[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)] [Daily Digest] [Pages D249-D252] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings (Committees not listed did not meet) APPROPRIATIONS: USFS Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2024 for the Forest Service, after receiving testimony from Randy Moore, Chief, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF STATE Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2024 for the Department [[Page D250]] of State, after receiving testimony from Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State. APPROPRIATIONS: DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2024 for the Department of the Treasury, after receiving testimony from Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury. APPROPRIATIONS: HHS Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2024 for the Department of Health and Human Services, after receiving testimony from Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services. APPROPRIATIONS: LOC AND AOC Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Legislative Branch concluded a hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2024 for the Library of the Congress and the Architect of the Capitol, after receiving testimony from Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress; and Chere Rexroat, Acting Architect of the Capitol and Chief Engineer. MILITARY RECRUITING CHALLENGES Committee on Armed Services: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the recruiting challenges facing the United States military, after receiving testimony from Gabe Camarillo, Under Secretary of the Army, Erik K. Raven, Under Secretary of the Navy, and Kristyn E. Jones, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management), performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, all of the Department of Defense. ENHANCING THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support concluded a hearing to examine Department of Defense small business tools for enhancing the industrial base, after receiving testimony from Farooq A. Mitha, Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Kimberly Buehler, Director, Army Small Business Programs, Jimmy D. Smith, Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Department of the Navy, and Scott A. Kiser, Director, Small Business Programs, Department of the Air Force, all of the Department of Defense. CLIMATE CHANGE Committee on the Budget: Committee concluded a hearing to examine how climate change is changing insurance markets, after receiving testimony from Eric Andersen, Aon, Chicago, Illinois; Nancy Watkins, Milliman Inc., San Francisco, California; Benjamin J. Keys, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, Philadelphia; Judith A. Curry, Climate Forecast Applications Network, Atlanta, Georgia; and Jerry Theodorou, R Street Institute, Washington, D.C. BUSINESS MEETING Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee ordered favorably reported the following business items: S. 66, to establish a task force on improvements for notices to air missions, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; S. 90, to require the disclosure of a camera or recording capability in certain internet-connected devices, with amendments; S. 127, to prevent unfair and deceptive acts or practices and the dissemination of false information related to pharmacy benefit management services for prescription drugs, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; S. 318, to amend the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act to improve the administration of the Marine Debris Foundation, to amend to Marine Debris Act to improve the administration of the Marine Debris Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute; and S. 467, to modify the age requirement for the Student Incentive Payment Program of the State maritime academies, with amendments. Also, Committee announced the following subcommittee assignments for the 118th Congress: Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation: Senators Duckworth (Chair), Tester, Sinema, Rosen, Hickenlooper, Warnock, Moran, Thune, Wicker, Sullivan, and Young. Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband: Senators Lujan (Chair), Klobuchar, Schatz, Markey, Peters, Baldwin, Duckworth, Tester, Sinema, Rosen, Hickenlooper, Warnock, Welch, Thune, Wicker, Fischer, Moran, Sullivan, Blackburn, Young, Budd, Schmitt, Vance, Capito, and Lummis. Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security: Senators Hickenlooper (Chair), Klobuchar, Schatz, Markey, Baldwin, Duckworth, Lujan, Welch, Blackburn, Fischer, Moran, Sullivan, Young, Budd, and Lummis. Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change, and Manufacturing: Senators Baldwin (Chair), Schatz, [[Page D251]] Markey, Lujan, Warnock, Welch, Sullivan, Wicker, Moran, Blackburn, and Vance. Subcommittee on Space and Science: Senators Sinema (Chair), Markey, Peters, Lujan, Hickenlooper, Schmitt, Fischer, Vance, and Lummis. Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports: Senators Peters (Chair), Klobuchar, Schatz, Markey, Baldwin, Duckworth, Warnock, Welch, Young, Thune, Wicker, Fischer, Schmitt, Capito, and Budd. Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion: Senators Rosen (Chair), Klobuchar, Duckworth, Sinema, Hickenlooper, Budd, Thune, Blackburn, and Capito. Senators Cantwell and Cruz are ex officio members of each subcommittee. RAIL SAFETY Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a hearing to examine improving rail safety in response to the East Palestine derailment, after receiving testimony from Senators Brown and Vance; Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Columbus; Jennifer L. Homendy, Chair, National Transportation Safety Board; David Comstock, National Volunteer Fire Council, Poland, Ohio; Clyde Whitaker, SMART- Transportation Division, Gahanna, Ohio; Alan Shaw, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia; Ian Jeffries, Association of American Railroads, Washington, D.C.; and Misti Allison, East Palestine, Ohio. EPA BUDGET Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024 for the Environmental Protection Agency, after receiving testimony from Michael S. Regan, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BUDGET Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024 for the Department of Health and Human Services, after receiving testimony from Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services. DEPARTMENT OF STATE BUDGET Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024 for the Department of State, focusing on American diplomacy and global leadership, after receiving testimony from Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State. DRUG SHORTAGE Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine drug shortage health and national security risks, focusing on underlying causes and needed reforms, after receiving testimony from Andrew G. Shuman, University of Michigan Medical School Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, Ann Arbor; Vimala Raghavendran, U.S. Pharmacopeia, Rockville, Maryland; Erin R. Fox, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City; and John C. Goodman, Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, Dallas, Texas. COVID VACCINE Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a hearing to examine Moderna considering quadrupling the price of the COVID vaccine, after receiving testimony from Stephane Bancel, Moderna, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts; Christopher J. Morten, Columbia Law School, New York, New York; Ameet Sarpatwari, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and Craig L. Garthwaite, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, Evanston, Illinois. NATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 2023 FARM BILL Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine Native priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization, after receiving testimony from Madeline Soboleff Levy, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Juneau; Mahina Paishon- Duarte, Aina Aloha Economic Futures, Honolulu, Hawaii; Kelsey Scott, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Gettysburg, South Dakota; Ryan Lankford, Montana State FSA Committee and Island Mountain Development Group, Chinook, Montana; Vincent Cowboy, Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, Farmington, New Mexico; Trenton Kissee, Agriculture and Natural Resources for Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Claremore, Oklahoma; Mary Greene Trottier, National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations, Fort Totten, North Dakota; and Dustin Schmidt, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, White River, South Dakota. NOMINATIONS Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Amanda K. Brailsford, to be United States District Judge for the District of Idaho, who was introduced by Senators Crapo and Risch, S. Kato Crews, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado, who was introduced by Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, and Molly R. Silfen, of the District of Columbia, to [[Page D252]] be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. U.S. REFUGEE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety concluded a hearing to examine the need to bolster the United States Refugee Admissions Program, after receiving testimony from Brigadier General Christopher M. Burns, USA (Ret.), Department of Defense; William Canny, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.; and Dauda Sesay, Refugee Congress, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. BUSINESS MEETING Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee ordered favorably reported the nomination of Dilawar Syed, of California, to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUDGET Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to examine the Small Business Administration and the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024, after receiving testimony from Isabella Casillas Guzman, Administrator, Small Business Administration. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION FOR THE VA WORKFORCE Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine strengthening methods of recruitment and retention for the VA's workforce, after receiving testimony from Tracey Therit, Office of Human Resources and Administration, Operations, Security and Preparedness, and Jessica Bonjorni, Chief, Human Capital Management, Veterans Health Administration, both of the Department of Veterans Affairs. INTELLIGENCE Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of the intelligence community.