Today was the day I finally lost it. After hundreds of hours spent on Congressional committee hearings (listening to audio streams or reading transcripts), after over 40 oxdown hearing diaries since September and more than 100 hearing postings before that (starting when scarecrow asked me to include hearing info in the thread of his Monday morning posts at firedoglake), today’s House Financial Services Committee hearing with Geithner, Bernanke and Dudley was just too much.

I’m sick of watching hearings organized into 5 min question periods designed for sound bites and YouTube clips. I’m sick of watching ignorant Congress Members who can’t be bothered to stay for the whole hearing ask questions which if we’re lucky were written by a competent aide (which means the Congress Member doesn’t know enough to ask effective follow up) or if we’re not lucky are faux outrage grandstanding for a YouTube clip. I’m sick of watching witnesses permitted as Geithner, Bernanke and Dudley were today to distract, delay and in the end obscure when we are in such need of transparency and accountability.

Enough already.

Message to Congress: We’re in an economic crisis. A crisis that began a year and a half ago and that you have yet to show any interest in understanding let alone taking effective action to address. That has got to change. Right now. No more business as usual. It’s time to put aside your egos and your plans for re-election because it’s way past time for you to focus on what needs to be done for the millions of people who depend on you.

I know I’m not alone in being frustrated because rarely have I had to listen to a hearing alone (and for that I am profoundly grateful). So I’m going appeal to all my dear fellow hearing watchers: What do you think needs to be done? What should we be demanding from the committees?

Yesterday I called both the House Financial Services and the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committees and was told that there are no rules or other impediments for having committee counsel (or other committee staff) do the questioning during hearings. That’s something I think we need – knowledgeable, experienced lawyers questioning the witnesses. And they should have a support staff that includes the best investigators that can be found. When I mentioned this to William Black during his visit here yesterday he replied, as he had to several other questions, that what we need is our own Pecora investigation (something that John Anderson also recently suggested). From Wikipedia:

Following the Wall Street Crash, the U.S. economy had gone into a depression, and a large number of banks failed. The Pecora Commission initiated major reform of the American financial system. As Chief Counsel, Ferdinand Pecora personally examined many high-profile witnesses that included some of the nation’s most influential bankers and stockbrokers. As the Commission’s first witness, Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock Exchange, declared that "The Exchange’s refusal to pay heed to popular demand for reform was simply a manifestation of courage to do those things which are right, regardless of how unpopular they may be for the time being." Other important members of the Wall Street financial community to give testimony before the Commission included investment bankers Otto H. Kahn, Charles E. Mitchell, Thomas W. Lamont, and Albert H. Wiggin, plus celebrated commodity market speculators such as Arthur W. Cutten. Given wide media coverage, the testimony of the powerful banker J.P. Morgan, Jr. caused a public outcry after he admitted under examination that he and many of his partners had not paid any income taxes in 1931 and 1932.

As reiterated by SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt during his 1995 testimony before the United States House of Representatives, the Pecora Commission uncovered a wide range of abusive practices on the part of banks and bank affiliates. These included a variety of conflicts of interest such as the underwriting of unsound securities in order to pay off bad bank loans as well as "pool operations" to support the price of bank stocks. The hearings galvanized broad public support for new securities laws. As a result of the Pecora Commission’s findings, the United States Congress passed the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, instituting disclosure laws for corporations seeking public financing, and in 1935 formed the SEC as a means to enforce the new Acts.

In 1939 Ferdinand Pecora published his memoirs that recounted details of the investigations. Titled "Wall Street Under Oath", Pecora wrote: "Bitterly hostile was Wall Street to the enactment of the regulatory legislation." As to disclosure rules, he stated that "Had there been full disclosure of what was being done in furtherance of these schemes, they could not long have survived the fierce light of publicity and criticism. Legal chicanery and pitch darkness were the banker’s stoutest allies."

