Letters from Capitol Hill that Members of Congress have written and signed on to lately.
Dec. 02 | House Update
House lawmakers return to Washington this week to consider bills that would promote high school curricula on the dangers of communism and create a process to require additional reviews of federal regulations’ effects on small businesses.
The Rules Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday to set the terms for floor debate on those bills, which would require simple majorities to pass.
Lawmakers also plan to consider 52 measures under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage. They include bills that would create a Justice Department initiative to prosecute trade-related crimes, require state governments to report on their adoption of policies to promote housing supply, and reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Floor votes are scheduled Tuesday through Friday, according to the weekly schedule from Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).
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Dec. 02 | USPS
Post Office Designations: Several post offices would be named under the following measures:
The “William E. and Elsie L. Barrett Post Office Building” in Lexington, Neb., under H.R. 7507. Former Rep. Bill Barrett (R-Neb.) represented Nebraska’s 3rd District from 1991 to 2001. He died in 2016. Elsie Barrett, his wife, died in March.
The “SGT Bill Hooser Post Office Building” in Santaquin, Utah, under H.R. 8717. Hooser, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper, was struck and killed by a tractor trailer during a pursuit in May.
The “Floyd B. Olson Post Office” in Roseau, Minn., under H.R. 8841. Olson served as Minnesota governor from 1931 to 1936, when he died in office of cancer. He was the first member of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party to win the governorship.
The “SFC Shawn McCloskey Post Office” in Peachtree City, Ga., under H.R. 8919. McCloskey, a Special Forces Green Beret, was killed in action in September 2009 during his third deployment in Afghanistan.
The “Corporal Matthew A. Wyatt Post Office” in Millstadt, Ill., under H.R. 8976. Wyatt, a Marine corporal, was killed in Iraq in 2004 while stopping a suicide bomber’s truck at the gates of a US base. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
The “First Lieutenant Richard Arne Koski Post Office” in Pengilly, Minn., under H.R. 9174. Koski, born in Itasca County, was killed in action while serving as a first lieutenant during the Vietnam War in 1968.
The “Benjamin Berell Ferencz Post Office Building” in Delray Beach, Fla., under H.R. 6116. Ferencz was a World War II Army veteran and one of the chief prosecutors at the Nuremberg Trials that targeted Nazis for war crimes. He died in April 2023 at the age of 103.
The “Larry Lavagnino Post Office Building” in Santa Maria, Calif., under H.R. 7158. Lavagnino served as the mayor of Santa Maria from 2002 to 2012 and as a member of the city council from 1996 to 2002.
The “Gladys P. Todd Post Office” in Fredericksburg, Va., under H.R. 7508. Todd was a prominent leader in the Fredericksburg civil rights movement and an advocate for Black youth with the NAACP Youth Division. She died in January 2015 at the age of 101.
The “Chief Michael Maloney Post Office Building” in Greenland, N.H., under H.R. 8868. Maloney, who served as the chief of the Greenland Police Department, was killed in the line of duty in April 2012. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor from the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.
The “Army 1st Lt. John Kuulei Kauhaihao Post Office” in Captain Cook, Hawaii, under H.R. 8909. Kauhaihao was killed while serving in the Vietnam War in 1969. He was posthumously awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross.
The “Captain Miguel Justin Nava Post Office” in Comstock Park, Mich., under H.R. 9285. Nava, a Marine from western Michigan, was killed in February in a helicopter crash during routine training. He was 28.
The “Judge James R. Williams Post Office Building” in Akron, Ohio, under H.R. 9322. Williams was appointed US attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter and was the first African American appointed to the Summit County Common Pleas Court. He died in 2020.
The “Mayor Rob Gordon Post Office” in Bucoda, Wash., under H.R. 9421. Gordon became mayor of Bucoda in 2022 and also served as the assistant chief of the town’s fire department. He died of cancer in June.
The “Elizabeth Furse Post Office Building” in Hillsboro, Ore., under H.R. 9549. Furse served three terms in the House from 1993 to 1999 and was an advocate for tribal rights, including helping five Native American tribes in Oregon regain federal recognition. She died in 2021.
The “Millie Dunn Veasey Post Office” in Raleigh, N.C., under H.R. 9580. Vassey served in the only Black Women’s Army Corps unit stationed overseas during World War II as a typist for the Central Postal Directory Battalion, ensuring mail delivery to service members. She died in 2018.
The “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office” in Plains, Ga., under H.R. 9600. Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, was the 39th US president from 1977 to 1981. His single term was marked by the 1978 Camp David agreement between Egypt and Israel, stagflation, and the Iran hostage crisis. He celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Rosalynn Carter was a leading advocate for women’s rights and mental health, among other causes. She died in 2023 at age 96. Both were born in Plains.
The “Walter Francis Ulloa Memorial Post Office Building” in Brawley, Calif., under H.R. 8641. Ulloa was the founder of Entravision Communications, a global advertising and media company based in Santa Monica that primarily serves Latino consumers . Ulloa grew up in Brawley and died in 2022 at age 74.
The “Reverend Harold Middlebrook Post Office Building” in Knoxville, Tenn., under H.R. 9360. Middlebrook is a Tennessee-born civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., and marched with him during the civil rights era.
The “United States Representative Elijah E. Cummings Post Office Building” in Baltimore under H.R. 9544. The Baltimore-born civil rights activist was elected to the House in 1996 as a Democrat serving Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. He later became chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which he led until his death in 2019. He was 68.
