and all federal records. as to mark the 17th annual sunshine week, a nationwide initiative dedicated to educating the public about the importance of transparency and government i look forward to discussing how congress can further strengthen federal records, processes and improve the transparencies for all americans. today, i am grateful to welcome a panel of experts who can discuss our federal records, help us identify gaps in the law as well as the implementation probably discuss what actions congress can take to better protect the public records. thank you again for being here we look forward to a robust discussion. you are not recognized opening comments. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thanks our witnesses for being here. transparency in government is a pillar of our democracy. something we should all be sure continues into the digital age it gets harder and harder in some respects is bill talk about today. it's an area i worked out a lot i have sponsored access to congressionally mandate reports act the ope

federal prosecutors have a role to play in bringing federal carjacking charges. i want to help federal prosecutors get the tools they need to keep our communities safe. do you do car jacking regularly involving conspiracies, and secondly, and lastly, whatever's been the federal role in taking down gangs from carjacking and related prosecutions? >> thank you, senator grassley. yes, i would say to echo at the other panelists have added, carjacking is absolutely in the toolbox of any street gang operating in major american cities at this point in time. they tend to gangs, and general, to engage in shootings, and other intimidation tactics. robberies, aggravated robberies, car thefts are important because they do help to facilitate other crimes. it has been addressed by other panelists as well. when you are looking at a criminal street gang, or any other kind of violent criminal organization, it's important to identify the predicate offenses that those gangs are committing. that allows federal prosecutors and investigators to build a rico investigation, or it's corol

and all federal records. as we mark the 17th annual sunshine week, a nationwide initiative dedicated to educating the public transparency, i look forward to expressing how congress can further strengthen public records processes and improve transparencies for all americans. today, i'm grateful to welcome a panel of experts who can discuss the federal reports management in much greater detail, help us identify gaps in the law, as well as its implementation and broadly discuss what actions congress can take to better protect the public records. so thank you again for being here, i look forward to a robust discussion. ranking member corbin, you are recognized for comments. >> thank you chairman and thanks to our witnesses for being here. transparency in government is obviously a pillar of our democracy and something we should all ensure continues into the digital age as it gets harder and harder in so many respects we'll talk about today. i've worked on a lot, sponsored the data act, the open courts act, regulat

federal prosecutors have a role in bringing federal carjacking charges. want to give prosecutors the tools to keep our communities safe. what has been the federal role in taking down gangs from carjackings and related rustic you should? justin: thank you, senator. carjacking is absolutely in the toolbox of any street gang in major american cities. gangs will tend to engage in shootings and other intimidation tactics. but robbers, aggravated robberies and car thefts are important because they help facilitate other crimes. when you are looking at a street gang or other violent criminal organization, it is important to identify predicate offenses those gangs are committing, because that allows investigators to build a ricoh investigation -- rico investigation. carjacking plays in a pleasing -- place an increasing role in those organizations and will form the basis for prosecutions that can take down an entire gang all at once. senator grassley: for mr. clawe, when a vehicle is carjacked, law enforcement once to find it before it can be used in another violen

and all federal records.we mark the 17th annual sunshine week, a nationwide initiative dedicated to educating the public about importance of transparency in government, i look forward to discussing how congress can further strengthen federal records processes and improve transparency for all americans. today i am grateful to flock a panel of experts who can discuss federal records management in greater detail and help i us identify gaps in law as well as implementation and probably discuss what actionsss congress can take to better protect the public efforts so thank you for being here and look forward to a robust discussion. recognized for opening comments. >> thank you and thanks to our witnesses for being here. transparency in government is obviously a filler of our democracy into something we should all ensure continues into the digital age. i worked on a lot, i've sponsored the beta act, access to congressional mandate reports act, regulatory accountability act and a lot of others. i put all earmarks onl

