Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and the executive director of the Northwest Corridor Commission testified on improving service and efficiency before a House Transportation & Infrastructure subcommittee. They discussed how $22 billion in direct investment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) would help improve rail infrastructure and increase ridership. Additional topics included passenger safety, route options in the Midwest and west coast, and high-speed rail options.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission commissioners testified on election security ahead of the 2024 presidential election cycle. This hearing, held by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, covered a variety of topics, including boosting confidence in critical election infrastructure, cyber security threats and preparedness, using artificial intelligence, voter education to counteract misinformation and disinformation, and state-funding needed to run elections.
"I intend to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024 and I want your support," announced former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) during a town hall hosted at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Manchester, NH. While taking questions from the audience, the former governor said he played "conventional game" during his first campaign in 2016 and that "it was a mistake, in 2016, not to confront Donald Trump early, because I knew that so much of what he said was complete baloney." He went on to blame the former president for the failures at the Southern Border, and later referred to President Trump as "a bitter, angry man who wants power back for himself." Gov. Christie fielded questions for more than 90-minutes from those in the audience on a variety of topics, including China, reproductive rights, and the debt ceiling.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden fielded questions from members of the House of Commons during the weekly Question Time session. He stepped in for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who was in Washington, DC, to meet with President Biden. A variety of topics were addressed, including the government's COVID-19 inquiry, rail and transportation concerns, the cost of living, the mental health care investment, and economic investment.
Officials from the Agriculture and Interior departments, among others, testified on the federal response to escalating wildfires before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The hearing came amid ongoing smoke from Canadian wildfires affecting air quality in the eastern United States. A key topic of the hearing was increasing the pay and expanding the benefits of federal firefighters--which is included in President Biden's 2024 Interior and Agriculture budget requests--in order for increased recruitment and retention. Some senators also asked about the role of climate change in exacerbating the fires and solutions to mitigate the issue.
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su fielded questions on her record as she testified on the department's policies and priorities before the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Topics included vaccine mandates, apprenticeships and other workforce development programs, independent contractor classifications for employees, and child labor abuses.
Officials from the Agriculture and Interior departments, among others, testified on the federal response to escalating wildfires before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The hearing came amid ongoing smoke from Canadian wildfires affecting air quality in the eastern United States. A key topic of the hearing was increasing the pay and expanding the benefits of federal firefighters--which is included in President Biden's 2024 Interior and Agriculture budget requests--in order for increased recruitment and retention. Some senators also asked about the role of climate change in exacerbating the fires and solutions to mitigate the issue.
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su fielded questions on her record as she testified on the department's policies and priorities before the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Topics included vaccine mandates, apprenticeships and other workforce development programs, independent contractor classifications for employees, and child labor abuses.
