[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 118 (Thursday, July 13, 2017)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D767-D768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
2018 FARM BILL
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded 
a hearing to examine opportunities in global and local markets, 
specialty crops, and organics, focusing on perspectives for the 2018 
Farm Bill, after receiving testimony from Kenneth A. Dallmier, Clarkson 
Grain Company, Inc., Cerro Gordo, Illinois; Theo Crisantes, Wholesum 
Harvest, Amado, Arizona, on behalf of the Coalition for Sustainable 
Organics; Haile Johnston, The Common Market, Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania; Eric Halverson, Black Gold Farms, Grand Forks, North 
Dakota, on behalf of the National Potato Council and the United Fresh 
Produce Association; and Greg Hanes, U.S. Meat Export Federation, 
Denver, Colorado.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Appropriations: Committee ordered favorably reported an 
original bill (S. 1557) entitled, ``Military Construction, Veterans 
Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018''.
APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing 
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to 
examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 
2018 for the Department of Transportation, after receiving testimony 
from Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Transportation.
MONTENEGRO AND RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN EUROPE
Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the attempted coup in Montenegro and malign Russian influence in 
Europe, after receiving testimony from Nebojsa Kaludjerovic, Ambassador 
of Montenegro to the United States; Janusz Bugajski, Center for 
European Policy Analysis; Lisa Sawyer Samp, Center for Strategic and 
International Studies; and Damon Wilson, The Atlantic Council.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Armed Services: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nomination of Richard V. Spencer, of Wyoming, to be Secretary of the 
Navy, Department of Defense.
SEMIANNUAL MONETARY POLICY REPORT TO THE CONGRESS
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the 
Congress, including H.R. 10, to create hope and opportunity for 
investors, consumers, and entrepreneurs by ending bailouts and Too Big 
to Fail, holding Washington and Wall Street accountable, eliminating 
red tape to increase access to capital and credit, and repealing the 
provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that make America less prosperous, 
less stable, and less free, and S. 366, to require the Federal 
financial institutions regulatory agencies to take risk profiles and 
business models of institutions into account when taking regulatory 
actions, after receiving testimony from Janet L. Yellen, Chair, Board 
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT SPACE EXPLORATION
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on 
Space, Science, and Competiveness concluded a hearing to examine 
reopening the American frontier, focusing on promoting partnerships 
between commercial space and the United States government to advance 
exploration and settlement, after receiving testimony from Robert D. 
Cabana, Director, John F. Kennedy Space Center, National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration; Jeffrey Manber, NanoRacks LLC, Webster, 
Texas; Tim Ellis, Relativity Space, Inc., Inglewood, California; Tim 
Hughes, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Washington, D.C.; and 
Moriba K. Jah, The University of Texas, Austin.
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report, after receiving 
testimony from John Sullivan, Deputy Secretary, and Susan Coppedge, 
Ambassador-at-Large, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in 
Persons, both of the Department of State.

[[Page D768]]


NOMINATIONS
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Patrick Pizzella, of 
Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Labor, and Marvin Kaplan, of 
Kansas, and William J. Emanuel, of California, both to be a Member of 
the National Labor Relations Board, after the nominees testified and 
answered questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee ordered favorably reported the 
nominations of John Kenneth Bush, of Kentucky, to be United States 
Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, Kevin Christopher Newsom, of 
Alabama, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit, 
Damien Michael Schiff, of California, to be a Judge of the United 
States Court of Federal Claims, and Timothy J. Kelly, to be a United 
States District Judge for the District of Columbia.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.