Hill Heat

Subcommittee hearing.

Witness:

• Jamieson Greer

12/09/2025 at 04:30PM

The Committee on Rules will meet Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET in H-313, The Capitol on the following measures:

• H.R. 3638 – Electric Supply Chain Act (Report, Committee vote)
• H.R. 3628 – State Planning for Reliability & Affordability Act (Report)
• H.R. 3383 – Increasing Investor Opportunities Act [INVEST Act]
• H.R. 3668 – Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act
• H.R. 3898 – PERMIT Act [Rule Markup Only]

12/09/2025 at 04:00PM

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

• S. 290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, and for other purposes (Barrasso);
• S. 332, to require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, and for other purposes (Rosen);
• S. 446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes (Scott);
• S. 573, to designate a mountain in the State of Alaska as Denali (Murkowski);
• S. 601, to remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky (Paul);
• S. 730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, and for other purposes (Gillibrand);
• S. 791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes (Van Hollen);
• H.R. 186 / S. 858, to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients (Rep. Moore) / (Justice);
• S. 1088, to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, and for other purposes (Shaheen);
• S. 1131, to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes (Ossoff);
• S. 1135, to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (Curtis);
• S. 1280, to designate six creeks in North Carolina in honor of the lives lost in a plane crash in Carteret County, North Carolina, on February 13, 2022, and for other purposes (Tillis);
• S. 1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia (Murkowski);
• S. 1377, to ensure the maintenance of a herd of horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and for other purposes (Hoeven);
• S. 1518, to redesignate the Saratoga National Historical Park as the “Saratoga National Battlefield Park” (Gillibrand);
• S. 1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the “Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center”, and for other purposes (Padilla);
• S. 1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, and for other purposes (Schiff);
• S. 1926, to encourage reduction of disposable plastic products in units of the National Park System, and for other purposes (Merkley);
• S. 2270, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the portion of the Myakka River in Sarasota County, Florida, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes (Scott);
• S. 2308, to amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to collect a surcharge from international visitors to units of the National Park System, and for other purposes (Banks);
• S. 2369, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to remove or permanently conceal the name of Francis Newlands on the grounds of the memorial fountain located at Chevy Chase Circle in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes (Van Hollen);
• S. 2385, to codify Executive Order 14253 relating to restoring truth and sanity to American history, and for other purposes (Banks);
• S. 2546, to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs (Coons);
• S. 2708, to enhance the preservation, maintenance, and management of national historic trails and national scenic trails, and for other purposes (Kaine);
• S. 2970, to authorize the use of off-highway vehicles in certain areas of the Capitol Reef National Park, Utah (Lee); and

Witnesses:

Panel 1

• Tim Kaine, United States Senator (D-VA)
• Chris Van Hollen, United States Senator (D-MD)

Panel 2

• Mike Caldwell, Associate Director, Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

12/09/2025 at 10:00AM

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a full committee Executive Session on Monday, December 8, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. ET to consider the following nominations:

Nomination of

• John DeLeeuw, of Texas, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board. Deferred.
• Michael Graham, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board. Reported favorably 19-9.
• Steven Haines, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis. Deferred.
• Robert Harvey, of Florida, to be a Federal Maritime Commissioner. Deferred.
• Jared Isaacman, of Pennsylvania, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Reported favorably 18-10: Cantwell, Tammy Baldwin, and John Fetterman joining Republicans.
• Richard Kloster, of West Virginia, to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board. Deferred.
• Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, to be Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. Reported favorably 23-5.
• Ryan McCormack, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy. Reported favorably 18-10.

The nomination hearing for Graham took place on September 17th.

The nomination hearing for Harvey took place on October 22nd.

The nomination hearing for McCormack took place on November 5th.

The nomination hearing for DLeeuw and Kloster took place on November 6th.

The nomination hearing for Isaacman and Haines took place on December 3rd.

12/08/2025 at 05:30PM

Hearing entitled ““Strategic Trajectories: Assessing China’s Space Rise and the Risks to U.S. Leadership.” The purpose of the hearing is to examine the progress of the People’s Republic of China in achieving its goal of becoming a dominant space power. It will outline China’s objectives for its national space programs, both in terms of completing space missions and in advancing its geopolitical influence. The hearing will evaluate China’s space strategy, including the benefits of a consistent political direction, sustained funding, and its military-civil fusion approach. Finally, it will highlight the risks of ceding leadership in space exploration to China, with a particular focus on the Moon, as well as the broader economic, geopolitical, and national security consequences of China attaining preeminence in space.

Hearing charter

Witnesses:

• Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow, The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
• Clayton Swope, Deputy Director, Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Dr. Patrick Besha, Founder, Global Space Group
• Dr. Michael D. Griffin, Co-President, LogiQ, Inc.