we had committed federal prosecutors to bring these cases federally. so we could target and identify the most violent offenders and ensure that they were held in, confined, taken off the streets, and prosecuted federally immediately. and then third thing, obviously there was a funding component. that was very important both for morale but i think also for long term growth and coordination with federal agencies. >> thank you. >> thank you. senator klobuchar. >> thank you very much, insert durbin, senator grassley, for holding this hearing. when i was d.a. in hennepin county, we had rampant carjacking. back then it was big cars, it was more of course cars being stolen from the street, but oftentimes there were also people in them, and i'm committed to making a change here. i thought it was interesting what you talked about, mr. glawe, which makes some sense to me, everything you guys said make sense, but i want to start with the organized crime, and this idea that some of this is just, you know, people doing this for the fun of it, with people dead as a

very small federal agency. yes, how many cases come across sure the transit and some every year every year there are about 5,000 section 106 cases now many of them. most of them are settled at the state level under these regs that can happen only the cases where there's an adverse effect on the council feels that they can help. in this and and arrive at a good solution, are they involved? so of the 5,000 that come that 106 cases annually section 106 cases about 750 come to the advisory council either they elect to look at them or people ask for the council's assistance and of those probably about 200 a year 150 to 200 are being worked on by that team now. that's 40 people not all of them are caseworkers many of them do other jobs as they as with any federal agency. so it's a small complement that has a huge huge mandate. how large is the law area of historic preservation growing growing? it's a new area. i think because in many respects this is part of the environmental movement. and there are other statutes th

we are a federal agency. that's the major differs difference. we're a federal agency. they are a member oppression. >> but a non-profit. >> non-profit. >> ngo. >> yes, correct. and they -- they have a claritier came from the government in 1949. and their role has changed -- or their approach wsh orientation has changed a bit over the years. but they are a very important partner too in the work we are doing. and they have a number of -- actually worked for them a part of my skreer for a number of years. so i'm pretty familiar with the work they to thp they are an important member of the team. >> you mentioned early in the discussion that environmental issues are very important when it comes to historic preservation. >> yeah, yes. we consider the cultural environment part of the environmental movement. in fact, as the acting chairman of the council at this point i have set up a task force to deal with climate change. and this the -- this -- this focuses directly on our native american tricep, our native american citizens who have a connection with the natural features in

how we improve the federal records management the preservation of the presidential and federal recordsal to preserving transparency and assuring the federal government is working efficiently and effectively and protecting the nation's historical record as well. as we heard from the panel, the laws of the system we count on to preserve in these important documents are incredibly outdated and congress needs to take action not only to strengthen the records preservation process but also to ensure that americans get timely and appropriate access to these important resources. as i mentioned in my comments, i'm continuing to work on legislation to modernize the process. thank you to the witnesses for helping us walk down that important road to accomplish these ends and with that, the record for the hearing will remain open until 5 p.m. on march 30th of 2022 for the submission of statements and questions for the record and this hearing is now adjourned. . >> earlier today, president biden signed into law the $1.5 trilli

but no federal law, no federal logs brusquely prohibits lynching, none, until today.he leading chronicles of her history of lynching is brian stevenson who happens to be for my home state. who wanted very much to be here today but he could not. he helped build the national memorial for peace and justice in montgomery, alabama america's first site dedicated to understanding the legacy of lynching. you know, his extensive research so between between 1877 and 1950, more than 4,400 black people were murdered by lynching. most of the south but some in the north as well. that's a lot of folks and silence for a long time. lynching was pure terror to enforce the lie that not everyone belonged and not everyone was created equal. the hard-fought civil rights, terror not addressed in the dark of the night but broad daylight. innocent men, women and children hung by nooses from trees, bodies burned and drowned and castrated. their crimes, trying to vote, trying to go to school, trying to own a business or preach the gospel. false accusations of murder, arson and robbery. simply b

