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Tag Archives: hearings

H.Res. 503 – about January 6, 2021

28 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Capitol breach, Congress, H.Res. 503, hearings, Insurrection, investigation, Nancy Pelosi, select committee, Speaker

A statement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D):

Pelosi Statement on the Introduction of H.Res. 503 Establishing the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol
JUNE 28, 2021
PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released this statement after she introduced H.Res. 503, which establishes the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol:

“Sadly, as of last week, there remains no prospect for additional votes from Republican Senators to create the National Commission to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol Complex.

“Over the weekend, proposed legislation to establish a Select Committee to investigate the January 6th insurrection was drafted, and it has now been introduced and sent to the Rules Committee.

“January 6th was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. It is imperative that we establish the truth of that day and ensure such an attack cannot again happen. The Select Committee will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack and report recommendations for preventing any future assault.

“Senate Republicans did Mitch McConnell a ‘personal favor’ rather than their patriotic duty and voted against the bipartisan commission negotiated by Democrats and Republicans. But Democrats are determined to find the truth.”

Do it.

True that

27 Thursday May 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Claire McCaskill, social media

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Capitol breach, Claire McCaskill, hearings, Insurrection, missouri, republican obstructionism, sedition

Senator Claire McCaskill (D) [2017 file photo].

This afternoon:

Claire McCaskill @clairecmc
For those in the back that didn’t hear me last time:

There were 33 hearings on Benghazi.
1:14 PM · May 27, 2021

There’s no such thing as a “moderate republican”.

What, me worry?

24 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by Michael Bersin in social media

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Congress, Donald Trump, hearings, Robert Mueller, social media, special counsel, Twitter

Somebody sounds nervous.

Bad combover. Check. Too long red tie. Check. Orange spray tan. Check. Tiny hands. Check. Cluelessness. Check…

Early this morning:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
It was NEVER agreed that Robert Mueller could use one of his many Democrat Never Trumper lawyers to sit next to him and help him with his answers. This was specifically NOT agreed to, and I would NEVER have agreed to it. The Greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history, by far!
4:03 AM · Jul 24, 2019

Some of the comments:

Good thing you don’t seem nervous at all.

You don’t have to agree. It’s not up to you. See, Article 2 doesn’t give all the power you want.

We see what you did there.

You scared, Bro?

You sound scared.

Things you don’t say when you’re “totally exonerated”

[….]They don’t need your permission.

I don’t understand why Donald thinks he has a say in who can testify in Congress.

If you ever wondered what Richard Nixon would’ve tweeted in the middle of the Watergate hearings in Congress, Trump is giving you some examples. [….]

Strange, I thought you said he’d exonerated you…[….]

Turns out you don’t run the Congress. Who knew? (Fifth graders, they knew)

Why don’t you want to hear from the man who totally exonerated you?

You scared, bro? You seem scared.

Why would the SUBJECT of an investigation have any right to agree to who Congress brings in to testify about him.

That’s idiotic.

There you have it.

Why worry Donald, unless there is something to worry about. Is there anything to worry about?

You scared?
Yeah, you scared.

And:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION!
4:55 AM · Jul 24, 2019

Pass the popcorn.

Previously:

Gaslighter, Racist, Fascist, Liar, Narcissist, Asshole (July 21, 2019)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): hitting the show trial big time

23 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

4th Congressional District, Congress, hearings, missouri, Planned Parenthood, Vicky Hartzler

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) [August 2015 file photo].

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) [August 2015 file photo].

It appears that Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) has hit the right wingnut controlled House of Representatives select committee jackpot:

Boehner Appoints GOP Members to New Select Investigative Panel
October 23, 2015|Speaker Boehner’s Press Office

WASHINGTON, DC – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement today announcing the Republican appointments to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s new Select Investigative Panel that will focus on the grisly practices of big abortion providers.

“Recent videos exposing the abortion-for-baby parts business have shocked the nation, and demanded action. At my request, three House committees have been investigating the abortion business, but we still don’t have the full truth. Chairman Blackburn and our members will have the resources and the subpoena power to get to the bottom of these horrific practices, and build on our work to protect the sanctity of all human life.”

Following are the Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s new Select Investigative Panel:

•Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Chairman (R-TN)
•Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA)
•Rep. Diane Black (R-TN)
•Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN)
•Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)
•Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD)
•Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)
•Rep. Mia Love (R-UT)

[bold emphasis added]

Ah, the brightest intellectual lights in the United States House of Representatives.

Earlier today, a press release from Representative Hartzler’s (r) office:

Hartzler Stands for Life, Liberty
Oct 23, 2015

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) today voted to protect life and liberty with her vote in favor of the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, a measure aimed at dismantling key provisions of Obamacare and stopping the flow of federal funds to abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood.

“We were sent here to fight for the American people,” Hartzler stated. “They do not want their healthcare dictated to them by Washington and they don’t want their tax dollars going to abortion providers. If the numerous votes we have taken on these issues in the House—the People’s Chamber—were not signal enough to the President that this is what the people want, then this bill will be. He will soon have a choice: does he support the people and women’s health, or does he support Planned Parenthood and Washington mandates?”

