbar, there is reportedly a backlog of contracts
    awaiting approval at the Department of Commerce with only five
    or six being approved per day.
        NOAA alone has 5,700 contracts set to expire this year.
    These contracts include everything from post-hurricane flood
    assessments to janitorial services.
        Recently, NOAA came close to letting the contract expire
    for the advanced weather interactive processing system. The
    system is critical for weather forecasters to access weather
    data from satellites, radar, surface stations, and computer
    models and to issue weather warnings.
        More recently, a data center at Texas A&M was shut down for
    several days because of bottlenecks in the department's
    contracting process, depriving Texas emergency and water
    managers of critical drought forecasts that helped them manage
    reservoirs and track storm surge data and hurricane forecasts
    in real time.
        There are other critical contracts for Texas that are in
    Commerce's contracting backlogs such as routine maintenance
    repairs to NOAA's aging Hurricane Hunter fleet.
        Can you commit to addressing the problems with the
    Department of Commerce contract process and resolving the
    backlog of contracts?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Chairman.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        The Department of Commerce plays an underappreciated role
    in U.S. science policy--something you have a great deal of
    experience with--emphasizing applied science, technology
    transfer, and commercialization to drive economic growth.
        Given your experience managing national laboratories and
    advancing tech transfer at the Department of Energy, what
    lessons could the Commerce Department apply to better
    accelerate public-private partnerships and the
    commercialization of federally funded R&D?
        Mr. Dabbar. So, Senator, my kind of philosophy around
    Federal Government spending is it should be the equivalent of
    venture money. It should be the equivalent of triggering money
    to get the private sector moving in a certain direction.
        Certainly, discovery science is a big part of it. But how
    do you translate it, as your question posed, is vitally
    important.
        So taking a look at the structure around Bayh-Dole and
    Wydler-Stevenson that actually makes that possible. But how do
    we make that easier? And also how do we set up better
    communities for people to see what we have invented or
    supported invention either in the private sector or in the
    universities, and how do we make it easier for people to go do
    that is certainly something I did at DOE and would look to push
    that forward at Commerce.
        The Chairman. Thank you. I look forward to working with you
    in that regard.
        Finally, the United States has been a global leader in
    technological innovation due to our free enterprise system and
    strong rule of law.
        Our nation's leadership in critical emerging technologies
    like artificial intelligence will hinge on whether we embrace
    entrepreneurial freedom or instead adopt a European style
    command and control regulatory scheme.
        You correctly recognize that the United States must
    continue to outpace China and remain the global leader at AI.
    What is at risk if we go the direction of Europe and the Biden
    administration and adopt heavy-handed AI regulations requiring
    prior approval before new innovations can be implemented?
        Mr. Dabbar. So the AI sector--a sector, but the AI
    applications are so darn broad everything from energy to
    agriculture to financial services, and I could keep going, is
    so wide that regulating something with that breadth and that
    width and people's ability to invent things across those and
    many other industries would impede economic progress and that
    whole sector, and productivity for the whole economy and the
    welfare for everyday American citizens. So free enterprise and
    allowing everyone to develop across those and every other
    industry is vitally important for a broad set of reasons.
        The Chairman. During the Biden administration the National
    Institute of Standards and Technology--NIST--including the AI
    Safety Institute looked at the worst of the European Union tech
    regulation policing, quote, ``misinformation'' as a part of,
    quote, ``measuring AI'' and its, quote, ``risks.'' This was all
    nonsense.
        If confirmed, how will you restore NIST to its apolitical
    statutory mission and eliminate Trojan horse social policy?
        Mr. Dabbar. So NIST has certain strengths that it is,
    clearly, leader in the world--the ones on standards, ones on
    identifying the kind of the capabilities of certain
    technologies and measuring those.
        And so those--you know, I think trying to have NIST stick
    to the traditional area that it does very well in versus
    expanding it into other areas I think that is probably the
    right way to go for NIST in this particular area.
        The Chairman. Terrific. So my final question is required of
    all nominees.
        If confirmed, do you pledge to work collaboratively with
    this committee to provide thorough and timely responses to the
    Committee's requests and to appear before the Committee when
    requested?
        Mr. Dabbar. Yes, Senator.
        The Chairman. Thank you.
        I have letters of support from various organizations for
    Mr. Dabbar's nomination and I ask unanimous consent for them to
    be inserted in the hearing record.
        Without objection, so ordered.
        [The information referred to follows:]

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        The Chairman. Senators will have until the close of
    business on Friday, May 2, to submit questions for the record.
    The nominee will have until the close of business on Monday,
    May 5, to respond to those questions. So you will have a busy
    weekend.
        That concludes today's hearing. The Committee stands
    adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 11:44 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

                                A P P E N D I X

          Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Ted Cruz to
                                  Paul Dabbar

        Question 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
    (NOAA) Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory and National
    Severe Storms Laboratory lead research to improve the Federal
    government's hurricane and tornado forecasts. Hurricane forecasting has
    improved but is far from perfect, as tragically demonstrated by
    Hurricane Helene, which resulted in over 250 deaths across six states
    last year.

        a. How will you leverage NOAA's labs to improve storm forecasting
    and save American lives?
        Answer. The tragic impacts of Hurricane Helene serve as a sobering
    reminder of the stakes involved in timely and accurate storm
    forecasting. NOAA's labs, including the AOML and the NSSL represent
    critical assets in advancing the science that underpins forecasts and
    warnings. Continued support for innovation, workforce expertise, and
    mission-driven science will help ensure that forecasting improvements
    translate into meaningful benefits for communities at risk.

        Question 2. My hometown of Houston was hit hard by Hurricane
    Harvey. Fortunately, the accurate hurricane path predictions provided
    by the National Weather Service, which incorporated data from the
    Hurricane Hunters flown by the NOAA Corps, helped emergency management
    prepare for the hurricane and save lives. These aircraft provide vital
    data that satellites and drones cannot capture. NOAA only has three
    Hurricane Hunter aircraft and a limited number of pilots who fly very
    long hours. A March 2025 GAO report (GAO-25-107210), which I requested,
    reviews the challenges faced by NOAA's Hurricane Hunter fleet.

        a. How will you ensure the Department of Commerce complies with
    Chapter 8549 of Title 15, United States Code, which requires NOAA to
    ``acquire backup for the capabilities of the WP-3D Orion and G-IV
    hurricane aircraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
    Administration that is sufficient to prevent a single point of
    failure,'' as well as Pub. L. 117-263, which requires NOAA to
    ``maintain the ability of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
    Administration to meet agency air reconnaissance and research mission
    requirements by acquiring new aircraft prior to the end of the service
    life of the aircraft being replaced with sufficient lead time that the
    replacement aircraft is fully operation [sic] prior to the retirement
    of the aircraft it is replacing''?
        Answer. I recognize the vital role Hurricane Hunter aircraft play
    in protecting lives and property through accurate and timely forecasts.
    I will work with NOAA to ensure that they meet the statutory
    requirements in order to maintain these capabilities.

        Question 3. Last year, an activist Maryland judge vacated NOAA's
    existing biological opinion for the then-Gulf of Mexico. NOAA must file
    a new biological opinion on offshore work in the Gulf by May 21, 2025.
    If this does not occur, oil and gas operations in the Gulf could be
    shut down.

        a. Will you hold NOAA's feet to the fire and make sure it meets the
    May 21st deadline for re-issuing this biological opinion, if confirmed
    before then?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work with NOAA to ensure that they
    meet the May 21st deadline. I understand that the biological opinion is
    essential to avoiding disruption to vital oil and gas operations in the
    Gulf of America, which play a key role in the Nation's energy security
    and economy. Timely completion is critical to providing the certainty
    the industry needs while maintaining environmental compliance.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Roger Wicker to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    NOAA Cooperative Institutes
        The Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI) was established
    in 2019, with five institutions, University of Southern Mississippi,
    University of Rhode Island, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
    University of New Hampshire, and Ocean Exploration Trust, bringing
    together world-class talent, expertise, enterprise, and experience.
    Through OECI, members leveraged resources, infrastructure, and
    intellectual focus in its national effort to discover nearly four
    million square miles of submerged U.S. territory. With NOAA, and other
    Federal and industry partners, OCEI explores the unknown parts of the
    U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for the explicit purpose of
    advancing prosperity of the United States.
        The Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute has and continues to
    support the Trump Administration's priorities through U.S. leadership
    in ocean exploration and technology development. The OECI is the go-to
    for critical minerals discovery in the ocean due their expertise with
    long-endurance autonomous surface and subsurface vehicles. This work is
    accelerated through public-private partnerships with industry.

        Question 1. What are your priorities for further implementation of
    public-private partnerships with NOAA Cooperative Institutes? How do
    you plan to utilize your authorities to incentivize innovative ocean
    research and training in the United States?
        Answer. Ocean exploration, mapping, and characterization of the
    U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and beyond are critical to advancing
    national interests, from scientific discovery to economic development.
    Public-private partnerships offer opportunities to accelerate
    innovation and expand capacity in ocean science and technology. As part
    of this effort, there should be a careful assessment of how Cooperative
    Institutes can help achieve these goals and support NOAA's broader
    mission through research, training, and collaboration.
    Oceans and Fisheries Data Collection
        Background: The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is the
    Nation's leading resource for community-driven coastal, ocean, and
    Great Lakes sensor information. This vital program supports a vast
    network of buoys, gliders, high frequency radars, and other sensors
    that monitor U.S. waters. This efficient, reliable, and cost-effective
    system supports emergency preparedness, underpins a thriving blue
    economy, and bridges the gap between scientific research, federally
    certified data, and sound management. Recently, the Gulf Coast Ocean
    Observing System funded a project to modernize High Frequency Radar
    stations to enhance Coast Guard search and rescue operations. IOOS
    deploys, operates, and maintains more than 300 observing assets at 11
    Regional Associations. It supports 17 Federal agencies, including NOAA,
    where the IOOS program office is headquartered. The IOOS program was
    reauthorized unanimously in 2020 and signed into law by President
    Trump.
        In addition to IOOS, the Gulf Maritime Fisheries Commission and
    other regional fisheries commissions work with NOAA to collect critical
    data for fisheries management. The Gulf States Marine Fisheries
    Commission's cooperative agreement with NOAA expired on March 31 and a
    renewal agreement is under review. Until a renewal is in place, the
    commission cannot fully distribute funds to the state partners and
    contractors who do the on-the-ground data collection. While the
    commission is extending some limited resources to provide for short-
    term operations, I am concerned that a delayed review would cause
    significant disruptions in the collection of fish stock data. Such
    disruptions would have a negative impact on fisheries and coastal
    communities in the Gulf of America.

