On Wednesday, December 3, at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, will hold a hearing on the nominations of
Lee Beaman to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Douglas Weaver to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Beaman is a Nashville auto executive, Republican mega-donor, and the subject of sexual misconduct allegations. He has no professional experience in nuclear oversight, utility planning, or grid operations. He is the former CEO of Beaman Automotive Group, a chain of car dealerships he sold in 2020. He operates Beaman Ventures, a private investment firm, and serves on the board of Belmont University, a private Christian college in Nashville. He is also a member of the Council for National Policy, a secretive, invitation-only, Christian nationalist network whose members have opposed environmental regulation, denied climate science, and pushed to roll back democratic safeguards. In court documents, his fourth wife described being forced into watching Beaman having sex with a prostitute for her “training”, and being exposed to pornography in the presence of her minor son. Kelly Beaman accused her husband of “degradation, control, manipulation and abuse” in the marriage. Beaman owns a $3.7 million Capitol Hill townhouse through an entity called Crockett Ventures. The property serves as a residence for Speaker Mike Johnson, megachurch pastor Steve Berger, and other GOP politicians and operatives.
Weaver is a seasoned nuclear regulator. He served as vice president of nuclear regulatory affairs at Westinghouse Electric Company from 2013 to 2022, and most recently has been running his own nuclear regulatory consulting firm. He also worked for nearly 20 years at the NRC, where he held numerous leadership positions, including in the Chairman’s Office and the Office of New Reactors.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing to consider the nominations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Commerce at 10:00 AM EST on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
Nominees:
Jared Isaacman, of Pennsylvania, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Steven Haines, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis
NASA is illegally moving forward with the rapid downsizing of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Isaacman was nominated in the spring to be NASA administrator, with his nomination hearing on April 9th. Right before the vote on his confirmation, the White House pulled his nomination. He was renominated this fall.
Jared Isaacman made his billions as CEO of the Shift4 payment processing firm and has flown to space twice on SpaceX missions he financed himself. He co-founded Draken International, which trains pilots for the U.S. military. Isaacman is a pal and an extreme admirer of Elon Musk.
According to a recent reporting by Ars Technica, the Trump administration is looking to slash the space agency’s science budget by as much as 50 percent, which could prove disastrous for the future of space research.
You’d think that would be top of mind for Isaacman, but his head is instead blissfully empty.
“I’m a humble nominee on the outside, hoping for a chance to contribute,” he tweeted, responding to a post that referenced the news. “I don’t know anything about those supposed cuts, but the President said he’s targeting fraud, waste & abuse w/ a scalpel — not a hatchet.”
Isaacman’s confidential plans for the agency, titled Project Athena, have been circulating around Washington but not made public.
Haines is currently a senior adviser in ITA’s Office of Industry and Analysis. Haines previously spent several years at the State Department, including assignments in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the Office of China Coordination, as well as a posting on the Department’s Policy Planning Staff. He also worked on Capitol Hill as a Brookings Legislative Fellow with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), focusing on trade, economic, and national security policy. He joined the State Department in 2020, during Trump’s first term, and served for three years before joining Hagerty’s staff. He rejoined the State Department this year.
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
This legislation would prohibit state or local governments from implementing,
adopting, or enforcing any law, regulation or policy that directly or indirectly prohibits or
limits access to an energy service based on the type or source of energy that is sold. (Rep.
Langworthy introduced this legislation on June 4, 2025). On Wednesday, November 19,
2025, the Subcommittee on Energy forwarded the bill to the full committee, as amended,
by a voice vote. The subcommittee adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Langworthy.
The amendment struck section 2(b) of the underlying legislation.
This legislation would repeal section 413 of the Energy Independence and Security
Act (EISA) of 2007 relating to energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing.
This legislation would also nullify the final rule titled “Energy Conservation Program:
Standards for Manufactured Housing,” published in the Federal Register on May 31,
2022.1 (Rep. Houchin introduced this legislation on September 8, 2025).
On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Subcommittee on Energy forwarded the bill to
the full committee, as amended, by a voice vote. The subcommittee adopted an
amendment offered by Rep. Auchincloss. The amendment allows the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide recommendations to the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) regarding energy conservation standards for manufactured housing.
H.R. 4690, Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act (Rep. Langworthy)
This legislation would repeal section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act,
which requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to revise federal building energy
efficiency performance standards for new buildings and major renovation with designs
that phase out on-site fossil fuel-generated energy consumption. (Rep. Langworthy
introduced this legislation on July 23, 2025).
On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Subcommittee on Energy forwarded the bill to
the full committee, as amended, by a roll call vote of 16 yeas and 14 nays. The
subcommittee adopted an amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Rep.
Langworthy. The amendment makes changes to repeal section 433 of the Energy
Independence and Security Act (EISA), while maintaining high performance certification
systems and levels for building projects.
H.R. 4593, Saving Homeowners from Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing
(SHOWER) Act (Rep. Fry)
This legislation would codify the definition of a showerhead to be consistent with the
ASME A112.18.1-2018 standard. (Rep. Fry introduced this legislation on July 22, 2025.)
On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Subcommittee on Energy forwarded the bill to
the full committee, without amendment, by a roll call vote of 17 yeas and 14 nays.