The “Officer Noah Jacob Shahnavaz Post Office Building” in Elwood, Ind., under H.R. 9775. Shahnavaz was a police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in 2022 at age 24. He was previously a sergeant in the Army and served for five years, including being deployed to the Middle East in 2017.
The “Captain Robert E. ‘Bob’ Batterson Post Office” in Corpus Christi, Texas, under H.R. 10065. Batterson was a World War II veteran who was stationed at Pearl Harbor when Japan attacked in 1941. He later worked for the Catholic diocese of Corpus Christi as a fiscal officer. He died in 2023 at age 102.
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Dec. 02
In a letter, the Democratic leader said members of his party would work with Republicans to consider the president-elect’s nominees — but asserted they should undergo traditional Senate vetting.
The top Senate Democrat offered on Monday to cooperate with Republicans next year in considering President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choices for his cabinet and other top administration jobs, and called for the G.O.P. to adhere to traditional Senate vetting standards that Mr. Trump has threatened to skip.
In a letter to Senator John Thune, the South Dakota Republican who is set to become majority leader in January, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the current leader, said that he and his colleagues “stand ready and willing to work” with Senate Republicans in considering the nominations, several of which have already proved to be explosive.
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Dec. 02 | COMMITTEE HEARING
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party will hold a hearing titled "Rebuilding the Arsenal of Democracy: The Imperative to Strengthen America’s Defense Industrial Base and Workforce," Thursday 12/5 at 9:30 a.m. E.T. in room 2176 Rayburn House Office Building.
The witnesses for the hearing will be: Mr. Chris Brose, Chief Strategy Officer, Anduril Industries; Dr. William Greenwalt, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
When: Thursday, December 5th, 9:30 AM E.T.
Where: 2176 Rayburn House Office Building
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Dec. 01
U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-09) joined Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), as well as members of the North Carolina congressional delegation, in sending a bipartisan letter to the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) urging the Pentagon to establish an OnRamp Hub in North Carolina to bolster the state’s defense innovation ecosystem.
Representatives Deborah Ross, Virginia Foxx, Greg Murphy, Don Davis, Patrick McHenry, Alma Adams, Kathy Manning, David Rouzer, Wiley Nickel, and Chuck Edwards all co-signed the letter.
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Nov. 30
Congressman Michael C. Burgess writes that the Pentagon’s continued failure to pass audits is a problem that must be addressed.
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Nov. 30 | Resolution
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, and state Sen. Judith Zaffirini have each paid tribute to Starr County Industrial Foundation. The economic development group has just celebrated its 50th Anniversary.
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Nov. 30
Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) sent a letter to the Honorable Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs, seeking clarification after hearing reports that Canada has paused Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) permit renewals and applications.
“Once it was reported that Canada paused RABC permit renewals and applications, I began hearing from a number of constituents who are rightfully concerned that this will limit access to loved ones and property across the border,” said Stauber. “The relationship between Minnesota and our neighbor to the north runs deep, so I urge the Canadian government to provide more clarity on how this pause will impact those who use the RABC program.”
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Nov. 29
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Yazoo Backwater Study Area.
The plan has been promised to the people of the South Delta for 83 years, but the flood control project stalled despite the support and approval of local stakeholders, the Army Corps, and environmental groups. The release of the final EIS is a tangible sign that the project is moving forward.
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., applauded this announcement.
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Nov. 29
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) was the target of a bomb threat, the Jewish congressman stated on Friday.
“I was recently notified of a bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home,” Magaziner stated. “We are safe and there was no evidence of a bomb on the property.”
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Nov. 27 | HEARING ALERT
Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon (R-Texas) will hold a second hearing on the Biden-Harris Administration’s pause on liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. The hearing, titled “Exposing the Truth on LNG: How the Administration Played Politics with America’s Energy Future,” is part of the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation into the Biden-Harris Administration’s ban on new permits for LNG exports to non-Free Trade Agreement countries. The Department of Energy (DOE), however, may have obstructed the investigation by withholding critical information, including a potential draft study on the impacts of LNG exports sent from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to DOE headquarters in 2023. Further, the Committee seeks answers as to the role that White House officials, such as climate advisor John Podesta, had in imposing the ban.
WHAT: Hearing on “Exposing the Truth on LNG: How the Administration Played Politics with America’s Energy Future”
DATE: Wednesday, December 4, 2024
TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET
LOCATION: 2247 Rayburn House Office Building
WITNESSES: Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, U.S. Department of Energy;
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, The White House (INVITED)
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Nov. 25
Today, Aviation Safety Caucus Co-chairs Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23), Jack Bergman (MI-01), and Marc Veasey (TX-33) lead a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker to address serious concerns regarding the agency’s oversight of Air Traffic Control (ATC) modernization investments.
This letter comes in response to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found over half of the FAA’s 138 Air Traffic Control systems to be unsustainable or at risk.
The Aviation Safety Caucus co-chairs were joined by 28 additional signers of the letter, including Reps. Dina Titus (NV-01), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), August Pfluger (TX-11), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), Aaron Bean (FL-04), Michael Guest (MS-03), Scott Franklin (FL-18), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Nick LaLota (NY-01), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Mike Bost (IL-12), Mary Miller (IL-15), Rich McCormick (GA-06), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Laurel Lee (FL-15), Chris Smith (NJ-04), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04).
The letter has also received support from outside organizations, including the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, among others.
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