The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Stephen Dickson testified on the safety of Boeing's 737 MAX before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He was joined by other aviation safety officials. Members asked about design and certification process of the aircraft, airworthiness documents, and pilot safety training. Administrator Dickson also had to respond to questions about the FAA's role in investigating the two catastrophic crashes that claimed the lives of nearly 350 people and their dealings with Boeing.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley testified on the administration's policy in Syria before the House Armed Services Committee. Both received numerous questions regarding the president's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and the Turkish invasion that followed. Other topics discussed included the Pentagon's restrictions on the training of Saudi Arabian military students after a trainee shot and killed three sailors in Pensacola, Florida, the continued fight against ISIS and countering Iran.
The Senate meets for legislative business with work expected on judicial and executive nominations. Current government funding expires on December 20th.
The Senate passed a resolution commemorating the Armenian genocide by unanimous consent. Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Bob Menendez and Senator Ted Cruz co-sponsored the bipartisan bill. The resolution, which passed in the House in October 405 to 11, recognizes the Ottoman Empire's mass killings of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, which is disputed by the Turkish government. The Trump administration has objected to the legislation.
2020 presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) delivered remarks on foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC. At the event, Klobuchar outlined her five-part foreign policy plan before taking questions from the audience.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos testified on her department's student loan debt forgiveness program before the House Education and Labor Committee. The hearing largely focused on the Education Department's implementation of a program aimed at helping highly indebted students who had taken out loans to pay for educations at institutions that misrepresented graduate outcomes, including job placements and potential salaries, leaving the students highly indebted, often with no way of paying back the money borrowed to cover tuition. Ms. DeVos defended her department's administration of the program, saying she had a duty to protect students as well as taxpayers.
New York University Law School and Sidley Austin law firm co-hosted a forum in Washington, DC on the role of Congress in national security oversight. Among the speakers were former White House Counsels Don McGahn and Kathy Ruemmler along with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL). Other topics discussed included the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, constitutional war powers and executive branch leaks.
