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Category: Administration

DOE Releases State of National Labs Report

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On January 11, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz released the first-ever State of the Department of Energy National Laboratories Report. It addresses the accomplishments and capabilities of the national labs and reviews the improvements made in their management. The report outlines the path forward for continued American leadership in science and technology as wells as the remaining challenges.

The document is organized into six different themes: Recognizing Value; Rebuilding Trust; Maintaining Alignment and Quality; Maximizing Impact; Managing Effectiveness and Efficiency; and Ensuring Lasting Change.

The report is available on the DOE website.

Price Confirmation for HHS Slips to Februrary

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Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced that the actually confirmation vote for Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who is the Trump nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), will not occur until mid-February.

The HELP Committee  that will hear from Price on January 18, and the Senate Finance Committee is expected to hear from Rep. Price soon after, but the date has not yet been set. The Senate  Finance Committee has primary responsibility for the HHS nomination, since it has jurisdiction over taxes and entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

A mid to late February nomination means that Price and HHS could not present the Trump Administration plan to repeal-and-replace Obamacare until the beginning of March, at the earliest.

Senate Passes Budget with ACA Repeal Instructions

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Early Thursday morning, Senators voted 51-48 to adopt the FY2017 budget resolution, with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) casting the only Republican vote against it. With just 51 votes, the Senate moves forward with plans to repeal the ACA while avoiding a filibuster from Senate Democrats. Ultimately, the Senate considered 19 amendments before the final vote — and stymied each one, mostly through procedural votes.

The key amendment of the vote-a-rama was an amendment offered by Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), who was joined by other moderate GOP Senators, would delay an initial deadline to write legislation to repeal the 2010 health care law,. The amendment was ultimately withdrawn without a vote.

The Corker Amendment would have pushed back the Jan. 27 deadline for four House and Senate committees to write legislation to repeal the health care law, the sole purpose of the budget resolution under consideration. A vote on the amendment would have been a key indicator of where Senators stood on a growing debate among Republicans about how quickly Congress should repeal the law, especially without a clear replacement ready to go.

The FY 2017 budget resolution includes reconciliation instructions with the purpose of repealing the health care law, which would occur through separate legislation.

 

Nomination Schedule

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Politico has an excellent overview of the coming nominees for the incoming Administration’s cabinet positions.

Week of Jan. 9

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
Nominee: Ben Carson
Background: Retired neurosurgeon, former GOP primary rival
Committee: Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Confirmation Hearings: Sen. Mike Crapo is planning to hold a hearing next week
Recent Politico Coverage:

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Tuesday, Jan. 10

Attorney General
Nominee: Sen. Jeff Sessions
Background: Alabama Republican Congressman
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Confirmation Hearings: Jan. 10 and 11. More here.
Recent Politico Coverage:

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Wednesday, Jan. 11

Secretary of Education
Nominee: Betsy DeVos
Background: Billionaire, philanthropist, Republican megadonor
Committee: Senate HELP
Confirmation hearings: Jan. 11 at 10 a.m.  More here.
Recent Politico Coverage:

 

Secretary of Transportation 
Nominee: Elaine Chao
Background: Former Labor Secretary under the George W. Bush administration, deputy secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush, member of Trump’s Asian Pacific American Advisory Council for the campaign, married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Confirmation Hearings: Jan. 11 10:15 a.m. More here.
Recent Politico Coverage:

 

Secretary of Homeland Security
Nominee: John Kelly
Background: Retired Marine general, former U.S. Southern Command chief
Committee: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Confirmation hearings: Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. More here.
Recent Politico Coverage:

 

Secretary of State
Nominee: Rex Tillerson
Background: CEO of Exxon Mobil
Committee: Senate Foreign Relations
Confirmation Hearings: Jan. 11
Recent Politico Coverage:

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Thursday, Jan. 12

Secretary of Commerce 
Nominee: Wilbur Ross
Background: Billionaire private-equity investor, founder of the private equity firm WL Ross & Co.
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Confirmation Hearings: Jan. 12 at 10:00 a.m. More here.
Recent Politico Coverage:

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Week of Jan. 16 and beyond

Secretary of Labor
Nominee: Andy Puzder
Background: CEO of CKE Restaurants, which include the Carl’s Jr. fast food chain
Committee: Senate HELP
Confirmation Hearings: The week of Jan. 16
Recent Politico Coverage:

Secretary of Health and Human Services
Nominee: Rep. Tom Price
Background: Georgia Republican Congressman, House Budget Chairman
Committee: Senate Finance
Confirmation Hearings: TBD, the HELP Committee is tentatively set to hold a confirmation hearing on Jan. 18.
Recent Politico Coverage:

Secretary of Treasury 
Nominee: Steven Mnuchin
Background: Former Goldman Sachs executive, Trump’s national finance chair for the campaign
Committee: Senate Finance
Confirmation Hearings: TBD
Recent Politico Coverage:

Secretary of Defense
Nominee: James Mattis
Background: Retired U.S. Marine Corps general
Committee: Senate Armed Services
Confirmation Hearings: TBD
Recent Politico Coverage:

Secretary of Interior
Nominee: Rep. Ryan Zinke
Background: Montana Republican Congressman, former U.S. Navy SEAL commander
Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Confirmation hearings: TBD

Secretary of Energy
Nominee: Rick Perry
Background: Former governor of Texas
Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Confirmation hearing: TBD
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
Nominee: Scott Pruitt
Background: Oklahoma Attorney General
Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works
Confirmation Hearings: TBD

 

Ambassador to the United Nations
Nominee: Nikki Haley
Background: Governor of South Carolina
Committee: Senate Foreign Relations
Confirmation hearings: TBD

 

Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Nominee: Rep. Mick Mulvaney
Background: South Carolina Republican Congressman
Committee: Senate Budget and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Confirmation hearings: TBD

 

U.S. Trade Representative
Nominee: Robert Lighthizer
Background: Trade attorney, former deputy USTR under President Ronald Reagan
Committee: Senate Finance
Confirmation hearing: TBD