“This bill puts people first, not politics,” Hartzler continued. “Obamacare continues to do real harm to Americans with soaring premium increases, outrageous deductibles, and stiff fines for not having it. By dismantling key provisions of Obamacare, we pave the way for patient-centered health care reform, allowing the people to decide what is best for them and their families. Our families are coping with a stagnant economy and cannot afford a health care system that costs them more yet gives them less. We can do better.”

“Additionally, this bill protects life by stopping the flow of taxpayer dollars to abortion providers,” Hartzler added. “The people have, for years, begged Congress to end the flow of taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood, especially in the wake of the recent horrendous videos showing Planned Parenthood officials exhibiting a blatant disregard for human life. This bill places a moratorium on funding of abortion providers and redirected those funds to community health centers—which are more numerous than Planned Parenthood facilities and provide more comprehensive care to women.”

[….]

Apparently the optics at the last right wingnut republican controlled House committee hearing on Planned Parenthood didn’t work out so well. And we all know that republicans like to do the same thing over and over…

Senator Claire McCaskill (D) on Rachel Maddow

18 Sunday Apr 2010

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Afghanistan, Claire McCaskill, contractor oversight, hearings, missouri, police training, Rachel Maddow

“…Well, it’s, it’s because we didn’t have enough people when we went into Iraq. Truth be known, we didn’t have the size of force necessary to do what we were trying to do in Iraq…” – Senator Claire McCaskill (D)

Somebody should have told that to Donald Rumsfeld. Oh, wait…

Senator Claire McCaskill (D) was a guest on The Rachel Maddow Show last night, discussing contractor oversight in Afghanistan. The transcript:

Rachel Maddow: ….Joining us now after way too long an absence is Senator Claire McCaskill of the great State of Missouri, chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Contracting. Senator, thank you so much for your time tonight. Good to see you.

Senator Claire McCaskill: Thanks, Rachel, good to be with you.

Rachel Maddow: After all of these years and all of these billions paid to contractors to do this, did they have any explanation for why they haven’t done something as simple as, as telling people what the sights on their guns are for?

Senator McCaskill: Well frankly, I mean, it’s been like the wild west because nobody’s been watching them. This is a textbook example of complete lack of oversight on contracting. And it wouldn’t be so frustrating if this wasn’t a story that we’ve heard over and over again. If you look at this contract it’s been bounced around, from, uh, Defense to State, uh, now they’re trying to take it back to Defense. And here’s the saddest part of the story, this is a key mission of what we’re doing in Afghanistan. Training these police departments is one leg of a three legged stool that is going to dictate whether or not we succeed or whether we fail. So contracting oversight of the police training mission is incredibly important and it has been an abject failure…

…Rachel Maddow: General William Caldwell is in charge of training Afghan forces. He says publicly that he would rather work with people like the real Italian police or any real police other than working with contractors. Uh, General McChrystal today said that we’re too reliant on contractors and said they don’t save money. He says he wants fewer of them in Afghanistan. Who is actually in favor of these contractors still being there? Why can’t we seem to free ourselves of them?

Senator McCaskill: Well, it’s, it’s because we didn’t have enough people when we went into Iraq. Truth be known, we didn’t have the size of force necessary to do what we were trying to do in Iraq, so the logistic support went to contractors. The, um, training of police went to contractors. Now we’re repeating that in Afghanistan. Now, hopefully, uh, I was in Afghanistan not too long ago, met with both General McChrystal and General Caldwell. I will tell you, General Caldwell gets it. He understands how badly this has been done before. He understands that he’s got to get this under his command and get control of it. But just to give you another example of what, what nonsense there is here, guess who they’re hiring to oversee the contractors that are training the police in Afghanistan? Contractors.  [laugh] So, we’ve got to get people in the country that work for our military, that are watching the way these people are being trained because it’s not just training, it’s also mentoring. There’s rampant corruption in these police departments. Uh, and you’re not gonna establish a rule of law unless you work on the mentoring part so they realize there’s a different way to police besides saying what can you pay me to let you go.

Rachel Maddow: I worry about the oversight of, of contracts themselves being, uh, uh, contracted out. Contractors overseeing contractors. I also worry about the fact that we think this is something that can only be done by contractors in terms of devel, uh, delivering this, this service. I mean, Blackwater is up for this police training contract in Afghanistan now, despite Nisour, uh, Nisour Square, despite the State Department investigations, despite this indictment against their former employees. I mean, how badly does a company have to behave before we stop hiring them and just have our troops and our government employees do this stuff?

Senator McCaskill: Part of the problem is that our military wants what they want when they want it. And contracting is a quicker way to get there. Um, we’ve got to realize that that is a luxury we can no longer afford. ‘Cause it hasn’t, hasn’t been a good investment for our taxpayers. And it hasn’t been the kind of support our military needs. So we have to begin to realize that especially training local police for rule of law in a counterinsurgency effort, which is going to be a core competency of our military forever, we’ve got to bring that in house. We’ve got to make sure we’ve got the oversight of the contracts that are in the military chain of command so we know who to fire when it goes badly. That’s part of the problem with this mess, is you don’t even know who to hold accountable, because it’s such a cluster. You’ve got NATO in there, you’ve got the military, you’ve got the State Department. Meanwhile these contractors, they’re not really sure who the boss is, so they do what they feel like.