        Question 2. The Integrated Ocean Observing System, or IOOS, and the
    Gulf Marine Fisheries Commission collect essential scientific
    observations like ocean, weather, and fish stock data to support
    navigation, forecasting, and fishing. Would you agree that it should be
    priority to maintain critical data collection programs which monitor
    U.S. waters?
        Answer. Collecting high-quality ocean, coastal, and fisheries data
    is critical to supporting safe navigation, accurate forecasting,
    effective resource management, and the broader blue economy. The value
    of maintaining continuity in these data collection activities is well
    recognized and will continue to be an important consideration.
    Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program
        Background: The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a
    public-private partnership that provides resources to manufacturers, to
    advance U.S. manufacturing. The program is based at the National
    Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The MEP program was
    created in 1988 by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act to improve
    the competitiveness of U.S.-based manufacturing by making manufacturing
    technologies, processes and services more accessible to small and
    medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) through MEP Centers in every state
    and Puerto Rico. The MEP Centers provide expertise to help
    manufacturers reduce costs, create new products, develop the next
    generation workforce, find new markets and achieve business success.
    The MEP program office provides Federal funding to 51 Centers located
    in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. As a public-private partnership, the
    MEP National Network helped manufacturers achieve $15 billion in new
    and retained sales, $5 billion in new client investments, $2.6 billion
    in cost savings and over 108,000 jobs created or retained in Fiscal
    Year (FY) 2024.
        At the beginning of April, NIST notified 10 MEP centers, including
    the Mississippi Manufacturers Association-Manufacturing Extension
    Partnership, that it was not going to renew its funding for the
    centers. On April 15, NIST announced that after further review, it
    would renew funding for the 10 centers until the end of the Fiscal Year
    as the Department reviews the program.

        Question 3. President Trump rightly wants to revive American
    manufacturing and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program under
    NIST helps achieve just that by providing targeted investments to small
    and medium sized manufacturing businesses. As the Department of
    Commerce reviews its programs, will you commit to supporting critical
    initiatives to grow domestic manufacturing?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working to support
    President Trump's and Secretary Lutnick's efforts to grow domestic
    manufacturing.
                                     ______

      Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to
                                  Paul Dabbar

        Question 1. U.S. advancement of quantum technology is critical for
    our Nation to compete on the global stage, but without a coordinated
    effort at the Federal level, we risk falling behind our adversaries.
    The results of failure would be disastrous for our Nation. What do you
    view as the most important pieces of a National Quantum Initiative
    Reauthorization bill, and will you commit to prioritizing advancing
    quantum innovation in your role at the Department of Commerce?
        Answer. Quantum is a technology that can define the success of our
    Nation and the quality of our lives and is highly prioritized by
    President Trump and Secretary Lutnick. I join them in committing to
    advance our quantum success through wise investment in research,
    including efforts to speed commercialization of American-developed
    technology.

        Question 2. Before the National Quantum Initiative lapsed, I
    convened industry and government for a roundtable to discuss priorities
    for the reauthorization and we heard a great deal about siloing and a
    lack of coordination between the departments. We all need to be on the
    same page if we're going to win the quantum race and defeat China. In
    your view, what do we need to do to make certain the reauthorization
    improves agency to agency collaboration?
        Answer. As a former Under Secretary of Energy charged with science
    and research responsibilities, I am keenly aware of the need and
    advantages for agencies to coordinate quantum research and innovation
    work. If confirmed, I look forward to regular engagement with agency
    leaders across the government to ensure that we achieve quantum success
    at the fastest reasonable pace.

        Question 3. Our allies and adversaries are building quantum and
    hybrid applications today to tackle a wide variety of issues across
    industries--including optimization of manufacturing, drug discovery,
    supply chain, and more. And they are doing it quickly. For example, the
    UK has called for applications that could be developed and deployed in
    18 months or less. I've reintroduced my Quantum Sandbox for Near Term
    Applications Act, which would provide more opportunity for public-
    private partnerships to develop quantum pilot programs, test
    demonstrations and proofs of concept within 24 months. Do you support
    added focus on near-term application development and deployment?
        Answer. Our natural principal focus should be on research that
    rapidly develops commercially-available quantum technology. Preparing
    for deployment of American-developed quantum technology to customers
    should be part of the effort in order to ensure our Nation's continued
    technological lead.

        Question 4. I have also recently reintroduced my Advancing Quantum
    Manufacturing Act, which would establish a Manufacturing USA Institute
    for Quantum Manufacturing. In his first 100 days, President Trump has
    been focused on bringing American manufacturing back home. Technology
    is one of the keys to onshoring manufacturing--enabling faster, more
    efficient, and cheaper transitions. No technology has more promise in
    this area than quantum. When applied to manufacturing, quantum will
    increase energy efficiency, advance robotics, secure our
    communications, design stronger materials, and improve our supply chain
    logistics. So, can you elaborate on the need for quantum applications
    in manufacturing, and will you commit to working with me to establish a
    Manufacturing USA Institute for Quantum Manufacturing?
        Answer. Quantum is one of the few technologies that will determine
    continued manufacturing success for our Nation and the quality of life
    for our citizens. I look forward to working with you on this important
    issue.

        Question 5. The Biden administration's NTIA BEAD program added
    partisan requirements to the program that went beyond the letter of the
    law and were never envisioned by Congress, including burdensome climate
    change mandates on infrastructure projects, mandates for unionized
    labor, and overhanded attempts to control broadband rates. We need to
    ramp up broadband deployment by cutting red tape--especially where
    infrastructure already exists--and letting contractors do what they do
    best. How will you work to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent
    efficiently, empowering states to partner with broadband providers to
    reach unserved and underserved communities without further delays?
        Answer. It is unacceptable that the Broadband Equity, Access, and
    Deployment (BEAD) program has been bogged down by burdensome
    regulations. If confirmed, I will work with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to the states, and expand
    broadband buildout, consistent with the law.

        Question 6. If confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Commerce, you will
    play a key role in managing U.S. spectrum policy. Will you commit to
    review currently held government spectrum and ensure it is used
    efficiently and put to its best use?
        Answer. Yes.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Dan Sullivan to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act
        Salmon is a way of life in Alaska and a primary food source for
    many in the state. Fisheries closures and depressed stocks shake the
    foundation of our daily lives.
        Luckily, you've got a basis to work on. My Alaska Salmon Research
    Task Force Act was signed into law in 2022 and had NOAA collaborate
    with salmon experts in Alaska to chart a path forward to research why
    we are seeing such variability in the abundance of salmon.
        The report was released last summer with suggestions of discrete,
    meaningful research projects that we can undertake to get to the bottom
    of this issue.

        Question 1. Mr. Dabbar, can you commit to working with me to
    prioritize and build upon the work we have started to better understand
    why our salmon runs are decreasing in Alaska?
        Answer. The significance of salmon to Alaska's way of life and food
    security is fully recognized, and understanding the causes behind
    declining runs is an important priority. The work initiated under the
    Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act provides a strong platform, and
    the recommendations outlined in the report present clear opportunities
    for further research. I look forward to working with you to build on
    this foundation and advance efforts to better understand and address
    the issue.
    Consultation
        Mr. Dabbar, the previous administration had a history of taking
    unilateral executive actions that affected our state--to my count 70--
    executive orders and actions that affected Alaska. On the vast majority
    of those, neither our Congressional delegation nor our state were
    consulted.

        Question 2. Can you commit to consulting with our office before
    your agency takes any action that would directly affect my state and my
    constituents?
        Answer. Alaska contributes significantly to the Nation through its
    fisheries, minerals, energy resources, and unique ecosystems. Given
    this importance, it will be my priority to engage with your office to
    gain insight and perspective on actions that directly affect the state
    or its communities.
    Data and Technology
        Data and technology are critical drivers of our Nation's economy,
    and I commend this administration for its focus on unleashing
    technology and innovation. As Alaskans know firsthand, nowhere is this
    more important than in our coasts and oceans.
        During President Trump's first term he released the EO 13921,
    ``Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic growth.''
    This EO highlights the need for improved data collection, including
    improved fisheries data and modernized data collection. The economic
    basis our fisheries rely on thorough and up-to-date survey data.
    However, NOAA and NMFS staff must be available, and contracts signed in
    a timely manner, in order for these surveys to happen on time. As of
    today, we are seeing serious uncertainty.