Of course, the key to this kind of real investigation is who would lead it. William Black told us "Jack Blum and Saul Wisenberg (Dem., Rep) as counsel. Hire Dick Newsom and Chris Seefer as your key investigators".

Sounds good to me.

I’m considering calling up every single member of the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee tomorrow and demanding that they take the necessary steps to begin our own Pecora-type investigation: the Blum-Wisenberg investigation. In the mean time they could immediately make the hearings more effective by 1) staying for the entire hearing – they might learn something, 2) giving their time for questioning the witnesses to the most appropriate committee staff person and 3) dispensing with the 5 min rule.

What do you think?

note: originally posted at oxdown, see link for discussion

last updated 3/5/09

Live streaming is expected at most committee websites (see links below) and CSPAN (schedule). Direct realplayer links are: CSPAN, CSPAN-2, CSPAN-3, CSPAN Radio.

…

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Armed Services
Hearings to examine acquisition of major weapons systems by the Department of Defense.

9:30 am – House Appropriations
Interior Subcommittee
On the Department of Interior oversight efforts.

Witnesses:

• Robin M. Nazzaro Director, Natural Resources & Environment, GAO
• Mary Kendall Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Frank Rusco Director, Natural Resources & Environment, GAO

10 am – House Appropriations
Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee
On an overview of science funding.

Witness:

• Ralph Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences

10 am – House Appropriations
Defense Subcommittee
On Defense Department health programs focusing on psychological health and traumatic brain injury problems.

Witnesses:

• Ms. Ellen Embrey Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection
• General Loree Sutton Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury

10 am – House Appropriations
Homeland Security Subcommittee
On health services for detainees in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Witnesses:

• Dora Schirio, Special Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security
• Jim Hayes Director, Office of Detention & Removal Operations, U.S. ICE
• Capt. José Rodriguez Director, Division of Immigrant Health Services, U.S. ICE
• Alicia Puente Cackley Director, Health Care, GAO

10 am – House Armed Services
Military Personnel Subcommittee
On an overview of recruiting, retention and end strength.

10 am – Senate Budget
Hearings to examine economic and budget challenges for the short and long term.

Witness:

• The Honorable Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

10 am – Senate Energy and Natural Resources
An oversight hearing to examine the progress on smart grid initiatives authorized in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and funded in the stimulus bill, and opportunities and impediments in installation of smart grid technologies.

10 am – Senate Foreign Relations
Hearings to examine Iranian political and nuclear realities and United States policy options.

Witnesses:

• The Honorable Frank G. Wisner, II, Former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Egypt, the Philippines, and India, New York, NY
• The Honorable Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY
• Mr. Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London, United Kingdom
• Mr. Karim Sadjadpour, Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC

10 am – House Education & Labor
Workforce Protections Subcommittee Hearing
Encouraging Family-Friendly Workplace Policies

10 am – House Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife
Oversight Hearing on "Managing Our Ocean and Wildlife Resources in a Dynamic Environment: Priorities for the New Administration and the 111th Congress"

10 am – House Natural Resources
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1018, H.R. 715, and H.R. 409

10 am – House Homeland Security
Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response Subcommittee
On FEMA’s Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.

Witnesses:

• David Garratt, Acting Deputy Administrator, FEMA’s Disaster Assistance Directorate, Department of Homeland Security
• James Walke, Acting Assistant Administrator, FEMA’s Disaster Assistance Directorate, Department of Homeland Security
• Stanley J. Czerwinski, Director, Strategic Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Lyda Ann Thomas, Mayor, Galveston, Texas
• Amy Liu, Deputy Director, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution

10 am – House Veterans’ Affairs
Health Subcommittee
On H.R. 784 – To amend Title 38, U.S. Code, to direct the secretary of Veteran’s Affairs to submit to Congress quarterly reports on vacancies in mental health professional positions in Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, and
H.R. 785 – To direct the secretary of Veteran Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide outreach and training to certain college and university mental health centers relating to the mental health of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

10 am – Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Hearings to examine consumer protections in financial services.

