[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)] [Daily Digest] [Pages D780-D781] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings (Committees not listed did not meet) NOMINATION Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nomination of Richard Fordyce, of Missouri, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation, after the nominee, who was introduced by Representative Sam Graves, testified and answered questions in his own behalf. BUSINESS MEETING Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of Benjamin DeMarzo, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary, and Craig Trainor, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary, both of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Jovan Jovanovic, of Pennsylvania, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States for a term expiring January 20, 2029, Francis Brooke, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and David Peters, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce. NOMINATIONS Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Seval Oz, of California, and Michael Rutherford, of Florida, both to be an Assistant Secretary, and Gregory Zerzan, of Texas, to be General Counsel, all of the Department of Transportation, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. INCREASED ELECTRICITY DEMAND Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Committee concluded a hearing to examine challenges to meeting increased electricity demand, after receiving testimony from Peter R. Hunstman, Huntsman Corporation, The Woodlands, Texas; Jeff Tench, Vantage Data Centers, Denver, Colorado; and Rob Gramlich, Grid Strategies LLC, Bethesda, Maryland. NOMINATIONS Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Katherine Scarlett, of Ohio, to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality, and Jeffrey Hall, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Administrator, both of the Environmental Protection Agency, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. AMERICA'S TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure concluded a hearing to examine the road ahead, focusing on proposals to improve America's transportation infrastructure, including S. 1167, to amend title 23, United States Code, to improve transportation asset management plans, S. 1828, to amend title 23, United States Code, to require States to designate a coordinator of the safe routes to school program in the State, and S. 1733, to amend title 23, United States Code, to provide for increased transferability of Federal-aid highway funds, after receiving testimony from Chad M. Orn, North Dakota Department of Transportation Deputy Director of Planning, Bismarck; Samantha Biddle, Maryland Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary, Hanover; and Marisa Jones, Safe Routes Partnership, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. BUSINESS MEETING Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of John Arrigo, of [[Page D781]] Florida, to be Ambassador to the Portuguese Republic, and Christine Toretti, of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden, both of the Department of State. TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine dismantling transnational criminal organizations in the Americas, after receiving testimony from Christopher Urben, Nardello and Co, and Vanda Felbab-Brown, The Brookings Institution, both of Washington, D.C. MIDDLE EAST Committee on Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism concluded a hearing to examine United States diplomatic strategies for a dynamic Middle East, after receiving testimony from Brian Hook, former Special Representative for Iran, and Daniel B. Shapiro, former Ambassador to Israel, both of the Department of State, Washington, D.C.; and Shelly Culbertson, RAND, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CHOICE AND LITERACY Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Subcommittee on Education and the American Family concluded a hearing to examine choice and literacy, focusing on empowering families for better educational results, after receiving testimony from Tyler Barnett, New Schools for Alabama, Birmingham; Anne Wicks, George W. Bush Institute, Dallas, Texas; Virginia Gentles, Defense of Freedom Institute, Arlington, Virginia; and Richard Barrera, San Diego Unified School Board, San Diego, California. CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on the Constitution concluded a hearing to examine ending illegal discrimination and preferences, focusing on enforcing our civil rights laws, after receiving testimony from Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice; Alabama State Senator Robert Stewart, Jr., District 23, Selma; and Gene Hamilton, America First Legal Foundation, Washington, D.C. INNOVATION IN THE CROSSHAIRS Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Committee concluded a hearing to examine innovation in the crosshairs, focusing on countering China's industrial espionage, including S.853, to improve the SBIR and STTR programs under the Small Business Act, and S.330, to impose sanctions with respect to persons that operate in a sector of the economy of the People's Republic of China in which the person has engaged in a pattern of significant theft of the intellectual property of a United States person, after receiving testimony from Emily De La Bruyere, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Sewickley, Pennsylvania; Sujai Shivakumar, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C.; and William C. Hannas, Georgetown University Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Reston, Virginia. NOMINATIONS Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of John Bartrum, of Indiana, to be Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Jeremiah Workman, of Ohio, to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training, who was introduced by Senator Sheehy, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf. INTELLIGENCE Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee met in closed session to receive a briefing on certain intelligence matters from officials of the intelligence community.