        Question 3. As Deputy Secretary of Commerce, will you commit to
    empowering NOAA to continue its important work in improved ocean and
    fisheries data collection, and accelerate the deployment of innovative
    marine technologies to enhance economic growth, maritime safety, and
    national security?
        Answer. There is strong alignment between the goals of economic
    growth, maritime safety, and national security and the need for timely
    and accurate ocean and fisheries data. The role of data and technology
    in supporting America's coastal and ocean-based industries,
    particularly in regions like Alaska, is well recognized. If confirmed,
    I will work with NOAA to ensure that it continues its important work in
    this area.
    Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness
        Over the last several years, the U.S. seafood industry has
    experienced significant economic hardship and drastic declines,
    primarily due to unfair and predatory practices from Russia and China.
    In addition, a strong NOAA and National Marine Fisheries Service--along
    with a dedicated, professional workforce--is critical to revamping the
    industry to further the goals of the President's EO 14276, Restoring
    American Seafood Competitiveness to help our fishermen. This EO
    provides a roadmap to restore the U.S. domestic fishing industry to
    greatness. To accomplish this, U.S. fishermen need robust fish surveys
    to inform accurate stock assessments; and timely promulgation of
    regulations to manage--and open--fisheries.
        There is a concern that some of these important Alaska surveys will
    not happen this year. There is a reason these surveys take place, and
    we need to make sure that adequate personnel who conduct survey and
    regulatory work are available and funded not just this year, but in
    future years.

        Question 4. Will you commit to ensuring that NOAA personnel and
    funding is available at sufficient levels to support the needs of our
    hard-working fishermen and meet the demands of our President's mission
    to unleash Alaska's extraordinary resource potential and restore
    American seafood competitiveness?
        Answer. The U.S. seafood industry, especially in Alaska, plays a
    vital role in the Nation's economy, and the impacts of unfair foreign
    practices have only underscored the need to strengthen our domestic
    capabilities. Executive Order 14276 lays out a clear path to restore
    American seafood competitiveness, and achieving that vision requires
    reliable fishery surveys, timely stock assessments, and responsive
    regulatory action. If confirmed, ensuring NOAA supports these critical
    activities will remain a priority to fully realize the potential of
    Alaska's resources.
    Program Funds, Grants, and Contracts Approvals
        There are several programs, grants, and contracts that fall under
    the Department of Commerce's review that benefit the state of Alaska.
    These cover a vast number of topics supporting areas such as fisheries
    development, scientific research, and marine mammal rescue and
    stranding response. I understand that one such grant is held up has
    major implications in my state.
        For example, a NOAA Prescott Grant has been submitted by the Alaska
    SeaLife Center, located in Seward, Alaska. The Alaska SeaLife Center is
    important not only as a public aquarium, but for its marine mammal
    research and care capabilities. It is also the number two private
    employer in Seward after the hospital. The SeaLife Center attracts a
    large volume of visitors due to cruise ships and other tourism
    opportunities that Seward receives. The grant funds provide the Center
    the necessary rescue, care and recovery of stranded marine mammals in
    Alaska. In fact, they are the only entity that has the authority and
    capability to carry out this work in the state. This grant has been
    reviewed and approved by NOAA but still awaits final approval by the
    Department of Commerce.

        Question 5. Mr. Dabbar, I ask that you commit to ensuring the
    disbursement of approved funds and approval of program grants finalized
    so these important entities can continue to support the economic growth
    and opportunities necessary for my state--both which meet the mission
    of the Department of Commerce?
        Answer. The Alaska SeaLife Center clearly provides valuable
    contributions to marine research, wildlife response, and local economic
    development in Seward and the broader region. If confirmed, I commit to
    give all funding decisions the appropriate consideration in my role as
    Deputy Secretary.
    Russian Seafood Reciprocity
        Russia has banned U.S. seafood from its markets since 2014.
    However, for many years, Russia was not subject to any special import
    duties in the U.S. Meanwhile, Russia has drastically increased seafood
    production since 2022 and is openly working to flood both U.S. and
    global markets with cheap seafood to push out U.S. product.
        All the while, our hardworking fishermen could not export a single
    fish to Russia. For nearly 10 years, we allowed them to do this until I
    was finally successful in getting the previous Administration to issue
    a couple of executive orders to put a stop to this and restore
    reciprocity. If we can't enter the Russian market, they shouldn't be
    able to flood ours.
        EO 14068 in 2022 banned imports of Russian seafood. However, Russia
    laundered their seafood through China to circumvent the ban. EO 14114
    in 2023 closed this loophole and made it abundantly clear than any
    seafood harvested in Russia is banned from import into the U.S.--even
    if it goes through processing in another country.
        Russia is our biggest competitor in a lot of the seafood market,
    and just like China, they don't play fair. We are finally beginning to
    see this ban have effects on the market. American importers are
    beginning to buy Alaskan ``Freedom Fish'' instead of Russian
    ``Communist Fish'' and prices are beginning to stabilize for our
    fishermen.
        This is about fair trade and reciprocity--not the war in Ukraine.

        Question 6. Mr. Dabbar, will you commit to keeping these reciprocal
    executive orders--EO 14068 and EO 14114--in place? They are critical to
    keeping our seafood trade fair.
        Answer. Russia's longstanding refusal to allow U.S. seafood into
    its markets, while expanding access to ours, has harmed American
    fishermen, especially in Alaska where seafood is vital to the economy.
    Executive Orders 14068 and 14114 were important steps to restore fair
    trade by banning Russian seafood imports and closing transshipment
    loopholes. These actions are showing positive effects, stabilizing
    markets and supporting U.S. producers. Ensuring fair and reciprocal
    trade remains a key priority of this Administration.
    AK LNG
        The Alaska LNG [liquefied natural gas] Project, a proposed 800-mile
    natural gas pipeline to transport natural gas from the Alaska North
    Slope to the Kenai Peninsula for the purposes of in-state energy
    security and the export of LNG to our Asian allies, with an export
    capacity of 20 million metric tons of gas per year, is a priority of
    the President of the United States.
        Executive Order 14153 entitled ``Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary
    Resource Potential'' states in section 2 that, ``it is the policy of
    the United States to . . . prioritize the development of Alaska's
    liquefied natural gas (LNG) potential, including the sale and
    transportation of Alaskan LNG to other regions of the United States and
    allied nations within the Pacific region.''
        Section 3(ii)(a) of President Trump's Executive Order 14153
    entitled ``Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential''
    directs ``The heads of all executive departments and agencies,
    including but not limited to the Secretary of the Interior; the
    Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary of Commerce
    for Oceans and Atmosphere; and the Secretary of the Army acting through
    the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Public Works, shall exercise
    all lawful authority and discretion available to them and take all
    necessary steps to (ii) prioritize the development of Alaska's LNG
    potential, including the permitting of all necessary pipeline and
    export infrastructure related to the Alaska LNG Project, giving due
    consideration to the economic and national security benefits associated
    with such development.''
        Additionally, in President Trump's March 4, 2025, Address to a
    Joint Session of Congress, he mentioned Japanese and Korean interest
    surrounding an investment into the project.
        Furthermore, Section 3(f) of Executive Order 141453 states ``The
    Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of the
    Interior, shall immediately review, revise or rescind any agency action
    that may in any way hinder, slow or otherwise delay any critical
    project in the State of Alaska.''

        Question 7. Mr. Dabbar, can you commit to using your role as Deputy
    Secretary of Commerce to implement the President's executive orders on
    Alaskan energy?
        Answer. Yes.
    China Phase One Agreement
        We all know that China lies and does not follow through on its
    promises--what I refer to as promise fatigue. During President Trump's
    first term, I worked closely with him and his team on the first phase
    of the Economic and Trade Agreement Between the United States of
    American and the People's Republic of China. Under that agreement,
    China was supposed to double its purchases of American seafood over 4
    years, moving from about an $800 million baseline in 2017 and amounting
    to about $400 million annually.
        For the first two years after the agreement, China's purchases
    actually decreased. Four years later, their purchases are still about
    7.8 percent below pre-COVID levels. This latest lie from the Chinese
    government is dramatically hurting our hardworking American fishermen.

        Question 8. Mr. Dabbar, if you end up reengaging with China on this
    issue, will you commit to bringing this up and pushing to hold the
    Chinese to their end of the agreement?
        Answer. Upon confirmation, I will work with the Secretary and
    others to ensure the Department takes a holistic approach in addressing
    the U.S.-China trading relationship, including consideration of past
    practices and behaviors by the Chinese government. I will work
    diligently to ensure our trading partners fully comply with all terms
    of our agreements.
    Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD)--Discard Extraneous
            Requirements
        In October, NTIA announced that Alaska will be obligated over $1
    billion. I know you are aware of the criticisms that have been made
    that the Biden Administration layered on requirements that are beyond
    the IIJA law in the BEAD NOFO.

        Question 9. Will you commit to remove the Biden-era extraneous
    regulations as you review the BEAD program, and do so quickly as time
    is money for applicants?
        Answer. Yes.
    BEAD--Empower the State
        The BEAD program's success depends on allowing states to lead.
    Alaska knows best where broadband is lacking and understands the
    challenges presented by our low population density, extreme weather,
    and difficult terrain. Federal requirements should not impose one-size-
    fits-all solutions but instead empower states to design deployment
    strategies that work for their specific circumstances.

        Question 10. Will you commit to me that NTIA will defer to states
    in making choices that they believe will deliver the best possible
    broadband for their consumers and communities given the amount of
    funding they have?
        Answer. Yes.
    BEAD Technology Neutral and Needs
        The unique challenges due to our vast, remote, and rugged terrain
    make technology neutrality truly critical to serving Alaskans. We need
    a combination of technologies to be available, including fiber, fixed
    wireless, and satellite. Notably, Alaska lacks middle mile fiber, and
    these projects play a critical role bridging the gap between core
    Internet networks and local communities. Given Alaska's vast and remote
    geography, reliable middle mile infrastructure is essential to
    connecting underserved and unserved areas and for supporting
    healthcare, education, and economic development. By addressing the
    unique challenges of Alaska terrain, middle mile fiber ensures Internet
    access for generations to come. If a one-sized-fits-all per location
    cap is put in place for fiber for projects in Alaska, it is hard to
    imagine how any projects will be built for my constituents.

