Nominations of William Hague to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs, Kevin Lilly to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, and Kaveh Farzad to be Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs

The purpose of the hearing is to consider pending nominations:

  • William Hague, of Washington, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior, vice Carmen G. Cantor, resigned.
  • Kevin Lilly, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, vice Shannon Aneal Estenoz, resigned.
  • Kaveh Farzad, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (International Affairs), vice Andrew Eilperin Light, resigned.

Hague is a long-time AT&T executive and major campaign donor to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

Kevin Lilly is the acting assistant secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks at the Interior Department—a position that oversees both the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lilly is a Texas wealth manager with no conservation experience. He holds the acting position illegally.

Lilly resigned his position as the chair of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in order to join the Trump administration as a political appointee. Lilly founded Avalon Advisors, the “largest privately owned wealth management firm in Texas,” according to Southwestern University.

Farzad serves as Managing Director for Global Public Affairs and as Director at FGS Global. During the first Trump administration, he served as the Arabian Peninsula and West Africa Lead at the U.S. Department of Energy, as Chief Speechwriter and Communications Advisor to the U.S. Embassy of the Holy See and as Public Affairs Specialist for the Bureau of Energy Resources at the U.S. Department of State. He was previously a Senior Communications Officer at the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
366 Dirksen

06/23/2026 at 09:30AM

Protest Fossil Fuel Sportswashing Across the Nation

We’re calling on FIFA World Cup, sponsored by oil giant Aramco, & other teams to drop their fossil fuel sponsorships.

Join us at a stadium near you on June 21!

Pick your stadium from this list & we’ll send you details.

City/Sport/Stadium/Sponsor

Boston/Foxborough, MA: FIFA World Cup, Gillette Stadium (Aramco)

Miami: FIFA World Cup game at Hard Rock Stadium (Aramco)

Los Angeles: Dodger game at Dodger Stadium (Phillips 66)

Los Angeles: FIFA World Cup game at SoFi Stadium (Aramco)

Seattle: FIFA World Cup, Lumen Field (Aramco)

Atlanta: FIFA World Cup game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Aramco)

Philadelphia: FIFA World Cup, Lincoln Financial Field (Aramco)

SF Bay Area: FIFA World Cup, Levi Stadium, Santa Clara (Aramco)

Kansas City: FIFA World Cup, GEHA Field/Arrowhead Stadium (Aramco)

Dallas: FIFA World Cup, AT&T Stadium (Aramco)

Houston: FIFA World Cup, NRG Stadium (Aramco)

East Rutherford, New Jersey: FIFA World Cup, MetLife Stadium (Aramco)

Vancouver, Canada: FIFA World Cup game at BC Place Stadium (Aramco)

Mexico: FIFA World Cup, Guadalajara, Mexico City & Monterrey (Aramco)

Toronto, Canada: FIFA World Cup, BMO Field (Aramco)

Portland, OR, Portland Timbers, Providence Park (Bank of America)

Sacramento, Sacramento Kings, Golden 1 Center (BP, Shell)

Cleveland, Cleveland Guardians, Progressive Field (Marathon Petroleum)

St. Louis: St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium (Phillips 66)

Arlington, TX: Texas Rangers, Globe Life Field (Energy Transfer)

Sierra Club
06/21/2026 at 10:00AM

Markup of Indo-Pacific Geothermal Deployment, Arctic Security, Mining and Energy Pacts, Eastern Mediterranean Electricity and Natural Gas Pipelines, and Other Bills

Business meeting to consider the following:

