[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D425-D427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to 
examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2008 for the 
Department of Labor, after receiving testimony from Elaine L. Chao, 
Secretary of Labor.
APPROPRIATIONS: FOREIGN AID
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, 
and Related Programs concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget 
estimates for fiscal year 2008 for the United States Agency for 
International Development and foreign assistance programs, after 
receiving testimony from Randall L. Tobias, United States Director of 
Foreign Assistance, and Administrator, United States Agency for 
International Development.
APPROPRIATIONS: NAVY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a 
hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2008 for 
the United States Navy, after receiving testimony from Donald C. 
Winter, Secretary, and Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chief of Naval 
Operations, both of the United States Navy; and General James T. 
Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and 
General Government concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget 
estimates for fiscal year 2008 for the Department of the Treasury, 
after receiving testimony from Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Secretary of the 
Treasury.
U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
Committee on Armed Services: On Tuesday, March 27, 2007, Subcommittee 
on Emerging Threats and Capabilities met in closed session to receive a 
briefing on Special Operations Command's global operations from Major 
General David J. Scott, USAF, Deputy Director, Center for Special 
Operations, United States Special Operations Command and sundry members 
thereof.
BUDGET: DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded 
a hearing to examine the Strategic Forces Program in review of the 
Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2008 and the future years 
Defense Program, after receiving testimony from General James E. 
Cartwright, United States Marine Corps, Commander, United States 
Strategic Command, Major General Roger W. Burg, Director of Strategic 
Security, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Air, Space and 
Information Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters, United 
States Air Force, Rear Admiral Stephen E. Johnson, United States Navy, 
Director, Strategic Systems Programs, Naval Systems Command, and Brian 
R. Green, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Capabilities, all of 
the Department of Defense; and Thomas P. D'Agostino, Acting 
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of 
Energy.
BUDGET: DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Personnel concluded a 
hearing to examine active component, reserve component, and civilian 
personnel programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for 
fiscal year 2008 and the future years Defense Program, after receiving 
testimony from David S.C. Chu, Under Secretary for Personnel and 
Readiness, Thomas F. Hall, Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs, and 
Stephen L. Jones, DHA, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health 
Affairs, all of the Department of Defense; Lieutenant General Michael 
D. Rochelle, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, United States Army; Vice 
Admiral John C. Harvey, Jr., USN, Chief of Naval Personnel; Lieutenant 
General Ronald S. Colman, USMC, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and 
Reserve Affairs; and Lieutenant General Roger A. Brady, USAF, Deputy 
Chief of Staff, Manpower and Personnel.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nominations of James R. Clapper, Jr., of Virginia, to be Under 
Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Claude M. Kicklighter, of 
Georgia, to be Inspector General, Department of Defense, S. Ward 
Casscells, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense, and 
William Charles Ostendorff, of Virginia, to be Principal Deputy 
Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, and 2,600 
nominations in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
COAST GUARD DIVE PROGRAM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard concluded an oversight 
hearing to examine the future of the Coast Guard Dive Program, focusing 
on lessons learned from the accident on

[[Page D426]]