        Question 11. Will you commit to working with me to ensure that
    resources are allocated in a manner that takes into consideration the
    needs of Alaskans?
        Answer. Yes.
                                     ______

       Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    Secretary Lutnick's stewardship of the Department of Commerce (DOC,
            Department, Commerce)
        As I mentioned in my opening statement, the Commerce Department has
    been in a state of chaos and disruption since Secretary Lutnick's
    confirmation. Not only is the Secretary failing to honor commitments he
    made to this Committee; I believe he is also failing to focus on the
    Department's core mission and workforce.
        According to recent press reports, Secretary Lutnick is spending
    much of his time these days at the White House--not the Commerce
    Department. And by all accounts, he is focused primarily on playing
    defense for the Administration's disastrous tariffs agenda--not on the
    Department's essential programs.
        If confirmed as the Deputy Secretary, it would be our expectation
    that you would come in and help right this ship swiftly.

        Question 1. Yes or no: If confirmed, will you commit to spend the
    majority of your time at the Commerce Department working on the
    programs and policies that fall squarely in its remit?
        Answer. I look forward to working with Secretary Lutnick in support
    of his and the Administration's tireless efforts to create the
    conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all Americans.

        Question 2. Yes or no: Will you honor the commitments you make to
    Congress?
        Answer. Yes.
    Dismantling the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
        Under Secretary Lutnick's leadership, the MBDA--a 56-year-old
    agency that Congress permanently authorized in 2021 with bipartisan
    legislation--has been dismantled. During his confirmation hearing,
    Secretary Lutnick told our Committee that he did not support
    dismantling the MBDA. But, within months of taking office, Secretary
    Lutnick's Department has gutted the MBDA. And now, the Trump
    Administration's FY 2026 budget proposal acknowledges that the
    Department has ``fully eliminated'' the agency unilaterally.
        I, along with multiple colleagues on the Committee, have sent two
    letters to Secretary Lutnick seeking information about his dismantling
    of the MBDA. In response, the Department sent a woefully inadequate
    letter that failed to address any of our concerns. On April 30, we sent
    another letter to the Department, this time to the acting
    Undersecretary for MBDA, demanding answers and accountability.

        Question 1. Yes or No: Do you agree that funds Congress
    appropriated for MBDA's statutory mission must be used for that
    purpose? If not, explain.
        Answer. If granted the privilege of confirmation, I will promptly
    look into this matter.

        Question 2. Yes or No: If confirmed, will you commit to tracing the
    money Congress appropriated to the MBDA and reporting back to this
    Committee on the status of those funds within 30 days? If not, explain.
        Answer. If confirmed, I will look into this matter.

        Question 3. If confirmed, will you examine the precise role held at
    the Commerce Department by Nate Cavanaugh, who is reportedly a member
    of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and
    promptly provide the Committee a complete description of any such role,
    including an explanation for why Mr. Cavanaugh signed grant termination
    notices on behalf of the MBDA?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will look into this matter.

        Question 4. If confirmed, will you commit to promptly providing
    this Committee the appropriate paperwork reflecting Labor Department
    Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling's appointment as the acting
    Undersecretary for MBDA?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will look into this matter.

        Question 5. Yes or No: You told my staff you respect congressional
    authorizations, appropriations, and oversight. Do you support the Trump
    Administration's full elimination of an agency that Congress
    statutorily authorized and appropriated funds to operate?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will review and execute on this program as
    required by law.

        Question 6. Yes or No: If confirmed, will you commit to fully
    responding to my letters and requests on this topic? If no, explain.
        Answer. Yes. If confirmed, I will be responsive to the Committee.
    Tariffs
        Senator Grassley and I recently introduced the Trade Review Act of
    2025, a bill that would reassert Congress's constitutional control over
    tariffs. As we've seen, President Trump has vastly exceeded his legal
    tariff authority and ushered in economic chaos. This bill would require
    Congressional approval for tariffs and help dial back Trump's
    unilateral trade war.
        Meanwhile, the Trump Administration's start-and-stop approach to
    tariffs is giving American families and business economic whiplash as
    we seem to be stumbling into a trade war with no clear end game.

        Question 1. Do you agree that Congress has constitutional authority
    over trade policy, including tariffs?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Congress,
    including on potential legislation, on efforts to help combat decades
    of unfair trade practices that have harmed American workers,
    manufacturers, and critical supply chains.

        Question 2. If confirmed, do you expect to play a significant role
    in formulating the Administration's tariffs policies?
        Answer. If confirmed, I would work to support Secretary Lutnick,
    Under Secretary Kessler, and Ambassador Greer in formulating the
    Administration's tariff policies.

        Question 3. Are you aware of whether the Administration intends to
    use tariffs primarily as a revenue generating tool or for leverage as a
    negotiating tool? If yes, please detail your basis for this
    understanding.
        Answer. The Administration has made clear that tariffs imposed by
    President Trump serve multiple strategic purposes, including protecting
    our national and economic security, combatting large and persistent
    trade deficits that have harmed American workers, businesses and
    communities, and supporting negotiations for more fair and reciprocal
    trade agreements.

        Question 4. How do you plan to assess the impact of current and
    proposed tariffs on working-and middle-class Americans, especially with
    respect to essential goods?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that Americans are able
    to continue to access all of the essential goods they rely on a daily
    basis and ensure that critical supply chains are not disrupted by an
    overreliance on foreign manufacturers not subject to American standards
    of production.

        Question 5. Even Secretary Lutnick has acknowledged that tariffs
    will cause prices to increase for consumers. Given that, do you think
    retailers should be required to disclose the portion of their list
    prices reflecting the additional cost from tariffs?
        Answer. No.
    Secretary Lutnick's Statements regarding Elon Musk and Tesla
        Mr. Dabbar, serious concerns have been raised regarding Secretary
    Lutnick's compliance with Federal ethics laws. On March 19, 2025,
    Secretary Lutnick went on national television and urged Americans to
    ``buy Tesla'' stock and said anyone who doesn't buy a Tesla robot ``is
    going to be silly.''
        As I'm sure you know from your prior Federal service, Federal
    ethics rules generally prohibit Federal officials from using their
    public office to endorse any product or service.

        Question 1. Yes or no: If confirmed, will you pledge not to
    publicly call for Americans to buy stock in any of Elon Musk's
    companies? If not, why not?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will abide by all Federal ethics laws and
    regulations.

        Question 2. Yes or no: Will you commit to fully complying with all
    Federal ethics rules?
        Answer. Yes.
    Dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
        The Trump Administration is pursuing an FY 2026 budget proposal
    that would reduce NOAA's budget by at least 25 percent, eliminate
    Congressionally mandated programs, and transfer part of the National
    Marine Fisheries Service to the Interior Department.
        During his confirmation hearing, Secretary Lutnick told me that he
    has, ``no interest in separating'' NOAA and that breaking up NOAA, ``is
    not on my agenda.'' Yet, that is exactly what the Administration is
    trying to do.

        Question 1. Do you support any function, mission, or
    congressionally authorized or appropriated work within NOAA, or
    executed by NOAA, being moved out of the NOAA or the Department of
    Commerce? If so, please describe.
        Answer. NOAA's core mission is to protect life and property and in
    pursuit of that, NOAA plays a vital and unique role in advancing
    science, stewardship, and services that benefit the American people.
    That is what NOAA is currently doing and what it will continue to do
    during the Trump Administration.

        Question 2. Have you discussed any plan to do so with Secretary
    Lutnick? If yes, specify the date(s) of these conversations and
    describe the contents of any such conversation.
        Answer. No.
    National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) at the Department of the
            Interior
        Moving the protected resources, including endangered and threatened
    fisheries, to the Department of the Interior would separate scientists
    from the fishery managers for species like salmon. We have the best
    managed fisheries in the world because of science. It would also create
    substantial additional layers of red tape because the Secretary of
    Commerce is required to execute many functions, including regulatory
    functions, under law.

        Question 1. Do you support moving the National Marine Fisheries
    Service, Office of Protected Resources, or any of their activities and
    functions out of NOAA? If yes, explain why.
        Answer. Every decision made throughout the next four years will be
    made to best serve the American people and will only be acted upon if
    and when it is appropriate. Ensuring that regulatory responsibilities
    are fulfilled without unnecessary duplication or delay remains an
    important guiding principle of this Administration.
    Eliminating the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
        You told me that you are proud of your leadership on research and
    development (R&D) at the Department of Energy (DOE). The Trump
    Administration's FY 2026 budget proposal terminates $1.311 billion in
    climate research, data, and grant programs which would functionally
    eliminate NOAA's R&D program, known as the Office of Oceanic and
    Atmospheric Research (OAR). This R&D includes enhancing predictive
    models for emergency management and improving forecasts and early
    warnings for natural disasters. Recent OAR efforts have improved NOAA's
    hurricane track forecasting by 8 percent in a single year, helping to
    save lives as well as prevent unnecessary evacuations and disruptions
    to the American economy.

        Question 1. Yes or No: Do you support eliminating OAR? If yes,
    explain why.
        Answer. Ensuring that core scientific functions, particularly those
    that support public safety, economic resilience, and operational
    readiness remain effective is a responsibility shared across NOAA
    leadership and the broader department.

        Question 2. Do you support the work of NOAA's Cooperative
    Institutes?
        Answer. As with all programs, continued alignment with national
    priorities, scientific standards, and available resources remains
    essential. Engagement with external research institutions, including
    Cooperative Institutes, has historically contributed to NOAA's ability
    to deliver accurate forecasts, support resource management, and respond
    to evolving changes.