12/04/2025 at 09:00AM

At this pivotal moment in American history, climate journalism is more essential than ever. As we face unprecedented environmental and political challenges—when First Amendment freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law are under severe threat—strong, fact-based reporting has never mattered more.

This discussion brings together leading voices in environmental reporting and activism to examine how journalists can deepen public understanding, hold power to account, and inspire meaningful climate action.

Moderator

• Kyle Pope, Covering Climate Now

Panelists:

• Bill McKibben, environmentalist, author, co-founder of Third Act
• Sammy Roth, Climate-Colored Goggles
• Adam Mahoney, climate/environment reporter, Capital B
• Amy Westervelt, investigative climate reporter

RSVP

12/03/2025 at 08:00PM

On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing titled “Unleashing American Energy Dominance and Exploring New Frontiers.”

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

• Daniel Donahue, Head of Growth, Terra AI, San Francisco, CA
• Mahesh Konduru, Chief Executive Officer, Momentum Technologies, Carrollton, TX
• Nicholas Lugansky, Head of Mining, SLB New Energy, Houston, TX
• Walter G. Copan, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO [Minority witness]

12/03/2025 at 02:00PM

On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold an oversight hearing titled “Sea Lion Predation in the Pacific Northwest.”

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

Panel I

• Sam Rauch, Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service

Panel II

• Ken Choke, Chairman, Nisqually Indian Tribe
• Aja DeCoteau, Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
• Ed Johnstone, Chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

The Secretary of Commerce was authorized in 2018 to issue permits to certain Tribes and the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho to lethally take sea lions within the Columbia River and its tributaries.

12/03/2025 at 10:00AM

On Wednesday, December 3, at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, will hold a hearing on the nominations of

• Lee Beaman to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority
• Douglas Weaver to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Beaman is a Nashville auto executive, Republican mega-donor, and the subject of sexual misconduct allegations. He has no professional experience in nuclear oversight, utility planning, or grid operations. He is the former CEO of Beaman Automotive Group, a chain of car dealerships he sold in 2020. He operates Beaman Ventures, a private investment firm, and serves on the board of Belmont University, a private Christian college in Nashville. He is also a member of the Council for National Policy, a secretive, invitation-only, Christian nationalist network whose members have opposed environmental regulation, denied climate science, and pushed to roll back democratic safeguards. In court documents, his fourth wife described being forced into watching Beaman having sex with a prostitute for her “training”, and being exposed to pornography in the presence of her minor son. Kelly Beaman accused her husband of “degradation, control, manipulation and abuse” in the marriage. Beaman owns a $3.7 million Capitol Hill townhouse through an entity called Crockett Ventures. The property serves as a residence for Speaker Mike Johnson, megachurch pastor Steve Berger, and other GOP politicians and operatives.

Weaver is a seasoned nuclear regulator. He served as vice president of nuclear regulatory affairs at Westinghouse Electric Company from 2013 to 2022, and most recently has been running his own nuclear regulatory consulting firm. He also worked for nearly 20 years at the NRC, where he held numerous leadership positions, including in the Chairman’s Office and the Office of New Reactors.

12/03/2025 at 10:00AM

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing to consider the nominations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Commerce at 10:00 AM EST on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

Nominees:

• Jared Isaacman, of Pennsylvania, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Steven Haines, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis

NASA is illegally moving forward with the rapid downsizing of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Isaacman was nominated in the spring to be NASA administrator, with his nomination hearing on April 9th. Right before the vote on his confirmation, the White House pulled his nomination. He was renominated this fall.

Jared Isaacman made his billions as CEO of the Shift4 payment processing firm and has flown to space twice on SpaceX missions he financed himself. He co-founded Draken International, which trains pilots for the U.S. military. Isaacman is a pal and an extreme admirer of Elon Musk.

According to a recent reporting by Ars Technica, the Trump administration is looking to slash the space agency’s science budget by as much as 50 percent, which could prove disastrous for the future of space research.

You’d think that would be top of mind for Isaacman, but his head is instead blissfully empty.

“I’m a humble nominee on the outside, hoping for a chance to contribute,” he tweeted, responding to a post that referenced the news. “I don’t know anything about those supposed cuts, but the President said he’s targeting fraud, waste & abuse w/ a scalpel — not a hatchet.”

Isaacman’s confidential plans for the agency, titled Project Athena, have been circulating around Washington but not made public.

Haines is currently a senior adviser in ITA’s Office of Industry and Analysis. Haines previously spent several years at the State Department, including assignments in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the Office of China Coordination, as well as a posting on the Department’s Policy Planning Staff. He also worked on Capitol Hill as a Brookings Legislative Fellow with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), focusing on trade, economic, and national security policy. He joined the State Department in 2020, during Trump’s first term, and served for three years before joining Hagerty’s staff. He rejoined the State Department this year.

12/03/2025 at 10:00AM