Advanced search Help
Searching for terms: EXACT: "United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs" in: publisher
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
Security of U.S. Visa Programs, Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, March 15, 2016
This is a testimony compilation of the March 15, 2016 hearing on "Security of U.S. Visa Programs" held before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the opening statement of Ron Johnson: "Reforming the Visa Waiver Program represented a real improvement to our national security -- requiring enhanced screening of foreign nationals who had traveled to certain countries like Iraq and Syria. But these improvements are premised on the integrity and security of the U.S. visa system and the traditional screening process." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: David Donahue, Leon Rodriguez, Sarah R. Saldana, and John Roth.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2016-03-15
-
Homeland Security Department's Budget Submission for Fiscal Year 2015, Hearing Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, March 14, 2014
This testimony compilation is from the March 14, 2014 hearing, "The Homeland Security Department's Budget Submission for Fiscal Year 2015" before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the opening statement of Thomas R. Carper: "The President's request for $38 billion dollars in discretionary funding for the Department makes some very tough choices. It cuts the Department's discretionary budget by one billion dollars, or almost three percent below 2014 appropriated levels. Many other Departments, including several without national security missions, did not see these kinds of cuts. In fact, some saw increases. If you factor in the requested--and much deserved--one percent pay raise for federal employees in this budget, DHS will receive about $100 million less than it did after sequestration slashed its Fiscal Year 2013 appropriation. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported, the sequestration cuts had a real, and negative, impact on DHS. For example, operations were scaled back at some components and first responder and preparedness grant funding was reduced, resulting in canceled training and hiring freezes across the country. [...] The Secretary seems to have taken this message to heart, identifying $200 million in cost-savings in the proposed budget. This is good to see. [...] The budget maintains the current record level of staffing for the Border Patrol, and makes targeted investments in force-multipliers--technology such as advanced radars, cameras, and ground sensors--that help those agents work more effectively and efficiently. [...] The budget also includes a proposal to raise fees to continue efforts to secure our aviation system against potential attacks." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Thomas R. Carper and Jeh Johnson.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2014-03-14
-
DHS Management and Acquisition Reform, Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, March 16, 2016
This testimony compilation is from the March 16, 2016 hearing on "DHS Management and Acquisition Reform" held before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the opening statement of Ron Johnson: "The gravity of DHS's mission requires us to look at its management structure - to understand what is working and what needs to change. Today, we are here to look at two major DHS challenges: first, DHS headquarters' ability to lead and manage DHS and, second, DHS's approach to acquiring multi-million and billion dollar programs. [...] Our committee is considering legislation to reform DHS management and acquisitions, but we need to be sure that these reforms are the rights ones to move DHS - and our nation's security - in the right direction." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Russell C. Deyo, Charles H. Fulghum, John Roth, Rebecca Gambler, and Michele Mackin.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2016-03-16
-
Roundtable - Preventing Drug Trafficking Through International Mail, Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, April 19, 2016
This is a testimony compilation of the April 19, 2016 hearing "Roundtable - Preventing Drug Trafficking Through International Mail" held before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the opening statement of Ron Johnson: "Our committee has done extensive work examining the lack of border security, and also to understand the nation's drug crisis, including two hearings last week. Today, we will look at another source of this crisis--drugs entering through our ports of entry that are shipped directly to customers by international shippers, including the U.S. Postal Service." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Guy Cottrell, Joseph P. Murphy, Mark W. Hamlet, Todd C. Owen, and Norman T. Schenk.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2016-04-19
-
Stopping the Shipment of Synthetic Opioids: Oversight of U.S. Strategy to Combat Illicit Drugs, Hearing Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, First Session, May 25, 2017
This testimony compilation is from the May 25, 2017 hearing on "Stopping the Shipment of Synthetic Opioids: Oversight of U.S. Strategy to Combat Illicit Drugs," held before the U.S. Senate Permanent Select Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the opening statement of Tom Carper: "Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for calling this important hearing today. I appreciate your continued focus on our country's opioid crisis, which has had deadly consequences for our friends, neighbors, and loved ones in communities across the country. I also appreciate our focus today on learning more about at least one of the ways these drugs are getting into our communities, and what we can do to stop them. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the first panel to better understand the processes used by the Postal Service, private shippers, and CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] to screen international mail shipments and to identify and stop potentially illicit packages. I also look forward to learning more about where the coordination between shippers and federal agencies is working well, while identifying areas where we need to push for improvements." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Gregory Thome, Robert Cintron, Robert Perez, Tammy L. Whitcomb, Norman T. Schenk, Michael Botticelli, Thomas Synan Jr., Thomas P. Gilson, and Terry L. Horton.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2017-05-25
