Hill Heat

Please join Climate Cabinet on November 13 at 12:00PM EST for a discussion alongside the release of a new Climate Cabinet report – Utilizing Economic Power to Manage the Energy and Climate Transitions.

Two historic transitions are underway in the U.S.: the transition to an economy powered by clean energy and the transition to an ever more unstable climate with more extreme and dangerous weather. Come join a webinar in which Climate Cabinet and partners discuss its new report, Utilizing Economic Power to Manage the Energy and Climate Transitions, which offers a roadmap for state policymakers seeking to manage these transitions toward a more prosperous and equitable future. The report will be released on November 12 and will be available on Climate Cabinet’s website.

The hour-long webinar, to be held on November 13 at noon EST, will feature a keynote presentation by Sarah Bloom Raskin, Distinguished Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law and former Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury and Federal Reserve Board Governor, on why the two transitions deserve priority attention from state policymakers. She will be joined by Climate Cabinet’s Caroline Spears and Jordan Haedtler (report co-author), Center for Public Enterprise’s Advait Arun, John Kostyack of Kostyack Strategies (report co-author), and Dan Sufranski of The Sunrise Project.

Please register for the webinar. Registration will ensure that you are sent a recording of the webinar in the event you are unable to attend.

State governments play a critical role in the United States’ system of government. That role is more critical today than ever as the federal government abandons its leadership role in capturing the economic opportunities from the clean energy transition and confronting the economic threats from the transition to a hotter climate. We hope you will join us as we chart a new path forward to help U.S. communities become more economically just and sustainable.

Join Lead Locally for a conversation with activists and newly elected climate champions to celebrate, discuss the results of our most recent state & municipal elections, and consider what victories around the country can tell us about the state of climate politics and elections in 2026.

In the months leading up to the election, Lead Locally evaluated hundreds of campaigns from Albuquerque to Atlanta and made mission driven investments in the races where climate action was on the line. We knocked thousands of doors, made tens of thousands of calls, and fundraised hundreds of thousands for some of the most important down ballot races in the country.

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U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing for nominees of the National Transportation Safety Board and Surface Transportation Board at 10:00 AM EST on Thursday, November 6, 2025.

In May, Trump illegally fired Alvin Brown, the vice chair of the NTSB. In August, Trump illegally fired STB board member Robert Primus. Both Brown and Primus are Black.

Nominees:

• John Deleeuw, of Texas, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board, vice Alvin Brown, illegally fired
• Richard Kloster, of West Virginia, to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board, vice Martin J. Oberman, term expired
• Michelle Schultz, of Pennsylvania, to continue as a Member of the Surface Transportation Board (renomination)

John DeLeeuw is currently the Managing Director Safety and Efficiency for American Airlines (AA). He also serves, and has served, as the Party Coordinator for American Airlines in National Transportation Safety Board investigations. Prior to flying at American Airlines, John was a C-130 Hercules Evaluator and Instructor Pilot in the United States Air Force. He participated in Desert Storm and numerous classified Special Operations throughout the world. John worked directly with US Army Special Forces and Navy SEALS flying HALO airdrops, and flying insertions/extractions in combat and covert operations.

Kloster, a Republican, is president and founder of Integrity Rail Partners, Inc., a consultant on railroads and rail equipment based in Charles Town, W. Va. With more than three decades’ experience with railroads, rail supply chain and rail suppliers, Kloster started out as a car inspector and moved “inside” working for Chicago Northwestern, Chicago Central and Pacific, and the Indiana Railroad. He was senior vice president and chief commercial officer at rail consultant Alltranstek, and senior consultant at FTR, another rail industry specialist. He also worked as director of business and market intelligence for railcar lessor GE Rail Services for more than 15 years. Kloster is on the executive board of the National Industrial Transportation League shipper trade group, as well as the board of the Railway Supply Institute. He holds degrees from Northern Illinois University and the University of Alabama.

Schultz, a Republican and attorney, was first nominated to the rail competition regulator by Trump, and is currently in her second term as vice chairman of the board. Before joining the STB, Schultz worked at SEPTA as the agency’s director of legislative affairs and later as deputy general counsel. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at White and Williams LLP. Schultz is married to attorney Jim Schultz, who served as Associate White House Counsel in 2017.