board CGC HEALY, and the steps taken to prevent future diving 
accidents, after receiving testimony from Rear Admiral Wayne Justice, 
Assistant Commandant for Response, and Real Admiral Paul Higgins, 
Director, Health and Safety Directorate, both of the United States 
Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security; and Rear Admiral Michael 
P. Tillotson, Deputy Director, Standing Joint Force Headquarters North 
American Aerospace Defense Command, United States Navy.
HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT SYSTEM
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine 
transitioning from the Space Shuttle to a next generation Human Space 
Flight System, after receiving testimony from William H. Gerstenmaier, 
Associate Administrator, Space Operations, National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration; Allen Li, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing 
Management, Government Accountability Office; Ron Dittemore, ATK Launch 
Systems Group, Brigham City, Utah; John Karas, Lockheed Martin Space 
Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado; Johnny Walker, International 
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Cape Canaveral, 
Florida; and Michael J. McCulley, United Space Alliance, Arlington, 
Virginia.
GOVERNMENT BUILDING OPERATIONAL COSTS
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine reducing government building operational costs 
through innovation and efficiency, focusing on legislative solutions, 
after receiving testimony from David L. Winstead, Commissioner, Public 
Buildings Service, General Services Administration; Kateri Callahan, 
Alliance to Save Energy, Washington, D.C.; and Melanie Townshend, 
Gilbane Building Company, Arlington, Virginia, on behalf of the 
Associated General Contractors of America.
U.S.-CHINA RELATIONSHIP
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine risks 
and reform, focusing on the role of currency in the United States-China 
relationship, after receiving testimony from Senators Schumer and 
Graham; Stephen S. Roach, Morgan Stanley, New York, New York; Eswar S. 
Prasad, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; and Morris Goldstein, 
Peterson Institute for International Economics, and John H. Makin, 
American Enterprise Institute, both of Washington, D.C.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported:
  S. 193, to increase cooperation on energy issues between the United 
States Government and foreign governments and entities in order to 
secure the strategic and economic interests of the United States;
  S. 613, to enhance the overseas stabilization and reconstruction 
capabilities of the United States Government;
  H.R. 1003, to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act 
of 1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public 
Diplomacy;
  S. Res. 30, expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for 
the United States to address global climate change through the 
negotiation of fair and effective international commitments;
  S. Res. 65, condemning the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and 
human rights advocate Hrant Dink and urging the people of Turkey to 
honor his legacy of tolerance, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  S. Res. 76, calling on the United States Government and the 
international community to promptly develop, fund, and implement a 
comprehensive regional strategy in Africa to protect civilians, 
facilitate humanitarian operations, contain and reduce violence, and 
contribute to conditions for sustainable peace in eastern Chad, and 
Central African Republic, and Darfur, Sudan; and
  The nominations of Paul J. Bonicelli, of Virginia, to be an Assistant 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, Curtis S. Chin, of New York, to be United States Director 
of the Asian Development Bank, with the rank of Ambassador, Eli Whitney 
Debevoise II, of Maryland, to be United States Executive Director of 
the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Zalmay 
Khalilzad, of Maryland, to be the Representative to the United Nations, 
with the rank and status of Ambassador and the Representative to the 
Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during his 
tenure of service as Representative to the United Nations, Margrethe 
Lundsager, of Virginia, to be United States Executive Director of the 
International Monetary Fund, Katherine Almquist, of Virginia, to be an 
Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, Douglas Menarchik, of Texas, to be an Assistant 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development. (Reappointment), Ford M. Fraker, of Massachusetts, to be 
Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and a promotion list in the 
Foreign Service.

[[Page D427]]


NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REAUTHORIZATION
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine No Child Left Behind Reauthorization, 
focusing on effective strategies for engaging parents and communities 
to be involved in schools, after receiving testimony from Anne T. 
Henderson, Annenberg Institute for School Reform, and Wendy Puriefoy, 
Public Education Network, both of Washington, D.C.; Daniel J. 
Cardinali, Communities In Schools, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia; Kathy 
Patenaude, Rhode Island Parent Teachers Association, Coventry; and 
Philip J. Ritter, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Rules and Administration: Committee ordered favorably 
reported S. 223, to require Senate candidates to file designations, 
statements, and reports in electronic form, with an amendment.
AFFORDABLE DRUG COVERAGE
Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
affordable drug coverage that works for the state of Wisconsin, 
focusing on preserving Wisconsin's SeniorCare Program, after receiving 
testimony from Leslie V. Norwalk, Acting Administrator, Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human 
Services; and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Tom Frazier, Coalition of 
Wisconsin Aging Groups, Patricia Finder-Stone, AARP Wisconsin, and 
Bette Linton, all of Madison, Wisconsin.