-
Examining the Use and Abuse of Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime at the Department of Homeland Security: Hearing Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, Subcommittee on Efficiency & Effectiveness of Federal Programs & the Federal Workforce, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, January 28, 2014
This testimony compilation is from the 28 January 2014 hearing, "Examining the Use and Abuse of Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime at the Department of Homeland Security," before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Subcommittee on Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce. This hearing centers on the abuse of overtime payments brought to light by whistleblowers within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The witnesses focus on the specific procedures followed in overtime abuse cases, ongoing areas of concern, and proper pay and management for DHS employees. Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Carolyn Lerner, Ron Vittiello, Catherine Emerson, and Brandon Judd.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2014-01-28
-
Cybersecurity Regulation Harmonization, Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, First Session, June 21, 2017
This testimony compilation is from the June 21, 2017 hearing on "Cybersecurity Regulation Harmonization," held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The purpose of this hearing was to examine current cyber threats, considering issues of data breaches and the varied landscape of cybersecurity threats. Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Christopher F. Feeney, Dean C. Garfield, Daniel Nutkis, and James Reese.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2017-06-21
-
Cyber Threats Facing America: An Overview of the Cybersecurity Threat Landscape, Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, First Session, May 10, 2017
This testimony compilation is from the May 10, 2017 hearing on "Cyber Threats Facing America: An Overview of the Cybersecurity Threat Landscape" before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the Opening Statement of Chairman Ron Johnson: "Cybersecurity is one of the most significant issues facing the country, as it affects every sector--from manufacturing to finance to government to energy. In July 2012, General Keith Alexander, then Director of the National Security Agency, stated that the loss of industrial information and intellectual property through cyber espionage constituted the 'greatest transfer of wealth in history.' Of course, espionage is just one of the many cyber threats we face. Today's hearing looks at the broad cybersecurity threat landscape, which can be broken down into four categories: criminal attacks, malicious attacks, industrial espionage, and cyber warfare. The mission of this Committee is to enhance the economic and national security of America and promote more efficient, effective, and accountable government." Statement, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Jeffrey E. Greene, Steven Chabinsky, Brandon Valeriano, and Kevin Keeney.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2017-05-10
-
Improving Border Security and Public Safety, Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, First Session, April 5, 2017
This testimony compilation created by HSDL staff is from the April 5, 2017 hearing on "Improving Border Security and Public Safety," before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The purpose of this hearing was to discuss the role and efforts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in improving border security and public safety, as well as the challenges that DHS faces in that role and the support it receives from the current Trump Administration. Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Ron Johnson, Claire McCaskill, and John F. Kelly.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2017-04-05
-
Judicial Rulings Ending the Obama Administration's Family Detention Policy: Implications for Illegal Immigration and Border Security
"The political debate over immigration--both legal and illegal--has become steadily more divisive over the last few decades, resulting in a policy stalemate. The complexity, inadequacy of information, and changing nature of the problem only deepen the challenge of finding solutions. [...] No one really knows how many people enter the United States illegally each year, or how many people currently reside in the country illegally. The number of apprehensions is often used as a surrogate statistic to estimate the levels of illegal immigration and residency. It is an imperfect surrogate to say the least. To illustrate one distortion, some Mexican migrants living close to the border who attempt to enter the country illegally may be apprehended multiple times. Migrants from Central America who are apprehended and returned to their countries of origin do not have the same opportunity for multiple illegal crossings. As a result, multiple apprehensions of Mexicans tend to overstate the assumed extent of illegal immigration. Even the definition of 'apprehension' itself has changed over time, further distorting the numbers. [...] The goal of any immigration reform should be to deter and reduce the number of people entering illegally, overstaying a visa, or entering without proper documentation. Immigration should be a legal and controlled process. Over the last 30 years, Congress has passed multiple bills that are either primarily designed to fix this problem or that have elements that attempt to address it. [...] [I]n spite of these attempted legislative fixes, the problem has only continued to grow."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Johnson, Ron, 1955-
2019-01-10
-
S. 2836: The Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018: Countering Malicious Drones, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, June 6, 2018