Full committee hearing.

Nominee:

• Glen R. Smith, of Iowa, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development

Glen R. Smith of Atlantic, Iowa has spent most of his life in rural America, engaged in farming and agri-business. Smith was the chair of the Farm Credit Administration from 2019 to 2022, after being appointed to the board of directors by Trump in 2017. He is a graduate of Iowa State University. Smith and his wife Fauzan have four grown children and six grandchildren.

Smith is founder and co-owner of Smith Land Service Company, an ag service company that specializes in farm management, land appraisal, and farmland brokerage, serving about 30 Iowa counties. The Smith family farm, Smith Generation Farms in western Iowa, has grown to encompass roughly 2,000 acres devoted to corn, soybeans, hay, and a small beef cow herd.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing to consider nominees to the Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority at 2:15 PM EST on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

Nominees:

• Ryan McCormack, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
• Daniel J. “Dan” Edwards, of North Carolina, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs
• Trent Morse, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

McCormack is currently the deputy chief of staff to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. When Duffy was in Congress, McCormack was his legislative director and campaign manager. He then served as chief of staff to Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.). The policy undersecretary position is the No. 3 post in the department.

Daniel J. Edwards is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs and was sworn in as Acting Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs on May 5, 2025. Prior to joining DOT, he served as CEO of privately held businesses in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), as well supply chain and distribution. Dan also has extensive business leadership in airborne C4ISR and airfield infrastructure. Edwards served over 23 years in the USAF and USAF Reserves as both a KC-10 pilot and airfield civil engineer.

Trent Michael Morse is a Trumpist political operative and lobbyist who served as the deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office from January to September 2025. Morse graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree and from the university’s College of Law with a Juris Doctor. While in law school, he worked on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Morse served in several government positions after graduating, including the Florida Department of Transportation, a transportation and infrastructure holding company, the Florida Governor’s Office, and the United States Department of Transportation as a special assistant. In July 2018, Morse became the United States Department of Health and Human Service’s liaison to the Trump administration. He was central in secretary of health and human service Alex Azar’s efforts to assume greater control over the department. In March 2020, Morse was hired by Ballard Partners. He was the host committee president for the 2020 Republican National Convention, after Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded the convention, and the campaign manager for Tudor Dixon’s campaign in the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election. In January 2023, Morse became a senior vice president of Mercury Public Affairs. He led outreach at the 2024 Republican National Convention and was involved in the Trump’s second presidential transition. In January 2025, Trump named Morse as the deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. He led Trump’s efforts to fire members of commissions and boards. Morse resigned in September to form his own lobbying firm, Morse Strategies, and to serve as a senior strategic advisor to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

A full committee hearing.

Nominee:

• Casey Means to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service

Dr. Means, who attended Stanford Medical School and trained as an otolaryngologist but is not board-certified. Her last medical license, from the state of Oregon, expired in 2019, making her ineligible for the position. She will not appear in person, instead testifying remotely from Hawaii.

Means is an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and proponent of holistic medicine, “functional medicine,” and other forms of quackery. As a lifestyle influencer, she has also raised concerns about microplastics, industrial toxins, pesticides, and processed foods.

Full committee nominations hearing.

Nominees:

• Dr. Mindy Brashears, of Texas, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety
• Stella Yvette Herrell, of New Mexico, to be Assistant Secretary of Agriculture of Congressional Relations
• John Walk, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of Agriculture

Before serving in Trump’s first term, Brashears was a paid consultant for major meat-producing companies subject to federal inspection and regulation, including Cargill and Perdue Farms. After her departure in 2021, she accepted positions with Boar’s Head Provision Company and the Meat Institute.

Herrell is a Republican politician who served as the U.S. representative for New Mexico’s 2nd congressional district from 2021 to 2023.

Walk serves as Judicial Officer at the United States Department of Agriculture. He served as Associate Counsel to President Donald J. Trump at the White House Counsel’s Office from January 2017 until December 2020. At the White House, Walk advised the President and senior White House officials on the exercise of the President’s constitutional authority, regulatory matters, executive actions, and implementation of public policy. Prior to the White House, Walk served as an attorney at the Department of Homeland Security, providing advice on DHS operations and defending against federal litigation as agency counsel as an ally of Stephen Miller. Before entering the legal profession, Walk was a senior government relations advisor at an international law firm and served as a congressional staffer in the House of Representatives. Walk is the son-in-law of Jeff Sessions, married to Sessions’ daughter Ruth.