Witnesses:

• Steve Bartlett, President and CEO, Financial Services Roundtable
• Ellen Seidman, Senior Fellow of New America Foundation, Executive Vice President of ShoreBank Corporation
• Patricia A. McCoy, George J. & Helen M. England Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law

11 am – House Budget
The President’s Fiscal Year 2010 Budget

Witness:

• Peter Orszag, Director, Office of Management and Budget

12:30 pm – House Ways & Means
Hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Overview

Witness:

• Timothy Geithner, Secretary, Department of the Treasury

1 pm – House Armed Services
Readiness Subcommittee
On Department of Defense fuel demand management at forward-deployed locations and operational energy initiatives.

1:30 pm – House Veterans’ Affairs
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
On document tampering and mishandling at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

2 pm – House Natural Resources
National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee
On the role of federal lands in combating climate change.

2 pm – House Foreign Affairs
Western Hemisphere Subcommittee
On U.S.-Bolivia relations.

• The Honorable Peter DeShazo, Director, Americas Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Ms. Kathryn Ledebur, Director, Andean Information Network
• Mr. Ivan Rebolledo, President, Bolivian-American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
• Mr. Marcos Iberkleid, Chief Executive Officer, Ametex, America Textil S.A.
• Jaime Daremblum, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Director, Center for Latin American Studies, Hudson Institute

2 pm – House Natural Resources
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
Oversight Hearing on "The Role of Federal Lands in Combating Climate Change"

2 pm – House Appropriations
Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee
On the place of NASA science in the overall science enterprise.

Witness:

• Lenard Fisk, University of Michigan, Former NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications.
• Dr. Samuel M. Rankin, III Associate Executive Director, American Mathematical, Society

3:30 pm – House Armed Services
Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
On challenges and opportunities for the Special Operations Forces.

5 pm – House Rules
On H.R. 157 – District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act, and
H.R. 1241 – To increase the penalty for failure to file a partnership or S corporation return.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Hearings to examine improving nutrition for America’s children in difficult economic times.

Witnesses
Panel 1: Improving Nutrition Through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

• Dr. Katie Wilson, School Nutrition Director, Onalaska Public Schools, Onalaska, WI
• Dr. Susan Bartlett, Senior Researcher, Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA
• Mrs. Connie Boldt, School Food Director, Knoxville Community School District, Knoxville, IA

Panel 2: Improving Nutrition for Children When They’re Not in School

• Dr. David Paige, Professor, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD
• Mr. Kenneth Hecht, Executive Director, California Food Policy Advocates, Oakland, CA
• Ms. Lucy Nolan, Executive Director, End Hunger Connecticut, Hartford, CT

9:30 am – House Energy Independence and Global Warming
On the current efforts of developing nations to fight climate change and what this means for the climate negotiations in Copenhagen at the end of 2009.

• Mr. Carter Roberts, President and CEO, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
• Ms. Barbara Finamore, China Programme Director, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
• Mr. Ned Helme, Presiden, Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP)
• Mr. Lee Lane, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)

10 am – House Energy and Commerce
Markup of pending legislation relating to the protection of public health.

10 am – House Oversight and Government Reform
National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
On understanding a complex threat environment in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• Mr. Peter Bergen, Schwartz Senior Fellow at New America Foundation and author of The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda’s Leader (2006) as well as Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden (2001)
• Mr. Joshua T. White, Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement and Ph.D. Candidate at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies
• Paul R. Pillar, Ph.D., Visiting Professor and Director of Studies, Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, and former National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia.

10 am – House Transportation and Infrastructure
Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee
Markup of H.R. ___ – Water Quality Investment Act.

10 am – Senate Finance
Hearings to examine the President’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2010.