This web page contains a full video recording of the June 6, 2018 hearing titled "The Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018: Countering Malicious Drones" held before the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the opening statement of Ron Johnson: "Unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, can be used by adversaries in a number of ways to harm or threaten public safety. As is the case when discussing any potential threats, I am wary of providing too much information publicly that could be used by those that want to do us harm. But it should come as no surprise that extremists and criminals both at home and abroad continue to develop drone technology to use for malign purposes. Traffickers use drones to conduct surveillance or smuggle illegal drugs into our country. Criminals use drones to smuggle weapons and other contraband into secure areas including federal prisons. Terrorists use drones to execute their evil attacks against innocent civilians. The number of drone incidents reported by federal agencies - for example drone flights over sensitive areas or suspicious activities - has skyrocketed from 8 incidents in 2013 to an estimated 1,752 incidents in 2016. The technology is not only constantly evolving, but is getting cheaper and easier to buy off the shelf and manipulate. I am concerned that the federal government does not have the legal authorities it needs to protect the American public from these kinds of threats. The threats posed by malicious drones are too great to ignore. It is not enough to simply tell operators of unmanned aircraft not to fly in certain areas; we must give federal law enforcement the authority to act if necessary." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: David J. Glawe, Hayley Chang, Scott Brunner, and Angela H. Stubblefield.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2018-06-06
-
Fueling an Epidemic: Inside the Insys Strategy for Boosting Fentanyl Sales (Report Four)
"During the height of the prescription opioid crisis in the United States, Insys Therapeutics, Inc., adopted and intensified sales and marketing techniques Purdue Pharma pioneered in the 1990s for OxyContin and applied them to Insys' powerful fentanyl drug Subsys. Like Purdue, Insys aggressively used speakers programs--in which the company paid physicians to discuss Subsys with colleagues--and compensation programs for sales representatives to boost sales for Subsys [...] This report also highlights the examples of Heather Alfonso, a nurse practitioner from Connecticut, and Dr. Steven Simon, a physician practicing near Kansas City, Missouri--two practitioners separated by geography but united in their high Subsys prescribing and receipt of substantial payments from Insys. These case studies demonstrate exactly how company executives motivated sales representatives to 'own' physicians through promises of compensation for both sides--and how these efforts in turn significantly affected patient treatment."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
-
Fueling an Epidemic: A Flood of 1.6 Billion Doses of Opioids into Missouri and the Need for Stronger DEA Enforcement (Report 3)
"The three major pharmaceutical distributors in the United States -- McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, and Cardinal Health, Inc. -- each recorded 2017 revenue in excess of $125 billion and ranked within the top 15 companies on the 2017 Fortune 500 list. Although unknown to many Americans, these companies play a critical role in preventing the diversion of opioid products from pharmacies and other customers to the black market. Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), distributors carry a legal obligation to monitor and report suspicious orders of controlled substances to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The sheer volume of opioid products distributed in the United States makes compliance with CSA obligations a key component of the fight against the opioid epidemic. According to information McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health provided to the Committee, for example, these companies shipped around 1.6 billion dosage units of opioid products to Missouri alone between 2012 and 2017. This volume of opioids equated to more than 260 dosage units for every Missourian during the five-year period. During 2015 -- the peak year for opioid shipments to Missouri during 2012 - 2017 -- the three major distributors shipped approximately 52 opioid dosage units per person in the state."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2018-07-12
-
Fueling an Epidemic: Insys Therapeutics and the Systemic Manipulation of Prior Authorization
"The opioid epidemic has exacted a staggering human and financial cost in the United States over the past 20 years. Approximately 183,000 Americans died from prescription opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2015, with more than 15,000 Americans dying in 2015 alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2015 '[t]he age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2015…was more than 2.5 times the rate in 1999.' Provisional 2016 statistics from the CDC also show that '[d]rug deaths involving fentanyl more than doubled from 2015 to 2016,' and 'deaths involving synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyls, have risen to more than 20,000 from 3,000 in just three years.' In Missouri, the rate of prescription opioid-related inpatient hospitalizations and emergency room visits more than doubled from 187 per 100,000 to 424 per 100,000 between 2005 and 2014. Similarly, Medicare Part D spending on commonly abused opioids increased 165% between 2006 and 2015, and one out of three Part D recipients received at least one prescription opioid in 2016 at a cost of $4.1 billion."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2017-09-06
-
Drugs for Dollars: How Medicaid Helps Fuel the Opioid Epidemic, a Majority Staff Report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
"The dramatic increase in drug overdose deaths throughout America has appropriately been labeled a national health care crisis. In 2016, the nearly 64,000 drug overdose deaths outnumbered every other cause of accidental fatalities. As a result, Americans have been paying much attention to what caused this epidemic and what can be done to end it. Less attention is paid to the possibility that federal programs--namely, Medicaid--have contributed to the epidemic. There are many causes to the opioid epidemic, making it easy to point multiple fingers of blame. Most agree that development, marketing, and medical training regarding drug usage--and the resulting over-prescription of opioids--have played a key role. In addition, drug traffickers take full advantage of America's unsecured borders to flood heroin and fentanyl into lucrative domestic markets. Solutions directed at these problems are similarly nuanced and multifaceted. But what if one of the contributing causes is connected to federal spending itself?"