Rachel Maddow:  Do you feel like you have support in the administration and at the Pentagon for the views that you’ve expressed here and the way that you’ve approached this issue?

Senator McCaskill: I do, um, you know now, what, what, this is not something you can turn a switch and accomplish. Part of the problem, Rachel, is the area of contracting is not exactly sexy. And you might have noticed that folks around the Capitol kind of like the stuff that’s getting headlines that day. So part of it is attention span. Um, that’s why I’m happy about this committee. We can stay on this even though there may not be a full hearing room, there may, may not be cameras or people covering it in the newspaper. But these agencies are gonna know somebody is paying attention to the way they’re contracting. And I think over time we’re gonna be able to make a real difference, ’cause nobody’s been paying this kind of attention to contracting in the federal government before.

Rachel Maddow:  You keep doing these hearings and I promise we will keep covering it. At least at our little show here at nine o’clock. [laugh] Uh, I have one last question [crosstalk] senator.

Senator McCaskill: It’s a deal.

Rachel Maddow:   All right, it’s a deal. Uh, [crosstalk]…

Senator McCaskill: Sure.

Rachel Maddow:   Uh, one last question, is, and I know that you won’t answer it directly, but I’m just gonna ask anyway. Wouldn’t being a Supreme Court justice be an awesome job?

Senator McCaskill: Honestly, for me, I would get way too restless. Um, you know, I, I love, I’m an intellectually curious person and I do love to read, but it’s an isolating job and I kinda need to be out there mixing it up a little bit more than you can do as a Supreme Court justice. So, it’s not something that I, honestly I don’t think I ‘d even be considered, uh, but if I were I’d have to say I, I don’t think I’m the right personality to be a Supreme Court justice.

Rachel Maddow:   Senator Claire McCaskill of the great State of Missouri answering that with way more detail than I ‘d ever thought I’d get. Uh, thank you so much for your time today. [laughter] And good luck to the Cardinals tonight.

Senator McCaskill: Thank you very much.

Rachel Maddow:   All right….

Give ’em hell, Harry.

Senator Claire McCaskill: oversight hearing on Alaska Native Corporation contracting today

16 Thursday Jul 2009

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

Alaskan Native Corporations, Claire McCaskill, hearings, missouri, oversight, Senate

Ssenator Claire McCaskill (D) will be chairing an oversight hearing today on contracting through Alaska Native Corporations.

Staff Analysis [pdf] – United States Senate, Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONTRACTING OVERSIGHT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                

July 6,2009                                                              

CONTRACTING OVERSIGHT SUBCOMMITTEE RELEASES ANALYSIS OF ALASKA NATIVE CORPORATIONS

Subcommittee will hold hearing at 2:30 PM [1:30 p.m. Central] today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight majority staff has released an analysis of data collected from 19 Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs).  The subcommittee, chaired by Senator Claire McCaskill, will hold a public hearing at 2:30 PM today on contracting loopholes that allow ANCs to bypass a competitive bidding process while receiving contracts unlimited in size as part of a government small business program, despite their large size…

….The analysis was compiled from information and data provided to the subcommittee by 19 ANCs last month, following a request from the subcommittee.  The subcommittee released a preliminary analysis of publicly-available data on ANC contracts last month as well.

Alaska Native Corporations were created by a 1971 law that aimed to foster economic development in Alaska, and in 1986, Congress made ANCs eligible to participate in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. Generally, to qualify for the 8(a) program a business must be socially and economically disadvantaged, and must be relatively small. These eligible businesses can then be awarded small federal contracts on a sole-source basis, but those contracts must be under $5.5 million for goods or $3.5 million for services.  In the 1980s and early 1990s, however, Congress carved out several exemptions for ANCs, deeming them to automatically qualify as both socially and economically disadvantaged and giving them the ability to receive no-bid contracts of any size under the 8(a) program. As a result, ANCs are uniquely eligible to receive huge federal contracts without having to compete with other bidders.

Hearing Details:

Who: Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight

What: Public Hearing on Contracting Preferences for Alaska Native Corporations

When: Thursday, July 16, 2009, at 2:30 PM

Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building Room SD-342

Witnesses: Panel I

·        Shay Assad, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Technology, Department of Defense

·        Joseph Jordan, Associate Administrator for Government Contracting and Business Development, U.S. Small Business Administration

·        Debra Ritt, Assistant Inspector General for Auditing, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Small Business Administration

Panel II

·        Sarah L. Lukin, Executive Director, Native American Contractors Association

·        Jacqueline Johnson Pata, Executive Director, National Congress of American Indians

·        Julie Kitka, President, Alaska Federation of Natives

·        Mark Lumer, Senior Vice President, Federal Programs, Cirrus Technology, Inc.

·        Christina Schneider, Chief Financial Officer, Purcell Construction Corporation  

The live stream of the hearing is here [starting at approximately 1:30 p.m. Central].

Update: The hearing has been adjourned.

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