Witness:

• Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, DC

10 am – Senate Aging
Hearings to examine health reform in an aging America.

10 am – House Science & Technology
21st Century Water Planning: The Importance of a Coordinated Federal Approach

10 am – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Where Were the Watchdogs? Systemic Risk and the Breakdown of Financial Governance

Witnesses:

• Robert E. Litan, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Policy, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
• Damon A. Silvers, Deputy Chair, Congressional Oversight Panel; Associate General Counsel, The American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
• Robert C. Pozen, Chairman, MFS Investment Management

10 am – Senate Judiciary
Hearing on “Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry"

Witnesses:

• Thomas Pickering, Vice Chairman, Hills & Company, International Consultants, Washington, D.C.
• Retired Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, President, Institute of Public Research at The CNA Corporation, Arlington, VA
• John Farmer, Partner, Arsenault, Whipple, Farmer, Fasset and Azzarello, L.L.P., Chatham, NJ
• Frederick A. O. Schwarz, Jr., Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law, New York, NY
• David B. Rivkin, Jr., Baker & Hostetler, L.L.P., Washington, D.C.
• Jeremy Rabkin, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, VA

10:30 am – Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Hearings to examine improving nutrition for America’s children in difficult economic times.

1 pm – House Small Business
On the state of the renewable fuels industry in the current economy.

1 pm – House Veterans’ Affairs
Economic Opportunity Subcommittee
On pending legislation.

2 pm – House Ways and Means
On an overview of the President’s FY 2010 budget.

• Peter Orszag, Director, Office of Management and Budget.

2 pm – House Rules
H. R. 1106- Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009

2 pm – House Homeland Security
On the role of state and local law enforcement in immigration law.

2 pm – House Appropriations
Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee
On the place of science in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the overall science enterprise.

2 pm – House Appropriations
Energy and Water Subcommittee
On oversight of project management by the Department of Energy.

2:30 pm – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Subcommittee on Investigations
Hearings to examine tax haven banks and United States tax compliance, focusing on obtaining names of United States clients with Swiss Accounts.

2:30 pm – House Financial Services
Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee
On whether TARP is helping the American public.

• David S. Scharfstein, PhD, Edmund Cogswell Converse Professor of Finance and Banking, Harvard Business School
• Dean Baker, PhD, Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy
• Robert W. Davenport, President, The National Development Council
• C. R. Cloutier, President and CEO, MidSouth Bank, NA, on behalf of Independent Bankers of America Bert Ely, Principal, Ely & Company
• Joseph Zucchero, Owner, Mr. Beef Deli

Thursday, March 5, 2009

9:30 am – House Energy and Commerce
Energy and Environment Subcommittee
On the role of offsets in climate legislation

9:30 am - Senate Energy and Natural Resources
An oversight hearing to examine future directions of energy research and development, and to identify key scientific and technological hurdles to overcome to pursue these new directions.

9:30 am – Senate Veterans’ Affairs and House Veterans’ Affairs
Joint hearings to examine the legislative presentations of veterans’ service organizations PVA, BVA, JWV, WWP, IAVA, Ex-POWs, GSW

10 am – House Energy and Commerce
Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee
On consumer protection in the used and subprime car market

10 am – House Judiciary
Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law Subcommittee
Markup of adoption of the rules of procedure and statement of policy for private immigration legislation. Adopt Rules of Procedure and Statement of Policy for Private Immigration Bills; Adopt Rules of Procedure for Private Claims Bills; Continue the Subcommittee’s Policy on the Granting of Federal Charters; and Request Department of Homeland Security Departmental Reports on the Beneficiaries of: H.R. 492, H.R. 660; H.R. 698; H.R. 1009; H.R. 1104; and H.R. 1290

10 am – House Oversight and Government Reform
Information Policy, Census, and National Archives Subcommittee
On the status of the 2010 Census operations

10 am – House Science & Technology
Cost Management Issues in NASA’s Acquisitions and Programs

10 am – House Armed Services
The full committee will meet to receive testimony on combating piracy on the high seas.