        Question 3. Do you support the work of the NOAA Research
    Laboratories?
        Answer. NOAA's Research Laboratories often serve as the bridge
    between fundamental research and operational capability, helping to
    ensure that scientific achievements are translated into real world
    benefits. They should continue to produce results that align with
    NOAA's mission.
    NOAA Workforce
        On February 19, 2025, I sent a letter to Secretary Lutnick urging
    him to protect NOAA's critical workforce from the Trump
    Administration's reduction-in-force initiatives and hiring freeze,
    which would jeopardize the safety of the American public. Despite this
    warning, on February 27, 2025, the Department fired approximately 650
    probationary employees from NOAA.
        In addition to probationary employees, roughly 900 employees took
    the deferred resignation offer in the so-called ``Fork in the Road'' e-
    mail, while another 1,000 employees are planning to leave through
    voluntary early retirement and separation. These roughly 2,500
    employees do not include cuts from the additional RIF initiative that
    the Administration is planning to implement in the coming weeks or the
    potential reclassification of thousands of NOAA employees as ``Schedule
    F/Schedule/Policy Career'' which would make them easier to terminate.
        These staffing shortages are already impacting NOAA's core
    functions, including reduced and suspended weather balloon launches at
    many Weather Forecast Offices, reduced forecasts, and at least 10
    Weather Forecast Offices with insufficient staff to remain open 24
    hours a day. NOAA fisheries managers are not attending fishery
    management meetings and may miss stock assessment cruises. And with the
    hiring freeze, there are not enough credentialed mariners to sail up to
    one third of NOAA's research fleet.
        Underscoring this point, today, May 2nd, every living former
    Director of the National Weather Service came together in an open
    letter to the American people to sound the alarm about these staffing
    shortages and the direct threat to public safety. The Directors ``stand
    united against the loss of staff and resources at NWS and are deeply
    concerned about NOAA as a whole. . .[Their] worst nightmare is that
    weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be
    needless loss of life.''

        Question 1. What will you do to protect NOAA's workforce and ensure
    staff capacity to execute NOAA's core missions?
        Answer. Workforce management decisions, including hiring policies
    and staffing levels, are shaped by a combination of statutory
    requirements, Executive Branch directives, and agency-specific mission
    needs. If confirmed, I will work with NOAA to evaluate impacts from any
    staffing shortages in the context of operational continuity, public
    safety, and science.

        Question 2. What will you do to ensure NOAA has the staff capacity
    for permitting, consultation, and other review activities critical for
    construction of roads, bridges, ports, and other priorities of the
    Administration?
        Answer. NOAA's review and consultation responsibilities under
    statutes, such as the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection
    Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Act play an important role in supporting
    the advancement of infrastructure and development projects while
    ensuring environmental compliance. If confirmed, I will work to ensure
    that NOAA is able to meet these obligations.

        Question 3. What will you do to ensure the National Weather Service
    has sufficient staff for all Weather Forecast Offices and to provide
    Americans with accurate and timely weather warnings?
        Answer. I will work to ensure the National Weather Service remains
    able to deliver timely, accurate forecasts. NOAA's top priority is
    maintaining essential services and protecting the American public.

        Question 4. Will you ensure NOAA is adequately staffed so that
    Tribes are able to access meaningful government-to-government
    consultation and technical assistance on NOAA programs, including
    grants?
        Answer. I am fully committed to supporting meaningful government-
    to-government consultation and ensuring Tribes have access to the
    technical assistance they need across NOAA programs.

        Question 5. Executive Order 14170 implements a Federal hiring
    freeze until July 15, 2025, but it allows for exclusions for positions
    related to public safety. Will you pursue an exemption to the hiring
    freeze under for any NOAA positions related to public safety? If so,
    which positions?
        Answer. If confirmed, ensuring continuity of public safety
    activities at NOAA will be one of my priorities.
    NOAA Contracts
        I understand that all NOAA contracts and grants greater than $100k
    require Secretary Lutnick's personal approval. There are hundreds of
    contracts and grants that meet that threshold.
        As you can imagine, this has resulted in a significant bottleneck,
    causing critical contracts to terminate, lapse, or be signed mere hours
    before they expire. For example, contracts for both the operations of
    weather satellites and the software that forecasters use to access
    weather data were hours away from expiring, which would have
    jeopardized NOAA's ability to issue extreme weather warnings.
    Additionally, the contract for the R/V Oscar Dyson's midlife repair is
    at risk of expiring, and the Dyson is critical for the Alaskan Pollock
    industry's stock assessments that are used to establish catch limits.
        If confirmed, you will be responsible for the day-to-day operations
    of the Department. I understand you told my staff that you would end
    this new burdensome approval requirement if given the chance.

        Question 1. Will you end this practice?
        Answer. The Administration is committed to cost efficiency and
    ending wasteful government spending. Having worked extensively on
    contracts and grants in previous government roles, I understand
    firsthand how essential it is to keep these processes moving
    efficiently to support mission-critical operations, stay on budget, and
    deliver results for the American people.

        Question 2. What will you do to ensure DOC contracts are reviewed
    in a timely and efficient manner without inadvertent lapses?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will support Secretary Lutnick in his
    efforts to ensure taxpayers receive the benefit of the bargain. I will
    look into existing processes and collaborate with the relevant
    stakeholders within the Department.
    Fisheries
        According to the latest statistics from 2022, U.S. commercial and
    recreational fisheries generated $321 billion in sales, 2.3 million
    jobs, and $149.8 billion in value-added to the U.S. economy. Commercial
    fisheries landings alone were valued at $5.9 billion, and recreational
    fishermen took 201 million fishing trips that year. Communities across
    the country rely on these fisheries and the benefits they provide. They
    also rely on NOAA Fisheries providing world class science and
    management to support this fishing activity.

        Question 1. Will you commit to investing effort and resources into
    improving fishery data systems, navigating climate change, and other
    pressures on fisheries?
        Answer. The figures cited reflect the significant economic value of
    NOAA's fisheries and any future decisions regarding investments,
    priorities, or organizational efforts will be guided by NOAA's core
    mission. If confirmed, I will work with my colleagues in the Department
    to ensure the American fishing industry continues to strengthen and
    grow.

        Question 2. Will you commit to ensuring stock assessment surveys
    are completed?
        Answer. Stock assessment surveys are foundational to effective
    fisheries management, and there is broad agreement on their value to
    the economic and ecological health of U.S. fisheries. Maintaining and
    improving these assessments remains a priority across the scientific
    and stakeholder communities.
    Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF)
        PCSRF provides critical funding to facilitate the recovery of
    Pacific salmon and steelhead and the commercial, recreational, and
    tribal fisheries that rely on them. The leaked FY 2026 Passback would
    eliminate funding for this program, which has restored salmon access to
    over 12,000 miles of streams and leveraged $2.2 billion in non-PCSRF
    contributions.

        Question 1. Do you commit to protecting the PCSRF program and to
    distributing FY 2025 PCSRF funds?
        Answer. The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund has been an
    important source of support for salmon recovery efforts and the
    communities that rely on these fisheries. I understand the strong
    interest in the program and the significant outcomes it has helped
    achieve.
    CHIPS Research and Development
        In addition to the CHIPS Incentives Program, CHIPS and Science also
    created several programs at NIST--funded by an $11 billion
    appropriation--to ensure U.S. leadership in semiconductor research and
    development, and to develop the workforce required to domestically
    manufacture legacy, advanced, and next-generation semiconductors for
    years to come.

        Given that R&D and workforce development are vital to our long term
    competitiveness in lab to market microelectronics innovation, will you
    commit to maintaining the staff and budget at NIST that is needed to
    ensure the success of CHIPS R&D programs? If not, why not?
        Answer. The Department plays a key role in advancing the Nation's
    technological competitiveness in everything from semiconductors to AI,
    to increasing the availability of spectrum. If confirmed, I will work
    to ensure that America leads in these key areas.
    Economic Development Administration (EDA)/Tech Hubs
        The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is charged with
    investing in local communities to encourage and enable growth and
    innovation in the private sector, with a particular focus on distressed
    or underserved areas. One of the investments currently managed by EDA
    is the Tech Hubs program, established by the CHIPS and Science Act,
    which represents a historic opportunity to strengthen American
    technological leadership and create thousands of high-paying jobs
    across the country. The Fiscal Year 2026 President's Budget Request
    proposes eliminating EDA; however, it does not comment on the Tech Hubs
    program.

        Question 1. Do you agree with eliminating EDA?
        Answer. I support President Donald J. Trump and look forward to
    implementing his agenda.

        Question 2. If so, how will you and the Administration meet the
    Congressional intent of the Chips and Science Act to administer a Tech
    Hubs program that is vital to economic and national security and has
    already awarded grants to 18 of 31 designated regional tech hubs?
        Answer. The Department of Commerce has a strong track record of
    supporting innovation. If confirmed, I will examine each program to
    ensure that it is providing taxpayers the benefit of the bargain.

        Question 3. I was able to secure an additional $220 million in
    immediate funding for this program through the NDAA, with the potential
    for $280 million more to come from a future spectrum auction. Mr.
    Dabbar, will you commit to ensuring that this $280 million is preserved
    specifically for the Tech Hubs program as Congress intended? If not,
    why not?
        Answer. The Department of Commerce has a strong track record of
    supporting innovation. If confirmed, I will examine each program to
    ensure that it is providing taxpayers the benefit of the bargain.
    Quantum
        The global race for leadership in critical and emerging
    technologies--especially in quantum computing--is intensifying. Our
    competitors are pouring in billions of dollars to get there first. This
    year, Microsoft announced the development of a new quantum processor,
    which could be the transistor of the quantum age.
        When you were the DOE Undersecretary for Science, you led the
    implementation of the National Quantum Initiative Act and helped create
    5 DOE quantum centers. Last December, I, along with Senators Young,
    Durbin, and Daines, introduced the National Quantum Initiative
    Reauthorization Act. I plan on reintroducing this bill again this
    Congress.

