Stories by Commerce Newswire on Federal Newswire

News Release: - Today the U.S. Census Bureau announced the release of Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) Explorer version 1.0. BDS Explorer provides access to the entire BDS dataset via line charts, bar charts and thematic maps. The application's intuitive dashboard allows for the construction of tables and charts...

NIST’s Emberometer Could Gauge Threat of Wildfire-Spreading Embers

News Release: As wildfire fronts advance through landscapes or communities on the ground, they also attack from above, launching volleys of glowing embers into the air. Also known as firebrands, these specks of burning debris can glide for up to 40 kilometers (approximately 24 miles) before landing and can cause up to 90% of home and business fires during wildfires.

Oversight Republicans: Failure to Hold Hearing on Afghanistan is Dereliction of Duty

News Release: WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.), Subcommittee on National Security Ranking Member Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), U.S. Representative Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), and Oversight Republicans sent a letter to Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) requesting an immediate full Committee hearing to conduct congressional oversight of the deteriorating situation in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Census Bureau Begins Data Collection for New Institute of Education Sciences School Pulse Panel Survey

News Release: - The U.S. Census Bureau recently began collecting data for the new Institute of Education Sciences (IES) School Pulse Panel (SPP) Survey as part of the efforts to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public school students and staff.

Wyden Announces New Bill to End Homelessness and Ensure Affordable Housing for All

News Release: Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced the Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All (DASH) Act, legislation to make a generational investment to house all people experiencing homelessness, tackle the housing affordability crisis, and expand homeownership opportunities for young people by creating a new down payment tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

2020 Census Paid Temporary Workers

News Release: The U.S. Census Bureau released the total number of 2020 Census paid temporary workers that earned any pay Aug. 1 - Aug. 7, 2021. The data tables include national totals for all 50 states and the District of Columbia by Census Bureau regional geography. A weekly number of paid temporary workers for Puerto Rico is also available. The weekly release will occur 10 days after the end of the weekly period.

Comer, Oversight Republicans Demand Answers on Rampant Improper Payments in Medicaid Program

News Release: WASHINGTON-Today, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) and Oversight Republicans wrote Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure demanding answers for the massive number of improper payments made by the Medicaid program. In fiscal year 2020, one out of every five Medicaid payments was improper and amounted to $86.9 billion.

NIST Announces Top 4 Winners in the National First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge

News Release: BOULDER, Colo. - The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently announced the four winners of the 2021 PSCR First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge. In the four-stage challenge, participants designed, built and flew an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with...

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.65 Million to Boost Business Growth and Workforce Development Efforts in West Virginia

News Release: HUNTINGTON, W.VA. - Today, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $2.65 million in grants to support business development and workforce training efforts in West Virginia.

E&C Leaders Request Information from EPA About Troubling Reports in the New Chemical Review Program

News Release: Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee Chairman Paul Tonko (D-NY) wrote to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan today to request information regarding reports of concerning irregularities in the Agency’s chemical review program.

Chair Grijalva Disappointed That Interior Will Hold New Fossil Fuel Lease Sales, Announces He Will Pursue Industry Reforms in Reconciliation

News Release: Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today said he’s disappointed that the Department of the Interior (DOI) is holding a newly announced round of onshore and offshore oil and gas lease sales, especially as the country awaits a Biden administration interim report on how it will fix a broken federal public lands and waters leasing system.

Small Business Pulse Survey Phase 6 Begins

News Release: The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the beginning of data collection for Phase 6 of the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS). This experimental survey was designed and launched in April 2020 to measure temporal economic trends in the nation’s small businesses and provide insight into the scope of impact of the pandemic response in the United States.

Chairman Lynch Issues Statement on Afghanistan

News Release: Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, released the following statement on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan...

Oversight Committee Releases New Documents Showing Proposed Cuts to Naval Audit Service are “Not Justified”

News Release: Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, released new documents that directly contradict the Department of the Navy’s stated justification for its previous attempts to downsize the personnel strength and budget of the Naval Audit Service (NAS).

Comer, Norman Request Information from Greenpeace Unearthed on Deceptive Videos Targeting Exxon Employee

By Commerce Newswire | Aug 13, 2021

News Release: WASHINGTON - House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) sent a letter to Greenpeace Unearthed requesting information regarding deceptive videos their team produced that appear to be substantially edited and fail to provide proper context and a true record of the conversation that occurred with Exxon employee, Keith McCoy.

Alejandra Y. Castillo Sworn in as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

By Commerce Newswire | Aug 13, 2021

News Release: WASHINGTON - Today, Alejandra Y. Castillo was sworn in as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. The action follows the Aug. 11, unanimous U.S. Senate vote to confirm Castillo as the new administrator of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Encouraging Coexistence: NIST Model Cuts Measurement Needs for Spectrum Sharing by About 33%

News Release: Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a modeling technique that can save time and money in estimating how to configure wireless communications systems to share the same transmission frequencies. The NIST model reduces the number of measurements needed to estimate reliable configurations by about 33%.

Wyden Statement on the President’s Call for Medicare Drug Negotiation

News Release: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a statement after President Joe Biden delivered remarks calling on Congress to pass legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs, including Medicare negotiation...

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2 Million to Boost Manufacturing and Industrial Development in Sikeston, Missouri

News Release: WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million grant to the city of Sikeston, Missouri, to support development of the South Industrial Park. This EDA project, to be matched with $657,000 in other federal funds and $236,700 in local funds, is expected to create 100 jobs and generate nearly $30 million in private investment.

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1.2 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance for Broadband Infrastructure in Bernalillo County, New Mexico