[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 73 (Wednesday, April 28, 2021)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D442-D446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed 
budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2022 for the Office 
of the United States Trade Representative, after receiving testimony 
from Katherine Tai, Ambassador, United States Trade Representative.
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE COVID RESPONSE
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and 
Related Agencies concluded

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a hearing to examine health disparities in Indian Country, focusing on 
a review of the Indian Health Service's COVID response and future 
needs, after receiving testimony from Elizabeth Fowler, Acting 
Director, and Jillian E. Curtis, Chief Financial Officer, both of the 
Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services.
APPROPRIATIONS: LOC, CBO, GAO
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch 
concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and 
justification for fiscal year 2022 for the Library of Congress, the 
Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office, 
after receiving testimony from Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress; 
Phillip Swagel, Director, Congressional Budget Office; and Gene Dodaro, 
United States Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office.
VA TELEHEALTH PROGRAM
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction and 
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine 
the Veterans Affairs telehealth program, focusing on leveraging recent 
investments to build future capacity, after receiving testimony from 
Steven L. Lieberman, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Health, and 
Kevin Galpin, Executive Director, Telehealth, both of the Veterans 
Health Administration, and Jack Galvin, Associate Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Development, Security and Operations, Office of Information 
and Technology, all of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and 
Capabilities concluded a hearing to examine United States Special 
Operations Command's efforts to sustain the readiness of special 
operations forces and transform the force for future security 
challenges, after receiving testimony from Lieutenant General Francis 
M. Beaudette, USA, Commanding General, United States Army Special 
Operations Command, Lieutenant General James C. Slife, USAF, Commander, 
Air Force Special Operations Command, Rear Admiral Hugh W. Howard III, 
USN, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, and Major General James 
F. Glynn, USMC, Commander, United States Marine Corps Special 
Operations Command, all of the Department of Defense.
DEFENSE ACQUISITION
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management 
Support concluded a hearing to examine defense acquisition programs and 
acquisition reform, after receiving testimony from Stacy A. Cummings, 
performing the duties of Under Secretary for Acquisition and 
Sustainment, and Raymond D. O'Toole, Jr., Acting Director, Operational 
Test and Evaluation, both of the Department of Defense; and Shelby S. 
Oakley, Director, Contracting and National Security Acquisitions, 
Government Accountability Office.
U.S. NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded 
a hearing to examine United States nuclear deterrence policy and 
strategy, after receiving testimony from Brad Roberts, Director, Center 
for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 
Department of Energy; General Claude Robert Kehler, USAF (Ret.), former 
Commander, United States Strategic Command, Department of Defense; 
Franklin C. Miller, The Scowcroft Group; and Paul Bracken, Yale School 
of Management.
RENT-A-BANK
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the reemergence of rent-a-bank, including S.J. Res. 
15, providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, 
United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the 
Comptroller of Currency relating to ``National Banks and Federal 
Savings Associations as Lenders'', after receiving testimony from Josh 
Stein, North Carolina Attorney General, Raleigh; Brian P. Brooks, 
former Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Pueblo, Colorado; Lisa F. 
Stifler, Center for Responsible Lending, Durham, North Carolina; 
Frederick D. Haynes, III, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dallas, 
Texas; and Charles W. Calomiris, Columbia University, New York, New 
York.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered 
favorably reported the following business items:
  S. 15, to require the Federal Trade Commission to submit a report to 
Congress on scams targeting seniors;
  S. 115, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study and 
submit to Congress a report on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on 
the travel and tourism industry in the United States, with an 
amendment;
  S. 120, to prevent and respond to the misuse of communications 
services that facilitates domestic violence and other crimes, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute;

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  S. 163, to address the workforce needs of the telecommunications 
industry, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 198, to require the Federal Communications Commission to 
incorporate data on maternal health outcomes into its broadband health 
maps;
  S. 381, to establish the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and 
Characterization Council, with an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute;
  S. 558, to establish a national integrated flood information system 
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 576, to amend title 14, United States Code, to require the Coast 
Guard to conduct icebreaking operations in the Great Lakes to minimize 
commercial disruption in the winter months, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute;
  S. 735, to amend the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 
to further support advanced technological manufacturing, with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute;
  S. 1259, to provide that crib bumpers shall be considered banned 
hazardous products under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act; 
and
  The nominations of Donet Dominic Graves, Jr., of Ohio, to be Deputy 
Secretary of Commerce, and Bill Nelson, of Florida, to be Administrator 
of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
EPA BUDGET
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a 
hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal 
year 2022 for the Environmental Protection Agency, after receiving 
testimony from Michael S. Regan, Administrator, Environmental 
Protection Agency.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine the nominations of Bonnie D. Jenkins, of New York, to be Under 
Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, and Jose W. 