        Question 1. Mr. Dabbar, do you support the National Quantum
    Initiative Reauthorization Act?
        Answer. President Trump recently wrote in support of his National
    Quantum Initiative to the Director of OSTP. I support the continued
    emphasis on promoting and funding quantum research and technologies,
    including the practical application of quantum technologies, as
    embraced in this legislation. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that
    the Department of Commerce and NIST continue to prioritize quantum
    research and development.

        Question 2. If confirmed, will you commit to working with me and my
    staff to advance it?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work with Congress to prioritize
    quantum research and technology implementation.
    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and AI
        The Commerce Department plays a prominent role in advancing
    critical and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,
    quantum, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology through investing in
    fundamental R&D at agencies like NIST, NTIA, and NOAA. Last year, I
    introduced the Future of AI Innovation Act with Senator Young and some
    of my other colleagues that would ensure that the U.S. leads on AI
    reliability and transparency, as well as mitigating potential national
    security risks from AI, by authorizing the AI Safety Institute at NIST.

        Question 1. Will you support continued focus by NIST on promotion
    of AI standards and developing testing for AI reliability and safety?
        Answer. Secretary Lutnick has stated that NIST should ensure
    American leadership on AI standards. He further stated that NIST will
    continue its testing of AI products. If confirmed, I look forward to
    supporting these activities.

        Question 2. Will you work with me, Senator Young, and Chair Cruz as
    we consider legislation to authorize the work that needs to continue to
    be done in this area?
        Answer. If confirmed, yes, I commit to working with Congress to
    ensure U.S. leadership in this area.
    Funding Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers
        The MEP program at NIST connects small and medium-sized
    manufacturers with resources to improve their manufacturing processes,
    adopt the latest cybersecurity practices, and strengthen their supply
    chains.
        Each state and Puerto Rico have their own MEP Center, and they are
    the gold standard of public-private partnerships.
        I was alarmed to see NIST announce on April 1 they were withholding
    funds for ten of the 51 centers, including in Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas,
    Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming. I led a letter with
    Senator Baldwin and 13 other Senators, demanding a full explanation
    from Secretary Lutnick and asking him to reconsider.
        Fortunately, after we sent our letter, we were notified that NIST
    decided to renew funding for those 10 centers through the end of the
    Fiscal Year. However, there are still upcoming funding renewal
    deadlines for MEP Centers coming up on July 1, October 1, January 1,
    2026, and March 12, 2026, and the Department's intentions remain
    unclear.

        Question 1. Do you commit to supporting and fully funding the MEP
    program and its centers, which are both statutorily authorized as well
    as appropriated by Congress? If no, why not?
        Answer. As stated during the hearing, if confirmed, I will follow
    the law as authorized and appropriated by Congress. The Secretary and
    this administration are strongly committed to supporting U.S.
    manufacturing, reducing reliance on foreign manufacturing, and creating
    American jobs, all of which are essential to ensuring the long-term
    strength of American economic and national security.
    American Aerospace Manufacturing Competitiveness
        The United States aerospace and defense sector has the largest
    positive trade balance among all U.S. manufacturing sectors, valued at
    over $110 billion, and supports over 2.2 million good paying jobs.
    China's aircraft manufacturer, COMAC, is a growing threat to United
    States' market share of commercial aircraft in the global aerospace
    sector. COMAC's narrowbody C919 aircraft competes with the 737 series
    aircraft, produced by Boeing, our leading domestic aircraft
    manufacturer. Boeing has experienced significant challenges in recent
    years including concerning aircraft production safety and quality
    issues that must be corrected before production of the 737 MAX can be
    allowed to increase beyond the cap of 38 per month instituted by former
    FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. This will take time and so will
    Boeing's overall recovery efforts as a company to improve many of their
    product lines.
        Boeing has estimated that Chinese airlines will need 8,830 new
    total commercial planes by 2043. However, if the current Administration
    were to issue broad retaliatory tariffs against China without
    considering the impact that they could have against Boeing's ability to
    sell aircraft in the Asian-Pacific market, Boeing and the greater
    domestic aerospace supply chain would be at risk of losing its
    competitive standing in the global aerospace sector. Such tariffs could
    have harmful impacts on U.S.-based aerospace supply chain companies and
    jobs.

        Question 1. Do you commit to ensuring that the U.S. aerospace
    manufacturing sector and supply chain are not subject to new costs and
    burdens associated with tariffs, restrictions, or economic sanctions?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that our trade policies
    are implemented in a manner that supports fair competition,
    transparency, and the economic and national security of the United
    Sates, including for our aerospace manufacturing sector.

        What actions will you take to protect our domestic aerospace supply
    chain and its highly-skilled American workers from new disruptions--
    such as issues that would jeopardize U.S.-based jobs and increase costs
    for U.S.-based companies?
        Answer. If confirmed, I would be happy to work with Congress to
    help protect American jobs.
    Office of Space Commerce
        The Office of Space Commerce (OSC), currently within NOAA, serves
    as the principal unit in the Executive Branch for representing
    commercial space interests in policy deliberations, and also regulates
    the satellite-based commercial remote sensing industry. As a result of
    Presidential Policy established in the first Trump Administration, the
    Office of Space Commerce (OSC), is also developing the Traffic
    Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) to provide basic space
    situational awareness (SSA) data, space traffic coordination (STC), and
    services to civil and private space operators and to support
    spaceflight safety, space sustainability, and international
    coordination.
        OSC still requires additional authorities to carry out its mission
    to ensure safety in orbit, and the SAFE Orbit Act, sponsored by
    Senators Cornyn, Peters, Wicker, Blackburn, Hickenlooper, Kelly,
    Schmitt, and Lujan, was approved by the Committee on March 12, 2025,
    with an amendment from Ranking Member Cantwell. The bill provides SSA
    and STC authorities to OSC and establishes a five-year transition
    period to move the office from within NOAA to a bureau reporting
    directly to the Secretary.
        However, it is not clear if the Administration is following through
    with the resources needed to enable OSC to fulfill either its
    longstanding or expanded responsibilities. Although not addressed in
    the President's FY26 Discretionary Funding Request released on May 2nd,
    the earlier FY26 OMB passback for NOAA proposed providing the office
    with only $10 million--a reduction of $55 million from the enacted FY24
    funding level. The proposed budget would also eliminate TraCSS system
    development, in favor of transferring existing TraCSS capability to a
    non-government entity.

        Question 1. Given that TraCSS development already involves
    significant partnership with industry and when completed, will provide
    government validation of commercially-provided SSA data, do you believe
    it is appropriate to transfer responsibility for SSA, which underpins
    the safety of the entire space economy, to a non-government entity?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to support the safety,
    sustainability, and continued growth of the commercial space sector.

        Question 2. Will you commit to maintaining the OSC staff and budget
    at a level that is sufficient to carry out the offices current
    commercial advocacy and commercial industry oversight responsibilities,
    while also enabling the completion of TraCSS and support to SSA and STC
    standard setting?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to support the safety,
    sustainability, and continued growth of the commercial space sector.

        Question 3. Do you believe that elevating the Office of Space
    Commerce within DOC would allow the office to be more effective at
    supporting the global competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space
    industry?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to support the safety,
    sustainability, and continued growth of the commercial space sector.
    Spectrum
        During the first Trump Administration, there were failures to
    coordinate on Federal and commercial spectrum policy. I believe we must
    create a coordinated approach to domestic spectrum policy, where
    agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department
    of Transportation (DOT), Department of Defense (DoD), and National
    Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) work together with the
    National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and
    Federal Communications Commission (FCC)--cooperatively--on spectrum. If
    confirmed, Mr. Dabbar, as Deputy Secretary of Commerce, you will play a
    vital role in that coordination process.

        Question 1. Yes or no: Do you agree that we cannot put our national
    security and public safety at risk in order to free up spectrum?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 2. Yes or no: Do you agree that NTIA, DoD, and other
    Federal agencies must complete the ongoing studies of the lower 3
    Gigahertz and 7 and 8 Gigahertz bands before a decision is made to
    reallocate that spectrum?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 3. Yes or no: Do you agree that spectrum cannot be made
    available for commercial use in a way that interferes with aviation
    safety?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 4. Yes or no: Do you agree that spectrum cannot be made
    available for commercial use in a way that interferes with NOAA's
    ability to predict and forecast weather?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 5. Yes or no: Do you agree that spectrum cannot be made
    available for commercial use in a way that interferes with the
    functionality of the GPS system?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 6. Yes or no: Do you agree that spectrum cannot be made
    available for commercial use in a way that interferes with the
    functionality of airplane altimeters?
        Answer. Yes.

        Question 7. Yes or no: Do you agree that spectrum cannot be made
    available for commercial use in a way that interferes with the
    functionality of military satellite communications and sensing systems?
        Answer. If confirmed, I would work with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    to protect national security and public safety in any spectrum
    decisions.
    Infrastructure and BEAD Allocations
        The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of
    2021 appropriated $42 billion for the BEAD program, $1.2 billion of
    which was allocated to the State of Washington to connect households to
    broadband. The commitment that Congress made to reach the goal of
    connecting unserved and underserved households is well underway, with
    plans in all 56 states and territories approved by NTIA, in compliance
    with the law.

