Skip to content
News and updates

News and updates

Inauguration, Confirmation Hearings, Oh My!

Posted on

The House and Senate are back from the long weekend recognizing the late Civil Rights leader, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and already Congress is at work — though arguably the politics didn’t stop this weekend.

The Senate is gearing up for a second round of fights over President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees as Republicans race to clear his picks ahead of Friday’s Inauguration of the 45th President.

Eight nominees are heading to Capitol Hill this week to face what is expected to be an hours-long grilling from lawmakers. Democrats face an uphill battle to block any of Trump’s picks, which require only 50 votes to clear the Senate.  While Democrats have not publicly said they would block nominees from getting confirmed quickly, they can use procedural levers to drag out a nomination for days and have stressed that a nominee’s paperwork must be complete — lawmakers need enough time to review it and ask follow-up questions.

Highlights include:

On Tuesday, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Betsy DeVos, Trump’s picks for Interior and Education, respectively, will both get hearings.

On Wednesday, hearings for Wilbur Ross, Trump’s Commerce secretary; Tom Price, his Health and Human Services pick; Scott Pruitt, who has been tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and Nikki Haley, named to be U.N. ambassador.

On Thursday, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, tapped to lead the Department of Energy, and Steve Mnuchin, his pick for Treasury, will get hearings.

Trump’s Inauguration is three days away. The Washington Post has a good article on what to expect as well as a (growing) list of Members that won’t attend.

What We’re Reading This Week, January 9 -13

Posted on

Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is reading this week.

The More You Know? – Trump has announced his son in law, Jared Kirshner, will be a senior advisor. Who is this guy? Read more in New York Magazine. 

Path Forward – With many Cabinet nominees to begin having hearings this week, which is part of the advice and consent role of the Senate. The Washington Post has the whole process (with flow charts!).

Read My Lips – Legislators in some of the nation’s most conservative states are considering new ways to boost revenue — including tax increases — after years of deep cuts and a global commodity bust that has robbed them of billions of anticipated dollars. Read more in The Hill. 

Campaign Promise: An Infrastructure Package – Congress and the incoming administration have been dropping hints about one of Donald Trump’s biggest campaign promises: revitalizing U.S. roads, bridges and airports. Read more on The Hill.

The Cabinet & Education – The U.S. Department of Education is not the only office with power over student-related policy. Several more cabinet nominees could have influence over education. Read more on The Atlantic.

“No New Deals” – Sike! – Donald Trump will not sell his business nor place his assets in a blind trust while serving as president, and top federal ethics official says Trump’s conflicts of interest plan, announced at a press conference this week, is ‘meaningless.’ Read more on Politico. 

Moving Ahead—Although there is disagreement among Congressional Republicans on whether to repeal and replace ObamaCare simultaneously, they are taking procedural steps to allow for a repeal.  Read more in The Hill.

Support for DACA – Even with immigration reform as one of the hot-button agenda items for both the new Administration and Congress, there seems to be support from both the left and some quarters of the right for keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order signed by President Obama.  Read more in The Wall Street Journal. 

DOE Releases State of National Labs Report

Posted on

On January 11, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz released the first-ever State of the Department of Energy National Laboratories Report. It addresses the accomplishments and capabilities of the national labs and reviews the improvements made in their management. The report outlines the path forward for continued American leadership in science and technology as wells as the remaining challenges.

The document is organized into six different themes: Recognizing Value; Rebuilding Trust; Maintaining Alignment and Quality; Maximizing Impact; Managing Effectiveness and Efficiency; and Ensuring Lasting Change.

The report is available on the DOE website.

House Takes Up Bill to Change Rule-Making Process

Posted on

Earlier this week, the House took and passed H.R. 5, a bill intended to change the federal rule-making process. Among other things, the bill would codify agency requirements on considering the costs and benefits of a proposed rule as well as alternatives. It would also add more steps for federal agencies to follow when considering new rules or changes to existing rules that would increase costs in excess of at least $100 million.

Flake Issues Annual “Waste Book”

Posted on

Earlier this week, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) released his annual “waste book,” a list of 50 examples of federal spending which he believes are wasteful. As in the past, this year’s list includes plenty of activities supported by research agencies.

The document is available here.