Hearings

PURPOSE: To discuss how to combat Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud from both a federal and state perspective. To explore how Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) can more effectively assist states in the program's administration. BACKGROUND: SNAP is a federal aid program administered through the Department of ...

PURPOSE: To discuss the effects Chinese trade practices have on American companies working to enter Chinese markets and to examine how to protect American economic and security interests. BACKGROUND: China has aggressively acquired American intellectual property through legal and illegal means, including espionage, state-sponsored theft, ...

PURPOSE: To examine the economic cost of delays and inefficiencies in the federal environmental review and permitting system for infrastructure projects. BACKGROUND: On average, it takes eight to ten years to obtain permit approval for large infrastructure construction projects in the United States. These delays increase the overall project costs and directly harm communities while they wait for vital projects like ...

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PURPOSE: To explore whether there may be links between Federal Trade Commission investigative targets and those pursued by Operation Chokepoint. BACKGROUND: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is charged with enforcing law prohibiting deception and unfair practices, while ensuring legitimate businesses are not impeded. In 2012, the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) proposed an ...

PURPOSE: To review cybersecurity challenge areas highlighted by the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) High Risk interim report and discuss actions to resolve these challenges. To examine how the Federal Chief Information Officer intends to coordinate a government-wide response to address cybersecurity challenges. BACKGROUND: On July 25, 2018, GAO will release an interim report identifying ...

PURPOSE: To examine opportunities to modernize the federal grantmaking process. BACKGROUND: The federal government awards more than $700 billion in grants each year, of which nearly $600 billion is distributed to state and local governments. A complex grant management structure detracts ...

PURPOSE: To discuss H.R. 4382, the Free Flow of Information Act, a shield law that conditions the federally compelled disclosure of information by journalists. BACKGROUND: In November 2017, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) introduced the Free Flow of Information Act to protect the exercise of freely reporting critical ...

PURPOSE: To examine challenges faced by ranchers seeking to graze livestock on federal land and to identify opportunities for more productive range management practices. BACKGROUND: Congress mandated both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS) manage federal land under "multiple use and sustained yield" principles to include livestock grazing. Access to public lands for ...