        Question 1. Do you agree that states need the flexibility to
    implement the BEAD program, and ensure that it works for the people in
    each state and territory-and that what works in Rhode Island may not
    work in Texas?
        Answer. Every state is different and there is no one-size-fits-all
    solution. States should have flexibility to tailor solutions to their
    unique needs, consistent with the law.

        Question 2. Yes or no: Will you commit to providing states with the
    flexibility to use their BEAD funds to select the providers and
    technologies that work best for their unique circumstances, rather than
    imposing new burdensome requirements such as forcing states to redo
    their subgrantee selection process or establishing a national per
    location cap?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband is my top priority.
    If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    to expedite the BEAD program and get funding to the states, consistent
    with the law.

        Question 3. Yes or no: If confirmed, will you commit to releasing
    all allocated funds to the states that have already had their final
    proposals approved? If not, why not?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband is my top priority.
    If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    to expedite the BEAD program and get funding to the states, consistent
    with the law.

        Question 4. Yes or no: Will you commit to preserve the BEAD
    allocations that NTIA made to states in 2023?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband is my top priority.
    If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA
    to expedite the BEAD program and get funding to the states, consistent
    with the law.
    Tribal Connectivity
        NTIA oversees the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which
    Congress appropriated $3 billion to support Tribal governments for
    deployment projects, telehealth, and online education opportunities.
    Roughly $1 billion in funding for this program is currently frozen.

        Question 1. Yes or no, will you commit to completing the Tribal
    Broadband Connectivity Program as it currently exists?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary
    Lutnick and NTIA to execute on the Tribal Broadband Connectivity
    Program, consistent with the law.
    Middle Mile Infrastructure Program
        To date, NTIA has awarded nearly $980 million across 40 states and
    territories through the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure
    Program. This Program funds projects to deploy future-proof fiber over
    nearly 12,500 miles, connecting over 7,000 anchor institutions.

        Question 1. Will you commit to completing the Enabling Middle Mile
    Broadband Infrastructure Program as it currently exists?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary
    Lutnick and NTIA to execute on the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband
    Infrastructure Program, consistent with the law.

        Question 2. Will you commit to working expeditiously to ensure that
    funded projects are able to proceed to deploy fiber across the country?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Secretary
    Lutnick and NTIA to execute on the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband
    Infrastructure Program, consistent with the law.
    Digital Equity Grants
        Congress intended to not only establish a once-in-a-generation
    investment in broadband infrastructure, but also to ensure individuals
    and communities have the skills necessary to take advantage of the
    digital opportunities created by high-speed Internet connectivity. One
    example is how the State of Washington is developing a cybersecurity
    literacy program to ensure Washingtonians have the necessary skills to
    protect themselves from cyber criminals.

        Question 1. Will you commit to fully and swiftly implementing the
    Digital Equity Act and its focus on all of the core targets identified
    in the statute, including rural Americans, seniors, and veterans?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will commit to fully and swiftly reviewing
    all NTIA programs, including the Digital Equity Act, and following the
    law.

        Question 2. Can you commit not to leave any of the statutory
    ``covered populations'' outlined in the Digital Equity Act behind and
    implement the Act fully, as intended by Congress?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will commit to fully and swiftly reviewing
    all NTIA programs, including the Digital Equity Act, and following the
    law.
    Innovation Fund
        Authorized under the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and
    funded through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the Public Wireless
    Supply Chain Innovation Fund is a 10-year, $1.5 billion grant program
    will help drive wireless innovation, foster competition, and strengthen
    supply chain resilience. Around $814 million remains unobligated.
    President Trump has called to roll back the CHIPS and Science Act,
    which funded this program.

        Question 1. Do you support the current funding opportunities
    announced and underway?
        Answer. I support the program and its implementation, consistent
    with the President's executive order 14080 detailing the focus on
    delivering the benefit of the bargain for taxpayers.

        Question 2. Will you commit to implementing these programs and to
    complete open funding rounds?
        Answer. I support the program and its implementation, consistent
    with the President's executive order 14080 detailing the focus on
    delivering the benefit of the bargain for taxpayers.
                                     ______

       Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Amy Klobuchar to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    Travel and Tourism
        Travel and tourism is vital to the U.S. economy, generating
    billions in revenue and supporting millions of jobs. That's why I
    helped create Brand USA to promote the U.S. as a premier destination.
    But this administration is jeopardizing this progress. Bookings from
    Canada are down 70 percent from this time last year, causing our
    economy to lose billions of dollars.

        Question 1. If confirmed, how will you work to restore travel and
    tourism?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to strengthen international
    visitation by promoting the U.S. as a premier destination.

        Question 2. If confirmed, how will you work to strengthen programs
    like Brand USA to ensure the U.S. remains competitive in attracting
    international visitors-especially considering major upcoming events
    like the World Cup, 250th Anniversary celebrations, and the 2028
    Olympics?
        Answer. Major global events are an opportunity to showcase American
    excellence and attract international visitors. President Trump recently
    established a White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup to
    coordinate Federal efforts around the 2025 Club World Cup and 2026
    World Cup and maximize the economic benefits of sports tourism. If
    confirmed, I will work to ensure these and other events help drive job
    creation, investment, and global interest in visiting the United
    States.
                                     ______

        Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Brian Schatz to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    Marine National Monument
        On April 17, the President issued a proclamation that opened the
    Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to commercial fishing
    after asserting that the ``prohibition on commercial fishing is not, at
    this time, necessary for the proper care and management of the PRIMNM
    or the objects of historic or scientific interest therein.''

        Question 1. Please explain the scientific basis for the President's
    conclusion, including citations for the peer-reviewed literature that
    supports this Action.
        Answer. If confirmed, I will consult with the NOAA team to
    understand this issue.

        Question 2. Since the President concluded that the ban on
    commercial fishing was not needed ``at this time,'' please explain the
    circumstances when such a ban would be necessary, and describe how the
    Pacific ocean will be monitored to determine when such circumstances
    arise.
        Answer. If confirmed, I will consult with the NOAA to team to
    understand this issue.
    Tariffs
        Secretary Lutnick stated that President Trump's tariffs are
    ``playing for the strength of America'' despite costing American
    families over an estimated $5,000 a year, risking a stagflationary
    recession, and undermining our international competitiveness in
    scientific and technological advancement.

        Question 3. If confirmed, will you commit to pursuing a tariff
    regime that lowers costs for American families?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will do everything in my power to ensure
    that trade measures are implemented in a manner that supports fair
    competition, transparency and our national interest.

        Question 4. If confirmed, will you commit to pursuing a tariff
    regime that strengthens supply chains critical to U.S. science and
    technology sectors?
        Answer. Given my background and as I stated during my hearing, I am
    committed to ensuring that science and technology efforts, including
    AI, semiconductors, quantum, intellectual property, the Blue Economy,
    and technology security are at the forefront of issues we focus on at
    the Commerce Department. Building a stronger, more resilient economy
    that is less dependent on unfair or unstable foreign supply chains is a
    critical part of that.
    Data Transparency
        The Commerce Department is charged with maintaining data pertaining
    to the U.S. economy, weather, and the Census. The availability of this
    data is critical to upholding government transparency and the
    dissemination of critical public information. Despite this, the Trump
    administration has deleted records of important taxpayer-supported
    research with no warning.

        Question 5. If confirmed, will you ensure that the Commerce
    Department's data remains accurate, up-to-date, and that the Commerce
    Department will not permanently delete research supported by taxpayers?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to following all applicable Federal
    laws and regulations pertaining to the publication and retention of
    Commerce data and research.

        Question 6. Will you ensure the Bureau prepares to implement a
    Census in 2030 that counts every person?
        Answer. If confirmed, I commit to ensuring that the Census is
    implemented consistent with the law.
    Support for CHIPS Act
        You described the CHIPS and Science Act as a ``historic down
    payment'' for American leadership in semiconductor technology. The
    Trump administration has criticized and worked to undermine this
    bipartisan law by terminating vital staff from the office overseeing
    the program.

        Question 7. If confirmed, please describe your vision for carrying
    out the CHIPS and Science Act as Congress intended.
        Answer. I recognize that semiconductors are essential to our
    national security and economic and technological competitiveness. I
    look forward to continued implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act
    as written and as guided by the President and Secretary Lutnick.

        Question 8. Will you commit to ensuring that vital investments in
    scientific research, including in areas such as AI and quantum
    computing, continue for educational institutions?
        Answer. I look forward to continued investments in areas such as AI
    and quantum and will work with educational institutions that are
    qualified and eligible to participate.

        Question 9. Will you commit to ensuring that vital investments in
    workforce development continue to prepare the next generation of
    scientists, engineers and technologists?
        Answer. I look forward to supporting effective, efficient and
    proven workforce development activities to prepare the next generation
    of scientists, engineers and technologists.
    Artificial Intelligence
        President Trump has rolled back the Biden Administration's AI
    Executive Order in favor of his AI Action Plan, but there are
    commonsense, bipartisan provisions that are worth protecting.

        Question 10. Do you plan to support the continuation of the U.S. AI
    Safety Institute, which has broad support across the aisle and within
    industry, to ensure U.S. leadership on AI standards development?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will support continued testing of AI
    models, the sharing of results by NIST (where the AI Safety Institute
    resides) and the development of AI standards.

        Question 11. Will you commit to ensuring that the Department of
    Commerce maintains the technical expertise and staffing capacity
    necessary to maintain U.S. leadership on AI?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that the U.S. continues
    to lead on AI.
    Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
        The BIS advances U.S. national security, foreign policy, and
    economic objectives by ensuring effective export controls for advanced
    semiconductors. Competition with China and technological developments
    have complicated BIS's work and added new responsibilities. As a
    result, they must now oversee more commerce than even a decade ago, and
    face more sophisticated adversaries. Unfortunately, their resources
    have been essentially flat with inflation since 2010.