10 am – House Financial Services
"Perspectives on Systemic Risk"

Witnesses:

• Orice Williams, Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, Government Accountability Office
• Richard H. Baker, President and Chief Executive Officer, Managed Funds Association
• Steve Bartlett, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Financial Services Roundtable
• Therese Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Insurance Commissioners
• Robert A. DiMuccio, President and Chief Executive Officer, Amica Mutual Group
• Timothy Ryan, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association

10 am – House Budget
Treasury Department Fiscal Year 2010 Budget

Witness:

• The Honorable Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary, Department of the Treasury

10 am – House Veterans’ Affairs and Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Joint hearings to examine legislative presentations of veterans’ service organizations.

10 am – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Follow the Money: Transparency and Accountability for Recovery and Reinvestment Spending

Witnesses:

• Robert L. Nabors II , Deputy Director , Office of Management and Budget
• Gene L. Dodaro , Acting Comptroller General , U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Phyllis K. Fong , Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Chair, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency

10 am – Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Hearings to examine American International Group, focusing on government intervention and implications for future regulation.

Witnesses:

• Donald Kohn , Vice Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System
• Scott M. Polakoff , Acting Director, Office of Thrift Supervision
• Eric Dinallo , Superintendent, New York State Insurance Department

10 am – Senate Judiciary
Business meeting to consider S.386, to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, S.49, to help Federal prosecutors and investigators combat public corruption by strengthening and clarifying the law, S.146, to amend the Federal antitrust laws to provide expanded coverage and to eliminate exemptions from such laws that are contrary to the public interest with respect to railroads, S.256, to enhance the ability to combat methamphetamine, and the nominations of Elena Kagan, of Massachusetts, to be Solicitor General of the United States, Thomas John Perrelli, of Virginia, to be Associate Attorney General, and David S. Kris, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General, all of the Department of Justice.

10 am – House Appropriations
Commerce, Justice, & Science Subcommittee
Science Education

Witnesses:

• Bill Nye "The Science Guy"
• Dr. Harold Pratt Former President, National Science Teachers Association

10 am – House Appropriations
State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee
The Role of Civilian and Military Agencies in the Advancement of America’s Diplomatic and Development Objectives

10 am – House Foreign Affairs
The Role for Congress and the President in War: The Recommendations of the National War Powers Commission

Witnesses:

• The Honorable Warren M. Christopher, Senior Partner, O’Melveny & Myers LLP, (Former Secretary of State)
• The Honorable James A. Baker, III, Senior Partner, Baker Botts LLP, (Former Secretary of State)
• The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton, President and Director, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, (Former Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee)

10 am – House Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight Hearing
“Putting People First: A Way Forward for the Homeland Security Workforce.”

10:30 am – Senate Foreign Relations
Hearings to examine United States strategy regarding Iran

Witnesses:

• Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, CSIS Counselor and Trustee, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC
• General Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.), President, The Scowcroft Group, Washington, DC

11 am – House Transportation and Infrastructure
Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee
Markup of H.R. 915, the "FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009"
H.R. ___, the "Water Quality Investment Act of 2009"
Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Views and Estimates of the Committee on Transporation and Infrastructure

1 pm – House Armed Services
The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will meet to receive testimony on Can DOD Travelers Book a Trip? Defense Travel System Update.

2 pm – House Appropriations
Commerce, Justice, & Science Subcommittee
Where Are We Today: Today’s Assessment of "The Gathering Storm"

Witness:

• Norm Augustine, Former Chairman & CEO, Lockheed Martin

2 pm – House Natural Resources
Subcommittee On Energy And Mineral Resources
Oversight Hearing On “Energy Outlooks, And The Role Of Federal Onshore And Offshore Resources In Meeting Future Energy Demand”

2:30 pm – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
Hearings to examine how the Obama Administration can achieve an accurate and cost-effective 2010 census.