sentencing commission in 2010, as a federal district court judge 2013, and as a federal appellate court judge in 2021. and you have done us proud. each of the three times the senate has considered your record, your experience, and your ability. senators on both sides of the aisle have determined you have the qualifications and the temperament it takes to uphold the values of our judicial branch. as i see it those values are knowledge, evenhandedness, impartiality, integrity, respect for the rule of law, and fundamental fairness to all. and your record actually shows that you exemplify these values. the supreme court is not a political institution. rather, the court stands above politics and above partisanship. and we look to federal judges to be independent and unbiased. judge jackson, in reviewing your record one thing in particular stands out to me and that is your commitment to uphold justice under the law. this is one of the ultimate responsibilities of the supreme court and your record suggests to me that you understand the weight of that responsibility. you have had several mentor

we raised federal spending by 50% and that is excess stimulus. in the oil embargo and the quadrupling with usage cost shop and a very weak economy. we had the supply chain challenges and it's always reminded me the most of the aftermath of september 11 which was a cost shock to figure out how to operate the economy. then there's the demand shock that comes from the cares act and the rescue plan with $1.9 trillion at the time the economy is growing at 6.5% and the income gap was a third of the 1.9 trillion in the economy and you could just look at sort of europe's inflation with the percentage point it goes from zero to 4% and in the u.s. it goes one present in the first quarter and jumps to three times that. over time it's going to take some of that stimulus. >> i work for the senator and the ranking member. it is obviously we all learned the last couple of months it imposes a cost and people don't like it. that's pretty clear. the fiscal dangerous interest rates. and good news for the fiscal trajectory. and the slow ramp-up to drive but the chal

and even through federal law -- even though federal law requires approval of the permit on federal lands within 30 days, permits often languish at department of interior for a year or more. this government red tape is hurting families in the central valley and across the country in the form of higher gas prices. it's time for the government bureaucracy to get out of the way so we can once again become energy independent. there is no reason that streamlining the federal permitting process should be a controversial issue. rural communities like the one i represent are tired of burdensome government regulations holding them back. greater efficiency in the federal permitting process is critical for getting water to those in the central valley that need it most. and as we saw from other colleagues who spoke before us, this isn't just a california issue. and i know that the chairman here, mr. newhouse, and i have -- our districts are a lot alike. we both droaght groh a lot of different -- we both grow a lot of different commodities. water and energy make it possible. i thank you for your leade

first one, what is our federal deficit now or federal debt now? >> federal debt is in the 30's of trillions. >> and how about what was our deficit last year and project the deficit to be this year. >> i want to make sure i get that right, senator scott, i don't have the number at my fingertips. >> and do you know what our revenues were last year, last fiscal year? >> not enough to-- that we doesn't have a deficit i'll get the numbers to the commit. >> deficit 2.8 billion last year. and the number, the collections, last year was $4 trillion. do you know what our expenses were last year? >> whatever the-- delta, those two numbers are. >> how about our interest expense and the federal debt? >> i'd know it's still at a low-- one of the lowest rates in decades. we still pay very little on our debt different the interest rates have remained low for the last three decades. we paid $413 billion last year, which is 7% higher than 2020, what-- do you know what the duration of our federal debt is? >> i do not, sir. >> okay. and you don't know off the top of

the only guilt is the russian federation -- the only guilty party is the russian federation. 's english delegates, russia -- distinguished delegates, russia uses its military potential to affect ukraine. -- attack ukraine. it attacks with thanks and artillery and -- tanks and artillery and marking residential buildings in preparation for the air attacks. russia's missiles are now aimed at destroying the infrastructure of the reactive waste disposal sites near kyiv. it is in a suburb. the object of logistics includes but is and water -- includes ridges and water as targets. udes bridges and water. the russian forces seized the turn noble nuclear power station and -- chernobyl nuclear power station. moving heavy militaries through the chernobyl exclusion zone, the radiation level has increased rapidly. in the black sea, russian warships attacked two civil ships approaching ukraine. it is a flagrant violation of international law of the sea. incredibly, one of the vessels had a russian crew. it was still attacked by the russians. russians keep attacking kindergartens and orphana