        Question 12. Do you commit to ensuring that BIS has the resources
    necessary to complete its job, including technical expertise and
    modernized infrastructure, such as IT systems?
        Answer. I am committed to ensuring that the Department, including
    the Bureau of Industry and Security, completes its mission.
                                     ______

      Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Tammy Duckworth to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    Manufacturing in the U.S.
        Question 1. The Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension
    Partnership Program is a crucial program to help strengthen the U.S.
    industrial base by providing a number of services to small and medium-
    sized manufacturers. There is one center in each state and in Illinois,
    the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) leads a variety of
    initiatives to grow manufacturing, including supporting the development
    of quantum technologies in our state. IMEC has created and retained
    more than 7,000 jobs and assisted nearly 3,000 companies. Despite
    Secretary Lutnick's promises, the DOC announced that it had decided to
    cancel funding for MEP centers in a number of states. After that
    announcement, I joined 14 other Senators to express our concerns and
    call for a reversal of that decision. One week after our letter, the
    DOC confirmed that it would reverse its previous decision.

        A. Mr. Dabbar, if confirmed, will you stop efforts to defund the
    Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which help American manufacturers?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working to support
    President Trump's and Secretary's Lutnick's efforts to grow domestic
    manufacturing.

        B. Mr. Dabbar, will you commit to fighting against cuts to programs
    in addition to the MEP that support manufacturing in the United States?
        Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working to support
    President Trump's and Secretary Lutnick's efforts to grow domestic
    manufacturing.
    Quantum
        Question 2. Mr. Dabbar, you spent a lot of time working on quantum
    technology policy, including a number of engagements with the Chicago
    Quantum Exchange and our quantum community throughout Illinois.

        A. Mr. Dabbar, as the White House continues to slash funding for
    research, will you commit to use your position to protect investments
    in quantum?
        Answer. I am in support of quantum efforts nationally, as has been
    delineated by the President in his recent public letter to the OSTP
    Director, and public comments on quantum by Secretary Lutnick.

        B. Do you agree that the Federal government should invest in places
    like the Chicago Quantum Exchange and the new Illinois Quantum
    Microelectronics Park, in order to maintain American leadership on
    quantum?
        Answer. I am in support of those and other quantum efforts
    nationally, as has been delineated by the President in his recent
    public letter to the OSTP Director, and public comments on quantum by
    Secretary Lutnick.
    Section 232 Tariffs
        Question 3. If you are confirmed, you play a significant role in
    tariff and trade policy. Considering your lack of background in trade
    and tariffs, I want to understand how you are planning to engage with
    career experts at the Department of Commerce on these topics.

        A. Mr. Dabbar, who have you already reached out to at the
    Department to discuss trade and tariffs and get up to speed? Have you
    seen any indication that Secretary Lutnick is consulting with the
    experts at the Department of Commerce prior to making decisions on
    tariffs?
        Answer. Secretary Lutnick is an expert on trade, and I know he
    discusses trade topics with a wide group of experts. I have had several
    meetings with Commerce Department officials to get up to speed on
    public information on a range of trade issues that will come before me.

        B. Mr. Dabbar, are you aware of a 2019 Commerce Department
    Inspector General report that found that Section 232 tariff policy was
    conducted with ``a lack of transparency'' and ``the appearance of
    improper influence in decision making?''
        Answer. I am not familiar with that report.

        C. How would you ensure that is not repeated during the second
    Trump Administration?
        Answer. I am committed to working collaboratively and transparently
    with Administration officials and Congress to ensure that any
    exclusions would be administered in a manner that is consistent with
    the strategic goals of the tariffs as well as the legal authority under
    which they are imposed.
                                     ______

       Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Ben Ray Lujan to
                                  Paul Dabbar

        Question 1. Sec. Lutnick is calling on states to use the lowest
    cost option when building out broadband under the BEAD Program.
    Although satellite is cheaper and quicker to deploy in the short-term,
    it will be more expensive in the long-term. Fiber is considered the
    gold standard in Internet connection. Yes or no, do you support
    deprioritizing fiber in favor of fixed wireless or LEO satellites?
        Answer. I support an all-of-the-above solution, including fiber as
    well as alternative technologies where appropriate. If confirmed, I
    will work with Secretary Lutnick and NTIA to deliver the best broadband
    service possible to all Americans, consistent with NTIA's statutory
    authority.

        a. Are you aware of any small LEO operators that satisfy IIJA's
    100/20 mbps speeds and low latency conditions?
        Answer. If confirmed, I will consult with NTIA on whether specific
    products, services, and technologies meet the statutory speed and low
    latency requirements.

        Question 2. Earlier this month, Secretary Lutnick put out a
    statement saying that the Commerce Department is ``revamping the BEAD
    program to take a tech-neutral approach that is rigorously driven by
    outcomes, so states can provide Internet access for the lowest cost.''
    Yes or no, do you support requiring states to overhaul and resubmit
    their BEAD plans?
        Answer. Connecting every American to broadband expeditiously is a
    top priority. It is unacceptable that the Broadband Equity, Access, and
    Deployment (BEAD) program has been bogged down by delays and
    administrative processes for years. If confirmed, I will work with
    Secretary Lutnick and NTIA to expedite the BEAD program, get funding to
    the states, and expand broadband buildout, consistent with the law.

        Question 3. The Digital Equity Act provides $2.75 billion to
    establish three grant programs that promote activities consistent with
    the Act. They aim to ensure that all people and communities have the
    skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of
    our digital economy. According to recent reporting, the Trump
    Administration froze those funds last month. However, grant awardees
    were not notified of such a freeze. Yes or no, if confirmed, will you
    commit to release and distributing these funds?
        Answer. I will commit to fully and swiftly reviewing all NTIA
    programs and following the law.

        Question 4. Did Joe Biden lawfully win the 2020 presidential
    election?
        Answer. Joe Biden was sworn in as President in January 2021.

        Question 5. Did Donald Trump lawfully win the 2024 presidential
    election?
        Answer. Donald Trump was sworn in as President in January 2025.
                                     ______

          Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Andy Kim to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    Section 232 Exclusion Process
        Question. Over the last few months, the Trump Administration has
    announced numerous tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other materials to
    the United States. Will you commit to working with the U.S. Trade
    Representative to set up an exclusions process to these tariffs for
    imports that fit section 232 exemptions criteria?
        Answer. The President is the leader of the Administration's trade
    agenda and there is not currently an exclusions process, as the
    President is determined to strengthen domestic manufacturing and not
    allow our strategic competitors to infiltrate the United States market
    at the expense of American manufacturers. If confirmed, I would work
    with Secretary Lutnick, Under Secretary Kessler, and Ambassador Greer
    on the strategic goals of tariffs and the broader interests of the
    United States.
                                     ______

    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Lisa Blunt Rochester to
                                  Paul Dabbar

    Supply Chains
        Mr. Dabbar, in recent years, we've seen firsthand how fragile our
    supply chains can be, in areas like medical PPE and semiconductor chip
    shortages.
        That's why I proudly joined Senators Cantwell and Blackburn to
    introduce the bipartisan Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act, which
    empowers the Department of Commerce to work with the private sector to
    prevent future disruptions in critical industries and emerging
    technologies.

        Question 1. Mr. Dabbar, how would you strengthen supply chain
    resilience and better protect American industries and consumers from
    potential disruptions?
        Answer. In order to strengthen supply chain resilience and protect
    American industries and consumers, if confirmed, I would work with the
    Secretary and others at the Department and across the Administration to
    tighten export controls on critical and emerging technologies, conduct
    Section 232 investigations to assess whether imports of certain goods
    threaten national security, and push for the reshoring and bolstering
    of domestic manufacturing capacity in key sectors.
    Supporting American Leadership in AI for Energy Innovation
        Mr. Dabbar, AI is already transforming the energy sector by helping
    improve grid resilience, optimize energy efficiency, and accelerate
    clean energy research.
        However, China is investing heavily to lead the world in AI and
    energy technologies. Maintaining our edge is critical to U.S. economic
    and national security.

        Question 1. Mr. Dabbar, how would you prioritize the use of AI in
    advancing U.S. energy innovation if confirmed?
        Answer. If confirmed, I would prioritize utilizing AI to increase
    U.S. competitiveness by advancing energy innovation. While at the DOE,
    I had the opportunity to oversee a partnership using AI to increase
    discovery of energy technologies, and there are many other similar
    opportunities for innovation. If confirmed, I look forward to exploring
    opportunities in coordination with inter-agency partners.

        Question 2. How can the Commerce Department help support
    partnerships between national labs, universities, and private industry
    to keep America competitive?
        Answer. Robust collaboration between these entities is essential
    for American competitiveness. Commerce currently partners with national
    labs, universities, and private industry, and can play a role in
    strengthening and facilitating those partnerships. If confirmed, I will
    work to review existing programs and identify opportunities to
    strengthen those vital relationships.
    Promoting Ethical AI Standards
        Mr. Dabbar, AI technologies developed for energy applications must
    also be deployed responsibly, to ensure transparency, security, and
    public trust.

        Question 1. If confirmed, how would you approach promoting
    responsible AI energy standards through Commerce Department
    initiatives?
        Answer. As stated above, Secretary Lutnick has expressed his belief
    that NIST should ensure American leadership on AI standards. AI
    industrial consensus energy standards need to be developed in
    coordination with industry and other agencies, such as the Department
    of Energy, if they are to be understood, trusted and utilized. If
    confirmed, I look forward to supporting such work.

                                      [all]