Hill Heat

Full committee hearing.

Member Statements

• Mike Crapo (R - ID)
• Ron Wyden (D - OR)

Nominee *Jamieson Greer of Maryland, to be United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

On Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., in Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold an oversight hearing titled “Now Ore Never: The Importance of Domestic Mining for U.S. National Security.”

Hearing memo

Witnesses

• Dr. Morgan Bazilian, Director, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
• Jeremy Harrell, Chief Executive Officer, ClearPath Action, Washington, DC
• Mckinsey Lyon, Vice President, External Affairs, Perpetua Resources, Donnelly, ID
• Dr. Dustin Mulvaney, Professor, Environmental Studies Department, San José State University, San Jose, CA

On December 20, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13817, entitled “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals,” which directed the Department of the Interior (DOI), in coordination with other agencies, to publish a list of minerals determined to be “critical,” also referred to as the Critical Minerals List (CML).

On day one of his second term, President Trump further prioritized efforts to secure mineral supply chains by releasing EO 14154, entitled “Unleashing American Energy,” which directs federal agencies to revise and rescind agency actions that impose undue burdens on domestic mining and processing capacity and instructs the Secretary of the Interior to consider updating the CML, including the potential for listing uranium.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust will hold a hearing on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The hearing, “California Fires and the Consequences of Overregulation,” will examine the real impacts of regulatory policy on the prevention of natural disasters, particularly in the case of California’s wildfires. This hearing will also have Republicans making the spurious claim that excessive regulation on insurance and permitting serves as a roadblock to those recovering from disaster.

Witnesses:

• Steve Hilton, Founder, Golden Together
• Steven Greenhut, Resident Senior Fellow and Western Region Director, State Affairs, R Street Institute
• Edward Ring, Director, Water and Energy Policy, California Policy Center

Thursday protest is cancelled, come on Friday.

Each morning, a peaceful protest outside of the Office of Personnel Management headquarters at 1900 E St NW from 7:30 am to 8:30 am, with coffee and donuts.

Bring megaphones and friends and a fork or spoon. Wear a mask.

Take the security measures right for you.

Sources say the Department of Labor is next on Musk’s takeover list. Working people deserve a strong Department of Labor, not one run by unaccountable billionaires and greedy CEOs.

The hard-right Capitol Research Center has created a brief recommending cutting off Department of Labor grants.

Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave NW

The Rally to Restore Foreign Aid Now will be held on Wednesday, February 5, from 11:30-12:30 PM at the Upper Senate Park (Constitution & Delaware Ave NE) and will include speeches from members of Congress, bipartisan former government officials, and experts in the field. Members of the press will also be in attendance to cover the event. We ask participants to bring signs or posters to show their support. Members of the press, please fill out this form.

Rally Speakers

• Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD)
• Representative Lois Frankel (FL-22)
• Major General (Ret.) Dr. Paul Friedrichs
• Representative Sara Jacobs (CA-51)
• Atul Gawande, Former Head of Global Health for USAID
• Bama Athreya
• Jeremy Konyndyk
• Chris Milligan

Mission

President Trump and Congress must act now to restore vital foreign aid programs, ensuring bipartisan support to keep America safe, strong and prosperous. The pause and possible termination of foreign aid activities is detrimental to the United States and our allies, and we urge the President and Congress to prevent further harm.

About the Organizers

This rally is being organized by Friends of Foreign Aid, a grassroots effort composed of retired Senior Foreign Service members, USAID program implementer’s staff, nonprofit organizations, and other senior leaders in foreign assistance. This group came together in response to the administration’s executive order halting USAID projects, and the recent events involving the dissolution of USAID. Organizers include LeAnna Marr, Alicia Dinerstein, MaryBeth Hastings, and Isabel Rogers.

Any press or other communication can be directed to us through this form.

Resources

This is a peaceful bipartisan rally, which has a legal permit to organize, and capitol police will be on standby to address any concerns. At this time, we do not expect any counter-protesters or any sort of violence, but if you are concerned about safety, here are a couple resources to help you prepare for the rally:

• ACLU: Know Your Protesters’ Rights
• Amnesty: Tactics to Secure a Phone Before a Protest

The full committee will hold a business meeting to consider:

• Nomination of The Honorable Kelly Loeffler to be Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration

Loeffler is a fierce critic of climate policy, attacking renewable energy and writing “the Green New Deal and Medicare for All represent insidious attacks on the unparalleled liberty that we as Americans enjoy today.”

• Resolution Authorizing Expenditures by the Committee during the 119th Congress
• Committee Rules
• S. 68 Complete COVID Collections Act, to prohibit the suspension of collections on loans made to small businesses related to COVID-19
• S. 273 Small Business Child Care Investment Act, to allow nonprofit child care providers to participate in certain loan programs of the Small Business Administration
• S. 298 Returning SBA to Main Street Act, to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to relocate 30 percent of the employees assigned to headquarters to duty stations outside the Washington metropolitan area
• S. 300 Disaster Loan Accountability and Reform Act, to improve accountability in the disaster loan program of the Small Business Administration

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a Business Meeting to consider the following items:

• Committee Funding Resolution and Rules;
• S. 347 – Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025;
• S. 351 – Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act of 2025.

Full committee hearing.

Witnesses

Panel I

• Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Greene County, GA
• Rob Larew, President, National Farmers Union, Greenville, WV

Panel 2

• Nathan Reed, Board of Directors, National Cotton Council, Marianna, AR
• Kenneth Hartman Jr., President, National Corn Growers Association, Waterloo, IL
• Keeff Felty, President, National Association of Wheat Growers, Altus, OK
• Chris Engelstad, President, National Barley Growers Association, Fertile, MN
• Amy France, Chair, National Sorghum Producers, Scott City, KS
• Josh Gackle, Chairman, American Soybean Association, Kulm, ND
• Garrett Moore, Member, U.S. Peanut Federation, Chancellor, AL
• Tim Deal, Vice President, American Sugarbeet Growers Association, American Sugar Alliance, Doran, MN
• Jennifer James, Board of Directors, USA Rice, Newport, AR

The Committee on Energy and Commerce has scheduled a hearing on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at 10:15 a.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The title of the hearing is “Powering America’s Future: Unleashing American Energy.” The hearing will explore how expanding domestic American energy production and delivery protects national security, lower costs for households, and fuels economic growth, particularly in manufacturing and information technology.

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

• Amanda Eversole, Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer, American Petroleum Institute
• Brigham McCown, Senior Fellow and Director, Initiative on American Energy Security, the Hudson Institute
• Gary Arnold, Business Manager, Denver Pipefitters Local 208
• Tyler O’Connor, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP (Minority)

The nation has emerged as the world’s number one producer of oil and natural gas, and the number one exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG). Oil and natural gas account for about 74 percent of the primary energy sources consumed in the U.S. every year, with natural gas accounting for some 43 percent of electric power generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Orders to promote American energy production and confront national security considerations related to access to reliable, affordable, and secure energy supplies. These actions direct agencies charged with overseeing the nation’s energy system to streamline federal procedures for permitting and construction of interstate energy transportation and other critical energy infrastructure. The Executive Orders also direct DOE to restart LNG export authorization reviews, pause “Green New Deal” funding disbursements pending internal reviews, and revoke Executive Orders of the Biden administration.