The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Senate Committee Meetings” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the in the Daily Digest section section on pages D460-D461 on May 16.
The Department oversees more than 500 million acres of land. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the department has contributed to a growing water crisis and holds many lands which could be better managed.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Committee Meetings
(Committees not listed did not meet)
APPROPRIATIONS: HYPERSONIC THREATS, MISSILE DEFENSE, AND PROTECTION OF U.S. HOMELAND
Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Defense concluded a closed hearing to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2024 for hypersonic threats, missile defense, and the protection of the United States homeland, after receiving testimony from General Glen D. VanHerck, Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and Northern Command, and Vice Admiral Jon A. Hill, Director, Missile Defense Agency, both of the Department of Defense.
APPROPRIATIONS: SECURITY, COMPETITIVENESS, U.S.-CHINA RELATIONSHIP
Committee on Appropriations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024, focusing on investing in United States security, competitiveness, and the path ahead for the United States-China relationship, after receiving testimony from Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense; Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State; and Gina M. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce.
SILICON VALLEY BANK AND SIGNATURE BANK
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, including S. 1045, to amend the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to clarify that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and appropriate Federal regulators have the authority to claw back certain compensation paid to executives, after receiving testimony from Gregory W. Becker, Silicon Valley Bank, Santa Clara, California; and Scott A. Shay, and Eric Howell, both of Signature Bank, New York, New York.
NASA BUDGET
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024 for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, after receiving testimony from former Senator Bill Nelson, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BUDGET
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024 for the Fish and Wildlife Service, after receiving testimony from Martha Williams, Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
WATER MANAGEMENT
Committee on Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure concluded a hearing to examine perspectives on new and existing Army Corps of Engineers authorities to respond to water management issues including drought and water conservation, after receiving testimony from Andrea Travnicek, North Dakota Department of Water Resources Director, Bismarck; Stephanie Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community, Arizona; Leslie A. Meyers, Salt River Project, Tempe, Arizona; Christy Plumer, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Washington, D.C.; and Jennifer L. Verleger, Western States Water Council, Murray, Utah.
IRS FUNDING CUTS
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine House Republican supplemental IRS funding cuts, focusing on the impact on Federal law enforcement and the Federal deficit, after receiving testimony from Natasha Sarin, Yale Law School and Yale School of Management, New Haven, Connecticut; and Don Fort, former Chief, Criminal Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, Pete Sepp, National Taxpayers Union, and Chris Edwards, Cato Institute, all of Washington, D.C.
ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Committee on Finance: Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness concluded a hearing to examine economic cooperation for a stronger and more resilient Western Hemisphere, after receiving testimony from Jonathan Fantini Porter, Partnership for Central America, Eric Farnsworth, Council of the Americas, Margaret Myers, Woodrow Wilson Center, Cathy Feingold, AFL-CIO, and Neil Herrington, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, all of Washington, D.C.
U.S. POLICY TOWARDS RUSSIA
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine U.S. policy towards Russia, after receiving testimony from Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Center for a New American Security Transatlantic Security Program, and John J. Sullivan, former Deputy Secretary of State and Ambassador to the Russian Federation, both of Washington, D.C.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Ana A. Escrogima, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Lisa A. Johnson, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic, Ervin Jose Massinga, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Bryan David Hunt, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone, and William W. Popp, of Missouri, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Uganda, all of the Department of State, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN GOVERNMENT
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine artificial intelligence in government, including key practices to help ensure accountability in Federal use of AI, after receiving testimony from Taka Ariga, Chief Data Scientist, Science, Technology Assessment and Analytics, Government Accountability Office; Ritchie Eppink, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Boise, Idaho; Lynne E. Parker, University of Tennessee AI for Tennessee Initiative, Knoxville; Daniel E. Ho, Stanford University, Stanford, California; and Jacob Siegel, Brooklyn, New York.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OVERSIGHT
Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law concluded an oversight hearing to examine AI, focusing on rules for artificial intelligence, after receiving testimony from Sam Altman, OpenAI, San Francisco, California; Christina Montgomery, IBM, Cortlandt Manor, New York; and Gary Marcus, New York University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings on intelligence matters, receiving testimony from officials of the intelligence community.
Committee recessed subject to the call.