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2018-01-17
-
Fueling an Epidemic: Exposing the Financial Ties Between Opioid Manufacturers and Third Party Advocacy Groups (Report 2)
"This report provides the first comprehensive snapshot of the financial connections between opioid manufacturers and advocacy groups and professional societies operating in the area of opioids policy. Drawing on disclosures from Purdue Pharma L.P., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Mylan N.V., Depomed, Inc., and Insys Therapeutics, Inc., in response to requests from Ranking Member McCaskill, the sections below describe nearly $9 million in payments from these manufacturers to 14 outside groups working on chronic pain and other opioid-related issues between 2012 and 2017. In addition, physicians affiliated with these groups accepted more than $1.6 million in payments from the five manufacturers between 2013 and the present. In total, the five manufacturers have made more than $10 million in payments to these groups and affiliated individuals since January 2012. [...] The fact that these same manufacturers provided millions of dollars to the groups described below suggests, at the very least, a direct link between corporate donations and the advancement of opioidsfriendly messaging. By aligning medical culture with industry goals in this way, many of the groups described in this report may have played a significant role in creating the necessary conditions for the U.S. opioids epidemic."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2018-02-12?
-
How the U.S. Immigration System Encourages Child Marriages
"U.S. law and U.S. Department of State policy aim to prevent and reduce the risks of child marriages occurring around the world, yet major loopholes in U.S. law have allowed thousands of minors to be subjected to child marriages. Under the 'Immigration and Nationality Act' ('INA'), a U.S. child may petition for a visa for a spouse or fiancé living in another country, and a U.S. adult may petition for a visa for a minor spouse or fiancé living abroad. [...] Over the last eleven years (FY2007 to FY2017), USCIS [U.S. Customs and Immigration Services] approved 3,595,447 petitions for spousal or fiancé entry in to the United States. Of those, 8,686 involved a minor. Two minors whose petitions were approved were 13 years old; 38 were 14 years old; 269 were 15 years old; 1,768 were 16 years old; and the remaining 6,609 were 17 years old. Girls were the younger party in 95 percent of the petitions approved by USCIS."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Johnson, Ron, 1955-
2019-01-11
-
Afghanistan in Review: Oversight of U.S. Spending in Afghanistan, Initial Majority Oversight Report, Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management, May 9, 2018
From the Introduction: "In order to understand the issues confronting the ongoing U.S. effort in Afghanistan, the Federal Spending Oversight (FSO) Subcommittee conducted on-the-ground oversight of U.S. spending in-country from April 14th to 16th, 2018. This mission consisted of more than a dozen meetings and four off-site visits over the course of two and a half days in Afghanistan. The bipartisan FSO team met with Afghans from both the national government and a non-governmental organization (NGO); military and State Department personnel;and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). The team also visited the Defense Logistics Agency's demilitarization and disposal facility at Bagram Air Base; an incomplete and abandoned hotel adjacent to the U.S. Embassy that was financed through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation;the Afghanistan Department of the Interior; and the offices of Integrity Watch Afghanistan. This is an initial majority report of that mission, the team's findings, and observations from on the ground amidst America's 'Forever War.'"
