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 Daily Digest section on pages D253-D254 on March 12, 2019.
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)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INITIATIVES
Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities concluded a hearing to examine artificial intelligence initiatives within the Department of Defense, after receiving testimony from Peter T. Highnam, Deputy Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Michael A. Brown, Director, Defense Innovation Unit, and Lieutenant General John N.T. Shanahan, USAF, Director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, Office of the Chief Information Officer, all of the Department of Defense.
BUSINESS MEETING
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee ordered favorably reported the nominations of Jeffrey Nadaner, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Claudia Slacik, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and Thelma Drake, of Virginia, to be Federal Transit Administrator.
CFPB SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Semi-
Annual Report to Congress, after receiving testimony from Kathy Kraninger, Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
BROADBAND INVESTMENTS IN RURAL AMERICA
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet concluded a hearing to examine the impact of broadband investments in rural America, after receiving testimony from Justin Forde, Midcontinent Communications, West Fargo, North Dakota; Mark A. Jamison, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.; Denny Law, Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc., Wall, South Dakota; and Carol Mattey, Mattey Consulting LLC, Bethesda, Maryland.
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Committee on Finance: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the road ahead for the World Trade Organization, after receiving testimony from Robert E. Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President.
NOMINATIONS
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nominations of Michael J. Fitzpatrick, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador, and Ronald Douglas Johnson, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of El Salvador, both of the Department of State, after the nominees testified and answered questions in their own behalf.
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Committee concluded a hearing to examine recommendations from the President's task force on the United States Postal Service, focusing on a path to sustainability, after receiving testimony from Gary Grippo, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Public Finance; Robert G. Taub, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission; David C. Williams, Vice Chairman, Board of Governors, Postal Service; and Margaret Weichert, Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget.
REAUTHORIZING THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Committee concluded a hearing to examine reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, focusing on simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and reducing the burden of verification, after receiving testimony from Kristina Scott, Alabama Possible, Birmingham; Michele Scott Taylor, College Now Greater Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio; Michael P. Meotti, Washington Student Achievement Council, Olympia; and Mark Wiederspan, Iowa College Student Aid Commission, Des Moines.
GAO HIGH RISK LIST OVERSIGHT
Committee on Indian Affairs: Committee concluded an oversight hearing to examine Indian programs on the Government Accountability Office High Risk List, after receiving testimony from Jessica Farb, Director, Health Care, Government Accountability Office; Tony Dearman, Director, Bureau of Indian Education, and Darryl LaCounte, Acting Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, both of the Department of the Interior; and Rear Admiral Michael D. Weahkee, Principal Deputy Director, Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services.
GDPR AND CCPA
Committee on the Judiciary: Committee concluded a hearing to examine GDPR and CCPA, focusing on opt-ins, consumer control, and the impact on competition and innovation, after receiving testimony from Will DeVries, Google, Mountain View, California; Alastair MacTaggart, Californians for Consumer Privacy, Sacramento; David Hoffman, Intel, Santa Clara, California; Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo, Inc., Paoli, Pennsylvania; Thomas Lee, Mapbox, Roslyn Layton, American Enterprise Institute, and Michelle Richardson, Center for Democracy and Technology, all of Washington, D.C.; and Jane Bambauer, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Tucson.
INTELLIGENCE
Select Committee on Intelligence: Committee held closed hearings to examine certain intelligence matters.
