Federal official testified before the House Oversight Committee on the data breach to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website and the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. According to the IRS, an estimated 100,000 taxpayers may have had their information stolen allowing hackers to file fraudulent tax refunds totaling $30 million dollars. Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer James Runcie said there is no evidence that any personal info was accessed from the Education Department systems. Several committee members criticized the federal officials for failing to notify Congress sooner about the data breach.
The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). General Raymond Thomas, the SOCOM commander, and Theresa Whelan, who is an acting assistant secretary for special operations, talked about several issues affecting the unified command including resource and budget challenges, readiness, training and cooperation with international partners, ongoing counter-ISIS operations, and the threats posed by Russian and North Korean aggression.
A bipartisan task force of the House Homeland Security Committee held its first open meeting to examine visa security procedures and ways to strengthen the prevention of terrorists' entry into the United States. One of the areas discussed was the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) that allows citizens of 38 countries to come to the U.S. for visits of up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. Members heard from officials with federal agencies including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the State Department. Representative Mike Gallagher (WI) chairs the task force.
Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, today spoke about how much he likes the $1.1T Omnibus bill, and went on to list a number of elements in the bill he's particularly impressed with.
Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, today spoke about how much he likes the $1.1T Omnibus bill, and went on to list a number of elements in the bill he's particularly impressed with.
United Airlines President Scott Kirby and trade organization leaders testified before a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee on the current state of airline travel and ways to improve customer service. Mr. Kirby apologized for the recent incident involving a passenger being dragged off a United flight and vowed improve customer service. Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans called the United incident "completely unacceptable." She said Chicago aviation officers will no longer be allowed to board aircraft unless there is a medical emergency or security threat. Other issues raised by senators included airline fees, industry competition, overbooking of flights and treatment of airline employees.
A Senate committee examined the security of the nation's energy infrastructure including the threats posed by electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). These are natural or man-made bursts of energy that can potentially disable the electrical power grid. Panelists included former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the acting chair of the federal Energy Regulatory Commission and former defense and security officials of past presidential administrations. This hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was chaired by Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, today spoke about how much he likes the $1.1T Omnibus bill, and went on to list a number of elements in the bill he's particularly impressed with.
Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, today spoke about how much he likes the $1.1T Omnibus bill, and went on to list a number of elements in the bill he's particularly impressed with.
United Airlines President Scott Kirby and trade organization leaders testified before a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee on the current state of airline travel and ways to improve customer service. Mr. Kirby apologized for the recent incident involving a passenger being dragged off a United flight and vowed improve customer service. Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans called the United incident "completely unacceptable." She said Chicago aviation officers will no longer be allowed to board aircraft unless there is a medical emergency or security threat. Other issues raised by senators included airline fees, industry competition, overbooking of flights and treatment of airline employees.
A Senate committee examined the security of the nation's energy infrastructure including the threats posed by electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). These are natural or man-made bursts of energy that can potentially disable the electrical power grid. Panelists included former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the acting chair of the federal Energy Regulatory Commission and former defense and security officials of past presidential administrations. This hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was chaired by Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). General Raymond Thomas, the SOCOM commander, and Theresa Whelan, who is an acting assistant secretary for special operations, talked about several issues affecting the unified command including resource and budget challenges, readiness, training and cooperation with international partners, ongoing counter-ISIS operations, and the threats posed by Russian and North Korean aggression.