Fernandez, of New York, to be United States Alternate Governor of the 
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a term of 
five years, United States Alternate Governor of the Inter-American 
Development Bank for a term of five years, to be United States 
Alternate Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development, and to be an Under Secretary (Economic Growth, Energy, and 
the Environment), both of the Department of State, after the nominees 
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee 
ordered favorably reported the nominations of Kiran Arjandas Ahuja, of 
Massachusetts, to be Director of the Office of Personnel Management, 
and Anton George Hajjar, of Maryland, Amber Faye McReynolds, of 
Colorado, and Ronald Stroman, of the District of Columbia, each to be a 
Governor of the United States Postal Service.
NGO PERSPECTIVES ON SOUTHWEST BORDER
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee 
on Governmental Operations and Border Management concluded a hearing to 
examine the non-governmental organization perspective on the southwest 
border, after receiving testimony from Beth Strano, International 
Rescue Committee, Phoenix, Arizona; Ruben Garcia, Annunciation House, 
El Paso, Texas; and Joshua P. Jones, Texas Public Policy Foundation, 
Austin, Texas.
MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, AND COVID-19
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee 
concluded a hearing to examine the response to COVID-19, focusing on 
using lessons learned to address mental health and substance use 
disorders, after receiving testimony from Jonathan Muther, Eugene S. 
Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center, Commerce City, Colorado; Tami D. 
Benton, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania; Sara Goldsby, South Carolina Department of Alcohol and 
Other Drug Abuse Services, Columbia; and Andy Keller, Meadows Mental 
Health Policy Institute, Dallas, Texas.
COVID-19 RESPONSE IN NATIVE COMMUNITIES
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing 
to examine the COVID-19 response in Native communities, focusing on 
Native education systems one year later, including the need to provide 
schools with more assistance for distance learning, after receiving 
testimony from Melissa Emrey-Arras, Director, Education, Workforce, and 
Income Security, Government Accountability Office; Tony L. Dearman, 
Director, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of the Interior; Lance 
West, Schurz Elementary School, Schurz, Nevada; Kauanoe Kamana, 
Nawahiokalani`opu`u School, Keaau, Hawaii; and Michelle Thomas, 
Belcourt School District, Belcourt, North Dakota.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine 
the nominations of Ketanji

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Brown Jackson, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of 
Columbia Circuit, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, of Illinois, to be United 
States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, who was introduced by 
Senator Duckworth, Julien Xavier Neals, and Zahid N. Quraishi, each to 
be a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, who 
were both introduced by Senator Booker, and Regina M. Rodriguez, to be 
United States District Judge for the District of Colorado, who was 
introduced by Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, after the nominees 
testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
GUN VIOLENCE
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution concluded 
a hearing to examine stopping gun violence, focusing on extreme risk 
order/''red flag'' laws, after receiving testimony from Kimberly Wyatt, 
King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Seattle, Washington; Joshua 
Horowitz, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Washington, D.C.; Vic 
Bencomo, Giffords Gun Owners for Safety Coalition-Colorado Chapter, and 
David Kopel, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, both of Denver, 
Colorado; and Nikki Goeser, Crime Prevention Research Center, 
Nashville, Tennessee.