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2018-05-09
-
Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China's Talent Recruitment Plans, Staff Report, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
From the Executive Summary: "American taxpayers contribute over $150 billion each year to scientific research in the United States. Through entities like the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy's National Labs, taxpayers fund innovations that contribute to our national security and profoundly change the way we live. America built this successful research enterprise on certain values: reciprocity, integrity, merit-based competition, and transparency. These values foster a free exchange of ideas, encourage the most rigorous research results to flourish, and ensure that researchers receive the benefit of their intellectual capital. The open nature of research in America is manifest; we encourage our researchers and scientists to 'stand on the shoulders of giants.' In turn, America attracts the best and brightest. Foreign researchers and scholars travel to the United States just to participate in the advancement of science and technology."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2019-11-18?
-
Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China's Talent Recruitment Plans, Appendix B: China's Talent Recruitment Plan Case Studies
This document contains China's talent recruitment plan case studies as described in Congressional report titled "Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China's Talent Recruitment Plans."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2019-11-18?
-
Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China's Talent Recruitment Plans, Appendix a: China's Talent Recruitment Plan Contracts
This document includes China's talent recruitment plan contracts as presented in the Congressional report titled "Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China's Talent Recruitment Plans."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2019-11-18?
-
Roundtable: Are We Prepared? Protecting the U.S. from Global Pandemics [video]
From the Opening Statement of Ron Johnson: "The emergence of the novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China and its arrival on our doorstep shows the threat that pandemics pose to our nation. Already, around the world, this coronavirus has infected tens of thousands of people and killed hundreds. […] If we want to stop infectious diseases from becoming global problems, then we must ensure that our policies and procedures are thoughtfully developed and ready to go before the next infection crosses our borders. To achieve this goal, we must be able to answer some key questions: First and foremost, who's in charge? We have learned that an effective response to a pandemic requires a whole-of-government approach: health officials who identify and treat the disease, homeland security officials who protect against infection, and a host of others. But our response is not effective if it is not well-managed. Second, do we have clear strategies and plans to combat these global diseases and pandemics? Third, what lessons have we learned from previous responses? Have we addressed and resolved those issues?" Witnesses for this roundtable include the following: Nikki Clowers, Julie L. Gerberding, Scott Gottlieb, Luciana Borio, and Asha M. George. A transcript for the opening statement in this 2 hour, 12 minute, 32 second video is also available [https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Opening Statement-Johnson-2020-02-12.pdf].
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-02-12
-
COVID-19: How New Information Should Drive Policy, Roundtable Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Second Session, May 6, 2020 [video]
This video is from the May 6, 2020 roundtable hearing on "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]: How New Information Should Drive Policy," held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Scott W. Atlas, David L. Katz, Pierre Kory, John P.A. Ioannidis, Avik Roy, and Tom Inglesby. The length of the video is 3 hours, 14 minutes, and 35 seconds.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-05-06
-
Failure to Deliver: Harm Caused by U.S. Postmaster General DeJoy's Changes to Postal Service Mail Delivery
From the Executive Summary: "At the direction of Ranking Member Peters, this report evaluates the extent of the harm caused by Postmaster General DeJoy's directives, the reliability of claims made about who ordered these changes and how and why they were made, and the extent of service delays as a result of these changes. This report also assesses the Postal Service's procedures for moving election mail and its responses to public concerns about readiness for high volumes of election mail in 2020."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020?
-
USPS Oversight Update
From the Document: "This update assesses concerning trends in the most recent United States Postal Service (USPS) service performance data provided to Congress. The analysis finds that widespread fluctuations in on-time mail delivery continue months after problems were first identified and that some parts of the country are facing increasing delays. In August 2020, Senator Peters launched an investigation into operational changes to mail delivery directed by U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in July 2020, one month after Mr. DeJoy took office. Senator Peters released a series of reports detailing the extent of the delays and the harmful impacts Postmaster General DeJoy's directives had on seniors, small business owners, and others who depend on the Postal Service for critical deliveries. On October 9, 2020, Senator Peters released an oversight update assessing the Postal Service's recent efforts to address delivery delays. This update finds that while the Postal Service has taken certain steps in response to congressional oversight and litigation to roll back prior changes directed by Postmaster General DeJoy and improve on-time mail delivery across the country, those steps have fallen short as on-time delivery continues to decline in several major cities across the U.S."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-10-20
-
Interim Report on Threat of Postmaster General Dejoy's Postal Service Delays
From the Background: "On August 6, 2020, U.S. Senator Gary Peters, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, launched an investigation into Postal Service delays resulting from operational changes at the United States Postal Service (USPS) made by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. This interim report provides an update on Senator Peters' ongoing investigation and related responses by the Postmaster General. In July, Senator Peters sought answers from newly installed Postmaster General DeJoy, following reports that Postmaster General DeJoy had directed widespread changes to Postal Service operations that many postal workers, experts, and others feared would cause significant delays and disrupt service for the millions of Americans who rely on the mail every day. These changes included the elimination of extra mail transportation trips, the reduction of overtime, the start of a pilot program for mail sorting and delivery policies at hundreds of post offices, and the reduction of equipment at mail processing plants. As Senator Peters wrote to Postmaster General DeJoy in July, these changes have slowed mail delivery and compromised service for veterans, small businesses, rural communities, seniors, and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for medicines, essential goods, voting, correspondence, and for their livelihoods."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Peters, Gary C.