Full committee nomination hearing.

Nominees:

• Arjun Mody, of New Jersey, to be Deputy Commissioner, Social Security Administration for the term expiring January 19, 2031, vice David Fabian Black, term expired.
• Jeffrey Goettman, of Virginia, to be a Deputy United States Trade Representative (Africa, Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East, Environment, Labor, and Industrial Competitiveness), with the Rank of Ambassador, vice Jayme Ray White.
• Julie Callahan, of the District of Columbia, to be Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, vice Douglas J. McKalip, resigned.
• Thomas March Bell, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, vice Christi A. Grimm

Arjun Mody, a top Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) advisor, ran Barrasso’s Senate Opportunity Fund, and shepherded the confirmations of Pete Hegseth at the Defense Department, Kash Patel at the FBI and Frank Bisignano at the Social Security Administration. He was also a staffer for Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Carly Fiorina’s California Senate campaign.

Jeff Goettman, now at the Executive Office of the President, was Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s chief of staff after a long career in finance and serving in Trump’s first administration on the Ex-Im Bank and in Treasury.

Dr. Julie Callahan serves as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy. She previously served as a Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative and Senior Director in the USTR Agriculture Office and at the U.S. Food and Druge Administration. Dr. Callahan earned her doctoral degree in Marine Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Science in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science from MIT. As a civil servant, she has been an “unusually partisan” supporter of Trump. Her scientific research was on dissolved organic matter, including phytoplankton blooms, in estuaries in the United States and China.

As Inspector General for Health and Human Services, Thomas March Bell will oversee fraud, waste and abuse audits of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which spend more than $1 trillion annually. Bell currently serves as general counsel for House Republicans and has worked for GOP politicians and congressional offices for decades. The president’s nomination of this anti-abortion extremist is a “brazenly political” one. Bell was ousted from Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality in 1997 after a state audit showed he improperly authorized a nearly $8,000 payment to the agency’s former spokesman. He was staff director for House Republicans’ 2016 investigation into Planned Parenthood. During the first Trump administration, Bell helped create the Conscience and Religious Freedom division within the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Bell held leadership positions in Gary Bauer and Pat Robinson’s presidential campaigns.

The purpose of the hearing is to examine the Section 106 consultation process under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Witnesses:

• Andy McDonald, Environmental Compliance Manager, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.
• Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., State Historic Preservation Officer, State of Utah
• Steven Concho, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico and Board Member of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order purporting to declare an “energy emergency.” Following that order, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation issued guidance largely suspending section 106 rules for energy projects in February.

Trump’s demolition of the White House’s east wing is expected to be a major topic of discussion, although under Section 107 of the NHPA, the White House is exempt from National Historic Preservation Act, including listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1961, a law (P.L. 87-286) gave the National Park Service administrative responsibility for the White House, directing that “primary attention shall be given to the preservation and interpretation of the museum character of the principal corridor on the ground floor and the principal public rooms on the ground floor of the White House.” Executive Order 11145, Providing for a Curator of the White House and establishing a Committee for the Preservation of the White House, implemented the laws by establishing the office of the White House Curator. Since 2024, the curator has been Donna Hayashi Smith. The executive order also established the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, giving it advisory powers.

In August, 2025, Trump signed an executive order, asserting that “great care and consideration must be taken to choose a design that commands respect from the general public and clearly conveys to the general public the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of America’s system of self-government” and that “Competitions for the design of Federal buildings should be held where appropriate.”

Trump’s demolition, led by Clark Construction, during the government shutdown violates the Anti-Deficiency Act and federal ethics rules on funding and gifts.

Subcommittee hearing.

Witnesses:

• Peter Huntsman, President and CEO, Huntsman Corporation
• Dr. Gwen Gross, Senior Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company
• Dr. Tracey Woodruff, Professor and Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California, San Francisco

Peter’s father, Jon Huntsman Sr., founded the Huntsman Corporation, an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of chemical products for consumers and industrial customers. His brother, Jon Huntsman Jr., is a former United States ambassador and former Republican governor of Utah.

Dr. Woodruff studies toxic microplastics.