ntia is also manager of all federal spectrum. federal agencies rely on critical systems and they must also be held accountable for efficiently using their spectrum resources, additionally as more americans rely on wireless devices in the growth of the internet of things, making spectrum available for virtual use is necessary for americans to lead in future generations of technology. ntia has a distinct role of balancing both interest and representing the voices of all federal agency on spectrum matters. this is not an easy task. we continue to see federal agencies circumvent ntia in the process or ignore changes in the spectrum landscape. more frequently, we see these technical spectrum disputes spilling out into the public. the most recent example is the fcc's c-band order. rather than engage with expert engineers at the ntia and fcc and participate in fcc's public and transparent process, the aviation and the faa engaged in fear mongrg tactics by threatening to ground planes. as the commercial spectrum landscape continues to ev

how this is going to implement on the ground, the state licensing agencies, the federal role to the federal office is to make sure states are falling behind like we want to get to the bachelors degree requirement. you've done it for 4 your macs so let's start working on 3-year-olds. that'sed where the federal government comes into play. over eligibility limits they want a range. just like the federal government everybody wants some autonomy in the process and they will want that flexible you. >> we are over the time. be careful who you choose as a long-term business partner. every dollar we spend, we borrow it, 30% of the budget in general is borrowed, not a long-term business partner. that's theus point i need to me in light of finding the issue. >> thank you for this hearing. the important work we do, i want to start with the question. families across the country are struggling with rising costs including high cost of childcare. programs like head start and childcaregr development block grant program help a relatively small number of families but most with childcare needs don't have acces

challenges from the federal government must tackle. there are 180 biden administration nominees being considered by the body. many qualified individuals could help to address the problems that americans face. and those that have pets to national security. we are still waiting on the body to ask before they can start their important work. the constitution grants the senate a check on executive power. the authority to provide advice and consent on many presidential appointments. the number of appointments and increasingly arduous process to nominate and confirm appointees has become burdensome and far beyond what the framers envisioned. recent reports estimate the senate has taken an average of 103 days to confirm president bidens nominees. the average confirmation process took about twice as long for the two previous administrations. natalie doesn't delay leaders but also limits congress' ability to conduct effective oversight. meant to discuss potential report on —- reforms to address these concerns. is not the first time the senate ha

the federal vacancies reform act allows the president to feel vacant -- to fill vacant federal positions. there is a 210 day. later when the president decides who they will nominate. if each of you can share about what happens when the time runs out and the impact it has on the agency and congressional oversight. ms. simmons? ms. simmons: what happens is often not transparent to congress or the public. we did some research on this and found a variety of titles that were put in place. it seems like a position to spend on filled altogether. it other people will fill it with titles up principal, performing the duty of, there are deputies that step in. it is a patchwork of ways in which administrations respond. the work needs to get done. this is why we are encouraging a fresh look at the vacancy act to fix some of the ambiguities in the law. one of the things we strongly recommend is to allow someone who has been nominated to also serve as the acting leader of that agency. this is something that professor o'connell mentioned. we think there are opportunities to fix some of the places where

i wanted to ask about the one federal decision quickly. i wanted to know how are you implementing this, what steps have been taken, what kind of conversations are you having between all the different agency? >> all give you the most compact and dry can, which is where working hard to implement that, in particular during the expectation of steps consistent with the two-year agency average in clearing those projects that are major combat have that environmental environmental impact statement attached to them. would be happy to follow up with more detail on the progress, but we take -- >> do you have a timeline? >> it's already now, we work towards that goal right now. in terms of when will be able to have sort of the dashboard up and see how we are tracking toward that goal, i hope to be making progress right away. >> okay, thank you. >> before we turn to senator cardin for the next question come round of questions, i want to make a unanimous consent to request relating to concerns expressed by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle,