2020-08-21
-
Billions Wasted: No Excuse for Taxpayer Dollars Going to Deceased People
From the Executive Summary: "On March 13, 2020, the Trump Administration declared a national emergency in response to the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To help combat the pandemic and to address the needs of Americans facing severe health, economic, and security concerns, Congress passed the 'Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.' Provisions of the $2.2 trillion law included stimulus payments to help provide necessary relief for Americans devastated by the economic impacts of COVID-19. However, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Treasury has sent at least $1.4 billion in payments to deceased individuals as of April 30, totaling 1.1 million individual payments. [...] In order to responsibly steward taxpayer dollars, Treasury must answer for its mismanagement of $1.4 billion in payments that went to deceased people, including its failure to implement safeguards and communicate with the public in a timely manner. Congress must also take immediate action to guard against future agency waste and enhance tools for preventing improper payments to deceased people."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-06-29?
-
Role of the Strategic National Stockpile in Pandemic Response [video]
This is the June 24, 2020 hearing on "Role of the Strategic National Stockpile in Pandemic Response," held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the Opening Statement of Ron Johnson: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] continues to inflict a terrible human and economic toll on the United States. In just over five months, the U.S. has experienced over 120,000 deaths and over 2 million total infections, and tens of millions have lost their jobs. As Congress reviews our response to COVID-19, it is important to take the lessons we have learned during this crisis to better prepare for a pandemic or other biological event of this scale in the future. The focus of today's hearing is the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Julie L. Gerberding, Daniel M. Gerstein, W. Gregory Burel, and Andrew Phelps. The duration of this video is 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 37 seconds.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-06-24
-
Damage from Delays: Trump Administration Slow to Distribute COVID-19 Relief as Hospitals Forced to Furlough Workers
From the Executive Summary: "This report finds that rising costs associated with treating COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] patients combined with the inability to perform revenue-generating elective surgeries is pushing hospitals toward insolvency. Many hospitals that were already financially vulnerable are the only medical provider serving rural and low-income communities and are at especially high risk of closure. The report also assesses financial challenges impacting the health care industry and their effect on the entire public health response. Frontline workers, their families, the larger medical care community, and the public they serve all feel the effects. The health care workforce has seen unprecedented job losses and hospitals continue to furlough, lay off, and reduce the salaries of employees even as their operational demands increase. Although most cuts fell on employees not directly treating COVID-19 patients, frontline medical workers have also been impacted."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-06-22?
-
Road to Recovery: Administration Must Build Public Trust and Ensure Safe, Effective, and Free Coronavirus Vaccines
From the Executive Summary: "Public health preparedness is an issue of national security. As of this report, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has infected more than 8 million Americans, and taken the lives of more than 219,000, leaving the United States to represent the highest number of cases and deaths in the world. The Trump Administration's failure to establish a comprehensive response that includes a surge in testing, contact tracing, and the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as the Administration's continued political interference in what should be a science-based public health response, has made combating this pandemic even harder. A safe and effective vaccine that is free of charge and widely available to all Americans is an essential factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. [...] This report, undertaken at the direction of U.S. Senator Gary Peters, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, identifies critical gaps in the Administration's vaccine preparedness measures and recommends essential actions to strengthen our nation's response and speed the return to a post-pandemic world. More than nine months since President Trump learned about the severity and lethality of the coming COVID-19 pandemic, the United States still lacks a comprehensive national plan to combat the virus and continues to struggle securing N95 respirators and testing reagents, putting all Americans at increased risk."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-10-16?