Friday, March 06, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Joint Economic Committee
Hearings to examine the employment situation for February 2009.

10 am – House Armed Services
The Military Personnel Subcommittee will meet to receive testimony on Sexual Assault in the Military: Prevention.

Monday, March 09, 2009

2:30 pm – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Hearings to examine preventing worker exploitation, focusing on protecting individuals with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.

5 pm – Senate Finance
Nomination hearing:

• Ronald Kirk, of Texas, to be United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Veterans’ Affairs
An oversight hearing to examine budget for veterans programs for fiscal year 2010.

10 am – Senate Finance
The President’s Fiscal Year 2010 Health Care Proposals.

Witness:

• Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC.

10 am – House Financial Services
"Exploring the Balance between Increased Credit Availability and Prudent Lending Standards"

10 am – Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Hearings to examine proposed legislation to provide for the conduct of an in-depth analysis of the impact of energy development and production on the water resources of the United States.

10 am – Senate Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Hearings to examine the impact of potential climate remediation policies on carbon-intensive United States industries and creating climate-friendly economic and trade polices, focusing on how the financial crisis impacts the implementation of climate-friendly policies within the United States and among trading partners.

10 am – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Rebuilding Economic Security: Empowering Workers to Restore the Middle Class

10 am – Senate Judiciary
“Patent Reform in the 111th Congress: Legislation and Recent Court Decisions”

10:30 am – House Education and Labor
Strengthening Employer-Based Health Care

2 pm – House Veterans’ Affairs
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2010

2:15 pm – Senate Judiciary
Nomination hearing:

• Lanny A. Breuer to be an Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice
• Christine Anne Varney to be Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, Department of Justice
• Tony West to be Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice

2:30 pm – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
The Next Generation of National Service.

2:30 pm – Senate Budget
The President’s Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Proposal

• Peter R. Orszag — Director, Office of Management and Budget

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

10 am House Transportation & Infrastructure
Overview of Coast Guard Drug and Migrant Interdiction

10 am – House Transportation and Infrastructure
Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee
EDA Reauthorization: Rating Past Performances and Setting Goals During an Economic Crisis

Thursday, March 12, 2009

9:30 am – House Veterans’ Affairs and Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Joint hearings to examine legislative presentations of veterans’ service organizations.

10 am – House Agriculture
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
To review animal identification systems.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Hearings to examine proposed legislation regarding siting of electricity transmission lines, including increased federal siting authority and regional transmission planning.

10 am – House Education and Labor
Lost Educational Opportunities in Alternative Settings

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Armed Services
To receive testimony on United States Southern Command, United States Northern Command, United States Africa Command, and United States Transportation Command.

• Admiral James G. Stavridis, USN, Commander, United States Southern Command
• General Victor E. Renuart, Jr., USAF, Commander, United States Northern Command/Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command
• General William E. Ward, USA, Commander, United States Africa Command
• General Duncan J. McNabb, USAF, Commander, United States Transportation Command

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

9:30 am – House Veterans’ Affairs and Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Joint hearings to examine the legislative presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

10 am – House Transportation & Infrastructure
ATC Modernizaiton and NextGen: Near-Term Achievable Goals

Thursday, March 19, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Armed Services
To receive testimony on United States Pacific Command, United States Strategic Command, and United States Forces Korea.

• Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN, Commander, United States Pacific Command
• General Kevin P. Chilton, USAF, Commander, United States Strategic Command
• General Walter L. Sharp, USA, Commander, United Nations Command and Republic of Korea/United States Combined Forces Command; Commander, United States Forces Korea

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

10 am – House Transportation & Infrastructure
Overview of Coast Guard Acquisition Policies and Programs

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

9:30 am – Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Hearings to examine State-of-the-Art information technology (IT) solutions for Veterans’ Affairs benefits delivery.