  • S.4726 - Preventing External Aggression and Conflict Escalation (“PEACE”) in Sudan Act of 2026
  • S.3984 - United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2026
  • S.4570 - U.S. Technology Procurement and Access to Trusted Hardware (“U.S. Tech PATH”) Act
  • S.4259 - Blue Skies for Taiwan Act of 2026, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.3018 - A bill to permit visiting dignitaries and service members from Taiwan to display the flag of the Republic of China, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.2578 - Strengthening the Rule of Law in the Brazilian Amazon Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.2252 - Saving Lives and Taxpayer Dollars Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.3050 - Preventing Adversary Influence, Disinformation, and Obscured Foreign Financing (“PAID OFF”) Act of 2025
  • S.4610 - Pacific Promotion of Workable Energy Resources Act (“Pacific POWER”) Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.3172 - Repeal certain Acts that impose sanctions upon Syria
  • S.3676 - American Decade of Sports Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.4708 - A bill to improve the security of the Arctic, and for other purposes
  • S.4009 - Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.1542 - Uyghur Policy Act of 2025, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.3900 - Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom, and Accountability Act of 2026, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.4709 - A bill to amend the Arms Export Control Act to modify a limitation relating to exports and transfers of defense articles and services under the AUKUS partnership, and for other purposes
  • S.4392 - Energy Security Pacts Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.4600 - South China Sea Strategy Act of 2026
  • S.4577 - Reassessing the United States-Tanzania Bilateral Relationship Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.4443 - Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute
  • S.4723 - Eliminate PRC Organized Crime Act
  • S.4680 - Expanded Consular Fellows Program to Reduce Visa Processing Backlog and Assist Travelers Act
  • S.4665 - BANNED in Latin America Act
  • S.3733 - A bill to amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to authorize certain public libraries to collect and retain a fee for the execution of a passport application
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
S-116 Capitol

06/17/2026 at 10:00AM

Nominations of Hal Duncan to be Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget, Cam Hamilton to be Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and others

Full committee hearing to consider the nominations of:

  • Hal Duncan to be Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget;
  • Brian Cavanaugh to be Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of Homeland Security;
  • David Cummins to be Administrator, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security;
  • Cameron Hamilton to be Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security;
  • Charles Baldis to be Special Counsel, Office of Special Counsel;
  • Bradford P. Wilson to be Archivist, National Archives and Records Administration;
  • Don R. Berthiaume, Jr. to be Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice;
  • Jeffrey Brodsky to be Governor, United States Postal Service;
  • William Gallo to be Governor, United States Postal Service;
  • James Woodruff to be Chairman, Merit Systems Protection Board; and
  • Charlton Allen to be General Counsel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
342 Dirksen

06/17/2026 at 09:00AM

Where does climate action go from here?

Join Jonathan Foley, Ph.D, Executive Director of Project Drawdown, for a conversation with renowned climate scientist and communicator, Katharine Hayhoe, Ph.D.

From attacks on climate science by the current administration to the faltering of international climate negotiations and the rise of disinformation, the past few years have presented unprecedented challenges for everyone working on advancing science-based climate solutions. Join Katharine and Jon as they explore what it takes to connect across differences, how to communicate climate science with accuracy and empathy, and where in the world to look for meaningful action.

Their conversation will unpack many common misconceptions about climate solutions, discuss why breaking the “climate silence” and imagining a better future is so essential, and why and how we talk about climate change may matter just as much as the science itself.

After attending this conversation between two of the titans in the world of climate science and solutions, you’ll come away equipped and inspired with new insights into how to catalyze change.

RSVP

Project Drawdown
06/16/2026 at 02:00PM

Field Hearing on the Great American Outdoors Act and Hot Springs National Park

On Friday, June 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (CDT), the Committee on Natural Resources will hold a legislative field hearing on a Discussion Draft of the “Great American Outdoors Act 250.” The hearing will examine legislation reauthorizing and reforming the Great American Outdoors Act to enhance public access, improve infrastructure, and create new outdoor recreation opportunities in one of our nation’s crown jewels – Hot Springs National Park.

This hearing will be held at The Arlington Hotel, 239 Central Ave., in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

House Natural Resources Committee

06/12/2026 at 10:00AM

Emergency Meeting On Data Centers

Representative Ro Khanna, Congressional Candidate Wala Blegay, Christian Nunes of Equality Bound Solutions, and Mitch Jones of Food and Water Action join PDA’s Alan Minsky to discuss the threat posed by unregulated data centers.

These enormous industrial facilities are driving up energy costs, using up scarce water resources, and threatening neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to protect ourselves from this looming menace.

RSVP

Food & Water Action
Progressive Democrats of America
06/11/2026 at 11:00AM

AI and the American Economy

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs will meet in open session to conduct a hearing entitled, “AI and the American Dream: Promoting Innovation, Affordability, and American Dominance.”