VETERANS AFFAIRS LEGISLATION
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to 
examine S. 89, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to secure 
medical opinions for veterans with service-connected disabilities who 
die from COVID-19 to determine whether their service-connected 
disabilities were the principal or contributory causes of death, S. 
189, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for annual cost-
of-living adjustments to be made automatically by law each year in the 
rates of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected 
disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for 
survivors of certain service-connected disabled veterans, S. 219, to 
require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the amount of 
certain payments during the emergency period resulting from the COVID-
19 pandemic, S. 437, to amend title 38, United States Code, to concede 
exposure to airborne hazards and toxins from burn pits under certain 
circumstances, S. 444, to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide or assist in 
providing an additional vehicle adapted for operation by disabled 
individuals to certain eligible persons, S. 454, to provide health care 
and benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances while 
serving as members of the Armed Forces at Karshi Khanabad Air Base, 
Uzbekistan, S. 458, to amend title 38, United States Code, to require 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide the representative of 
record of a claimant for compensation or benefits administered by the 
Secretary an opportunity to review a proposed determination regarding 
that claim, S. 565, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide 
for the treatment of veterans who participated in the cleanup of 
Enewetak Atoll as radiation-exposed veterans for purposes of the 
presumption of service-connection of certain disabilities by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, S. 657, to modify the presumption of 
service connection for veterans who were exposed to herbicide agents 
while serving in the Armed Forces in Thailand during the Vietnam era, 
S. 731, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
management of information technology projects and investments of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, S. 810, to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to expand the list of diseases associated with exposure to 
certain herbicide agents for which there is a presumption of service 
connection for veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam to 
include hypertension, S. 894, to identify and refer members of the 
Armed Forces with a health care occupation who are separating from the 
Armed Forces for potential employment with the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, S. 927, to improve the provision of health care and other 
benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans who were 
exposed to toxic substances, S. 952, to amend title 38, United States 
Code, to provide for a presumption of service connection for certain 
diseases associated with exposure to toxins, S. 976, to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to improve and to expand eligibility for dependency 
and indemnity compensation paid to certain survivors of certain 
veterans, S. 1031, to require the Comptroller General of the United 
States to conduct a study on disparities associated with race and 
ethnicity with respect to certain benefits administered by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, S. 1039, to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to improve compensation for disabilities occurring in 
Persian Gulf War veterans, S. 1071, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide pension claim 
enhancement assistance to individuals submitting claims for pension 
from the Department of Veterans Affairs, S. 1093, to amend title 38, 
United States Code, to establish in the Department the Veterans 
Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration, S. 1095, to amend 
title 38, United States Code, to provide for the disapproval by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs of courses of education offered by public 
institutions of higher learning that do not charge veterans the in-
State tuition rate for purposes of Survivors' and Dependents' 
Educational Assistance Program, S. 1096,

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to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for the 
Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to include spouses 
and children of individuals who die from a service-connected disability 
within 120 days of serving in the Armed Forces, and S. 1188, to direct 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress regularly of 
reported cases of burn pit exposure by veterans, after receiving 
testimony from Ronald Burke, Deputy Under Secretary for Policy and 
Oversight, and Beth Murphy, Executive Director for Compensation 
Service, both of the Veterans Benefits Administration, Patricia R. 
Hastings, Chief Consultant for Post Deployment Health Services, 
Veterans Health Administration, and Paul Brubaker, Deputy Chief 
Information Officer for Account Management, Office of Information and 
Technology, all of the Department of Veterans Affairs; Shane Liermann, 
Disabled American Veterans; Aleksandr Morosky, Wounded Warrior Project; 
Patrick Murray, Veterans of Foreign Wars; John Rowan, Vietnam Veterans 
of America; and Candace Wheeler, Tragedy Assistance Program for 
Survivors.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to 
receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of 
the intelligence community.