[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 25, 2026)] [Daily Digest] [Pages D335-D338] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Committee Meetings MEMBER DAY Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies held a hearing entitled ``Member Day''. Testimony was heard from Representatives Van Drew, Costa, Kiggans of Virginia, and Weber of Texas. [[Page D336]] U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government held an oversight hearing on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Testimony was heard from Scott Kupor, Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management. QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE MILITARY Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing entitled ``Quality of Life in the Military''. Testimony was heard from Sergeant Major Michael R. Weimer, U.S. Army, Sergeant Major of the Army, Department of Army; Master Chief Petty Officer John Perryman, U.S. Navy, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Department of Navy; Sergeant Major Carlos A. Ruiz, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, U.S. Marine Corps; Chief Master Sergeant David R. Wolfe, U.S. Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Department of the Air Force; and Chief Master Sergeant John F. Bentivenga, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, U.S. Space Force. MEMBER DAY Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs held a hearing entitled ``Member Day''. Testimony was heard from Representatives Hageman, Jackson of Illinois, and Stansbury. MEMBER DAY Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies held a hearing entitled ``Member Day''. Testimony was heard from Mannion, Van Drew, Hageman, Ramirez, and Stansbury. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies held an oversight hearing on the National Weather Service. Testimony was heard from Taylor Jordan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce. MEMBER DAY Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies held a hearing entitled ``Member Day''. Testimony was heard from Representatives Hoyle of Oregon, Liccardo, and Moylan. NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held a hearing entitled ``National Security Space Programs and Activities''. Testimony was heard from the following Department of Defense officials: William B. Adkins, Principal Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office; Thomas W. Ainsworth, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, Department of the Air Force; Marc Berkowitz, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Brett Markham, Deputy Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and Lieutenant General Douglas A. Schies, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations (S3/4/7), U.S. Space Force. CHANGES AT MILITARY TREATMENT FACILITIES AND THE EFFECTS ON MILITARY READINESS AND BENEFICIARY ACCESS Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Military Personnel held a hearing entitled ``Changes at Military Treatment Facilities and the Effects on Military Readiness and Beneficiary Access''. Testimony was heard from Keith Bass, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Department of Defense; and Darin Via, Director, Defense Health Agency, Department of Defense. MISCELLANEOUS MEASURE Committee on Energy and Commerce: Full Committee held a markup on H.R. 7386, the ``First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act''; and H.R. 7022, the ``Mystic Alerts Act''. H.R. 7386 and H.R. 7022 were ordered reported, as amended. TOKENIZATION AND THE FUTURE OF SECURITIES: MODERNIZING OUR CAPITAL MARKETS Committee on Financial Services: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``Tokenization and the Future of Securities: Modernizing Our Capital Markets''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses. SECURING THE FUTURE: ARMS CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY FOR THE MODERN AGE Committee on Foreign Affairs: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``Securing the Future: Arms Control and International Security for the Modern Age''. Testimony was heard from Thomas G. DiNanno, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Department of State. [[Page D337]] FUNDING LAPSE AND SECURITY GAPS: ASSESSING THE HARMFUL IMPACTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SHUTDOWN ON AMERICANS Committee on Homeland Security: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans''. Testimony was heard from the following Department of Homeland Security officials: Admiral Thomas G. Allan, Vice Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard; Ha Nguyen McNeill, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator, Transportation Security Administration; Nicholas Andersen, Acting Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and Victoria Barton, Associate Administrator, Office of External Affairs, Federal Emergency Management Agency. OVERSIGHT OF THE U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet held a hearing entitled ``Oversight of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office''. Testimony was heard from John Squires, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce. LEGISLATIVE MEASURES Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on H.R. 1555, the ``Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act''; H.R. 5639, the ``Co-Location Energy Act''; H.R. 7831, the ``License to Drill Act''; H.R. 7872, to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to provide for the payment of bonus payments of certain coal leases issued under that Act; and H.R. 7882, to provide for the leasing of certain deposits of minerals located within the City of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Testimony was heard from Representatives Kennedy of Utah, Hageman, and Stauber; Mitchell Leverette, Eastern States Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; and public witnesses. UNLEASHING AMERICA'S MINERAL POTENTIAL: THE CRITICAL MINERAL COMMODITY SUPPLY CHAIN Committee on Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing entitled ``Unleashing America's Mineral Potential: The Critical Mineral Commodity Supply Chain''. Testimony was heard from Simon Jowitt, State Geologist, Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada; and public witnesses. THE FUTURE OF LOW EARTH ORBIT: FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TO COMMERCIAL PLATFORMS Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a hearing entitled ``The Future of Low Earth Orbit: From the ISS to Commercial Platforms''. Testimony was heard from Joel Montalbano, Acting Associate Administrator for Space Operations, National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Charlie Precourt, Member, Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel; and a public witness. DEFENDING MAIN STREET: COMBATING CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S THREATS TO AMERICA'S SMALL BUSINESSES Committee on Small Business: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``Defending Main Street: Combating CCP Threats to America's Small Businesses''. Testimony was heard from public witnesses. LEGISLATIVE MEASURES Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on H.R. 6654, the ``Veterans Affairs Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act''; H.R. 1288, the ``Veteran DATA Act''; H.R. 7319, the ``VA Bonus and Relocation Incentive Act''; H.R. 7683, the ``VA Fiscal Management Modernization Act''; legislation on the Vets CLEAR Act; legislation on the Veterans Affairs Subcontractor Competition and Opportunity Network Act; legislation to amend title 38, United States Code, to require that certain sterile processing technicians of the Department of Veterans Affairs maintain appropriate professional certifications, and for other purposes; legislation to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish compensation at a supplemental period of unpaid parental leave for employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; legislation to deem certain individuals as parents for purposes of determining entitlement to certain family and medical leave for such employees; legislation to prohibit the downgrading of law enforcement positions in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; and legislation to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Office of Congressional Legislative Affairs in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. Testimony was heard from Ilse Wiechers, Acting Deputy Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Patient Care Services, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; and public witnesses. MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES Committee on Ways and Means: Full Committee held a markup on H.R. 2347, the ``Survivor Justice Tax [[Page D338]] Prevention Act''; H.R. 5366, the ``Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2025''; H.R. 5334, the ``Supporting Early-childhood Educators' Deductions Act of 2025''; H.R. 7971, the ``Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act''; and H.R. 7959, the ``IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act''. H.R. 2347, H.R. 5366, H.R. 5334, H.R. 7971, and H.R. 7959 were ordered reported, as amended. Joint Meetings RISING GLOBAL SCAM ECONOMY Joint Economic Committee: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the rising global scam economy, focusing on modernizing federal approaches to protect Americans from foreign fraudsters, after receiving testimony from Richard Goldberg, Associate Counsel, Fraud Section, Criminal Division, and Gregory Heeb, Deputy Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Karen P. Seifert, Director, Scam Center Strike Force, Special Counsel for National Security, United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, all of the Department of Justice; Lois C. Greisman, Associate Director, Division of Marketing Practices, Federal Trade Commission; Seto J. Bagdoyan, Director, Forensic Audits and Investigative Service, Government Accountability Office; Reva Price, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission; and Stewart Baker, Stewart Baker Consulting PLLC, Kate Griffin, The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, and Kathy Stokes, AARP, all of Washington, D.C.