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News and updates

DOE Releases State of National Labs Report

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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

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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”

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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.

Price Confirmation for HHS Slips to Februrary

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Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced that the actually confirmation vote for Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who is the Trump nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), will not occur until mid-February.

The HELP Committee  that will hear from Price on January 18, and the Senate Finance Committee is expected to hear from Rep. Price soon after, but the date has not yet been set. The Senate  Finance Committee has primary responsibility for the HHS nomination, since it has jurisdiction over taxes and entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

A mid to late February nomination means that Price and HHS could not present the Trump Administration plan to repeal-and-replace Obamacare until the beginning of March, at the earliest.

Senate Passes Budget with ACA Repeal Instructions

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Early Thursday morning, Senators voted 51-48 to adopt the FY2017 budget resolution, with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) casting the only Republican vote against it. With just 51 votes, the Senate moves forward with plans to repeal the ACA while avoiding a filibuster from Senate Democrats. Ultimately, the Senate considered 19 amendments before the final vote — and stymied each one, mostly through procedural votes.

The key amendment of the vote-a-rama was an amendment offered by Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), who was joined by other moderate GOP Senators, would delay an initial deadline to write legislation to repeal the 2010 health care law,. The amendment was ultimately withdrawn without a vote.

The Corker Amendment would have pushed back the Jan. 27 deadline for four House and Senate committees to write legislation to repeal the health care law, the sole purpose of the budget resolution under consideration. A vote on the amendment would have been a key indicator of where Senators stood on a growing debate among Republicans about how quickly Congress should repeal the law, especially without a clear replacement ready to go.

The FY 2017 budget resolution includes reconciliation instructions with the purpose of repealing the health care law, which would occur through separate legislation.