both federal and local agencies were involved?> yes, sir. >> thank you. we received a copy of a memorandum from the acting u.s. attorney from montana to the montana a.g., all county attorney sheriffs, the montana school boards association that included a summary of, quote, federal statutes that may serve as a basis for the prosecution of such threats and violent conduct, quote. have you drafted or sent or received or seen a memorandum like that? >> i'm not familiar with the specific memorandum that you are referencing, congressman. i did not draft or send any such similar memorandum. >> thank you. your district's main office is in seattle which was famously the home of the 2020 capitol hill autonomous zone, c.h.o.p., a police-free zone formed by activists and an artists which -- anarchists. do you know how much the crime rate rose in that area between june 2-20th of 2020 compared to the previous year? >> i do not. >> 525% according to the mayor in that area. would that surprise you? >> well, mayor during kin was previously united

curry brings almost 20 years of federal experience, and his expertise includes the evaluation of federal efforts and programs to prevent, plan for, and respond to both natural and man-made disasters. welcome back, mr. curry. you may proceed with your opening remarks. >> thank you very much, chairman peters. i appreciate the opportunity to discuss doj's work on bio security. today i would like to focus on two key areas. first is how we can strengthen efforts across the federal government and the steps the department of homeland security can take to strengthen bio security. well before the pandemic we have been concerned about our preparedness for a large-scale biological event and difficult for better strategies. this committee has held many hearings over the years on this issue as well. we were concerned about offenses too fragmented and uncoordinated across all levels of government and the private sector. covid-19 showed that these gaps were real. the 2018 defense strategy laid the foundation for the type of coordination needed to better prepare for events like covid-19, but the bad new

but we have a similar situation today of several federal agencies how it impacts federal agencies ability to deliver results for americans. question for all of you three. professor of cardinal, miss simmons, mr. white. could you please take a minute to discuss how the lack of senate confirmed leadership and long standing vacancies atop federal agencies affect or force morale and the ability of agencies to execute their missions and deliver results for the public? professor hakeem, you want to lead us off? then miss simmons? then talk to white. >> thank you, senator. as you indicate, there are detrimental consequences and very briefly there are two sets of them. ? the first set, as you know, our performance related. and given your experience with the department of homeland security, and this committee, in particular, with regard to homeland security, vacancies are a problem. and they've been a problem in administrations since the department was created and got into business in 2003. so both in republican and democratic administrations, there have been vacancies in dhs that that have hurt t

sentencing commission in 2010, as a federal district court judge 2013, and as a federal appellate court judge in 2021. and you have done us proud. each of the three times the senate has considered your record, your experience, and your ability. senators on both sides of the aisle have determined you have the qualifications and the temperament it takes to uphold the values of our judicial branch. as i see it those values are knowledge, evenhandedness, impartiality, integrity, respect for the rule of law, and fundamental fairness to all. and your record actually shows that you exemplify these values. the supreme court is not a political institution. rather, the court stands above politics and above partisanship. and we look to federal judges to be independent and unbiased. judge jackson, in reviewing your record one thing in particular stands out to me and that is your commitment to uphold justice under the law. this is one of the ultimate responsibilities of the supreme court and your record suggests to me that you understand the weight of that responsibility. you have had several mentor

package, is federal private partnerships, p-3s. in maryland we have some of the largest p-3 projects in the world. we're building the purple for amtrak, we're building a gridlock on the american beltway and building a new bridge connecting maryland. we're working on the howard street tunnel with csx in baltimore, the double stack trains. we're working with amtrak on the bmp tunnel. all these are public/private partnerships. we're happy this did get included into the bill. it's one more tool in the tool box to help us stretch those federal dollars and to get even more private sector investment to expedite and to move forward on more projects. my question for you would be, mr. secretary, what do you see as the future of public/private partnerships, p-3s, in transportation infrastructure going into the next, say, five to ten years and how states can work with the federal government to provide incentives and to leverage even more, both public and private sector capital for infrastructure? >> thank you, governor, for the question, and t