Witnesses:

  • Mike Flynn, Senior Vice President and Counsel, The Information Technology Industry Council
  • David Feith, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
  • Will Rinehart, Senior Fellow, The American Enterprise Institute
  • Dr. Sarah Myers West, Co-Executive Director, AI Now Institute

Myers West:

In the first quarter of 2026, Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft reported spending $130.65 billion in capital expenditures for data centers—71 percent higher than what they spent during the same quarter of 2025. These four companies anticipate spending approximately $700 billion this year. Morgan Stanley analysts project that combined, Big Tech companies will spend nearly $3 trillion through 2028, but only generate half of that amount in cash. To finance this buildout, tech companies are taking on an increased amount of debt: in 2025, big tech firms issued $121 billion in new debt, but this number is anticipated to balloon in the years to come: Morgan Stanley is estimating debt issuance will top $500 billion this year. … Private equity firms are key conduits for the vast amounts of capital going into data centers. In 2025, private equity investment into data center transactions/deals reached $45 billion.

OpenAI is on the hook for over a trillion in deals with other AI firms and chipmakers, including a $300 billion deal with Oracle for its compute infrastructure, $250 billion with Microsoft for its Azure infrastructure (which includes Microsoft’s 26% return ownership share of OpenAI); $38 billion to rent access to Amazon Web Services servers, (a deal which could expand under a revised structure), $22 billion with CoreWeave for use of its data centers, a deal with Google Cloud, a “strategic partnership” to deploy 10 gigawatts of AI data centers with Nvidia (in return for Nvidia’s $100 billion investment into OpenAI), a multi-billion dollar chip deal with AMD (a deal that enables OpenAI to take a 10% ownership stake in AMD), and a partnership with Broadcom to develop and deploy chips that OpenAI would design.

The revenue needed for the industry to break even is becoming astronomical: a widely cited study from Bain estimates that $2 trillion in new revenue is needed by 2030 to fund the current AI scaling trend.

Last month, after burning through its entire 2026 AI budget in only four months, Uber’s COO asserted the costs of AI were getting harder to justify because they were not translating into useful customer features. And Uber is not alone: a June 2026 Bain study found that nearly 40% of companies said their cost reductions from AI were significantly less than expected. More troubling, 44% of companies based their next wave of AI investments on previous rounds of savings—savings that have consistently come in below expectations.35 As the study put it, “self-funding the next wave from past returns sounds like discipline. In reality, it is a circular bet with a structural leak.” Scaling revenue may be further challenged by delays in data center construction: recent reporting in the Financial Times found that 40% of data centers planned for 2026 are delayed, further increasing financial risk at the level of individual firm bets.

An AI bubble burst could wipe out over $20 trillion in American household wealth, three trillion more than the financial crisis.

Private credit companies deploy capital that comes from 401(k) accounts, life insurance plans, and pensions; they’ve made a casino of American workers’ financial security. For example, both New York and Pennsylvania’s state pension plans are invested in Blue Owl’s $7 billion digital infrastructure fund, which in turn has loaned out money to finance data centers for Meta in Richland Parish, Louisiana. If Meta fails to post revenues that justify its planned $125 billion in spending for 2026—a move that led to a 6% decline in its stock attributed to investor anxiety—the effects will be felt across the country.

The subsidies that AI firms have received are extraordinary, ranging from federal backing of a $1 billion loan to bring the Three Mile Island nuclear plant back online to power Microsoft’s A.I. data centers, to offering up $1 billion in AI funding through the Big Beautiful Bill, to allocating federal lands for data center construction, outlining new ‘private public partnerships’ at national laboratories that house treasure troves of genomic data that can be leveraged for commercial use, to its Export AI initiative, which leverages the apparatus of the federal government in support of deal-brokering on behalf of AI firms. Looking at the evidence, a bailout of the AI sector has arguably already begun, before Congress has meaningfully acted to protect the public and the economy from the risks introduced by the industry.

Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
538 Dirksen

06/11/2026 at 10:00AM