H.R. 4758, Homeowner Energy Freedom Act (Rep. Goldman)
This legislation would repeal the following sections of the Inflation Reduction Act:
section 50122, establishing a new high efficiency electric home rebate program; section
50123, establishing the home energy efficiency contractor training grants; and section
50131, to provide financial assistance to states and localities to adopt the certain energy
conservation building codes. (Rep. Goldman introduced this legislation on July 25,
2025). On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Subcommittee on Energy forwarded the
bill to the full committee, without amendment, by a roll call vote of 16 yeas and 14 nays.
H.R. 4626, Don’t Mess with My Home Appliances Act (Rep. Allen)
This legislation amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to reform
DOE’s procedures for issuing energy efficiency standards. The legislation prohibits DOE
from prescribing any new or amended energy efficiency standards for a product that is
not technologically feasible and economically justified. H.R. 4626 defines a minimum
threshold for energy or water savings that must be achieved to justify a new regulation
and establishes several new factors that DOE must consider, including the cost to lowincome households and the full lifecycle costs associated with requiring consumers to
purchase a new qualifying appliance. (Rep. Allen introduced this legislation on July 23,
2025).
On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Subcommittee on Energy forwarded the bill to
the full committee, as amended, by a roll call vote of 17 yeas and 14 nays. The
subcommittee adopted an amendment in the nature of a substitute, offered by Rep. Allen.
The amendment aligns all compliance dates to be 5 years following a final rule, requires
test procedures to be issued at least 180 days before rulemaking action, maintains
provisions of current law related to DOJ reviews, clarifies DOE’s authority to amend
water efficiency standards for clothes washers and dishwashers, as well as other changes
that overall improve the underlying legislation.
H.R. 1355, Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act of 2025 (Rep. Tonko)
This legislation would reauthorize the Weatherization Assistance Program through
fiscal year 2030 at current funding levels ($350 million each year). Additionally, H.R.
1355 would amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act to remove the
prohibition on dwelling units which have received such funds from eligibility for other
federal weatherization programs, and it raises the maximum amount of financial
assistance per dwelling unit from $6,000 to $12,000. This legislation would also
authorize for the first time the Weatherization Readiness Program which provides funds
to states and localities to address issues in low-income dwelling units to make the
dwelling unit eligible for other weatherization measures. (Rep. Tonko introduced this
legislation on February 13, 2025).
On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the Subcommittee on Energy forwarded the bill to
the full committee, as amended, by a voice vote.
The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:
S. 90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah (Lee);
S. 91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, and for other purposes (Cortez Masto);
S. 140, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest System and public lands, and for other purposes (Barrasso);
S. 451, to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to eliminate the 2 percent federal administrative fee on royalties paid to states for oil, gas, and geothermal leases on federal lands, and for other purposes (Daines);
S. 764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes (Bennet);
S. 790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the “Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center” (Lummis);
S. 888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, and for other purposes (Wyden);
S. 902, to require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a standard for the response time to wildfire incidents, and for other purposes (Sheehy);
S. 945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes (Merkley);
S. 1005, to provide for conservation and economic development in the State of Nevada, and for other purposes (Cortez Masto);
S. 1195, promote conservation, improve public land management, and provide for sensible development in Pershing County, Nevada, and for other purposes (Rosen);
S. 1228, to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to modify the cost-sharing requirement for conservation projects carried out by a qualified youth or conservation corps, and for other purposes (Risch);
S. 1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, and for other purposes (Heinrich);
S. 1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, and for other purposes (Hickenlooper);
S. 1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, and for other purposes (Curtis);
S. 1363, to provide for greater cooperation and coordination between the Federal Government and the governing bodies and community users of land grant-mercedes in New Mexico relating to historical or traditional uses of certain land grant-mercedes on Federal public land, and for other purposes (Luján);
S. 1468, to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Alexander Creek, Incorporated, is recognized as a Village Corporation under that Act, and for other purposes (Sullivan);
S. 1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes (Heinrich);
S. 1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, and for other purposes (Murray);
S. 1860, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Brian Head Town, Utah, certain National Forest System land (Lee);
S. 2016, to exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, and for other purposes (Murkowski);
S. 2033, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land (Gallego);
S. 2042, to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System (Cantwell);
S. 2262, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to clarify the nature of public involvement for purposes of certain rulemaking, and for other purposes (Barrasso);
S. 2273, to amend the Act of July 10, 1890, to modify certain provisions relating to the disposal of public land in the State of Wyoming for educational purposes (Lummis).
The Subcommittee on Energy has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at
10:30 a.m. (ET) in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Securing
America’s Energy Infrastructure: Addressing Cyber and Physical Threats to the Grid.” The
hearing will review how electric utilities and other energy entities, in coordination with the
federal government, prepare and respond to cyber and physical threats to the electric grid, as well
as threats to other critical energy infrastructure.
Michael Ball, CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center and Senior Vice President, North American Electric Reliability Corporation
Sharla Artz, Security and Resilience Policy Area Vice President at Xcel Energy, on behalf of Edison Electric Institute
Tim Lindahl, President & CEO of Kenergy, on behalf of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
Zach Tudor, Associate Laboratory Director, National & Homeland Security, Idaho
Harry Krejsa, Director of Studies for the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology
Artz: “The same surge capacity that rushes to companies in need
during hurricanes, winter storms, and wildfires stands ready to assist and share resources in the
face of a potential cyber incident. . . . The Department
of Energy also hosts regionally-based exercises focused on response to natural and man-made threats, such as Liberty Eclipse and Clear Path. Next year, the American Gas Association will
host the biennial Natural Gas Exercise, an exercise in which operators test and validate
response/recovery plans for cybersecurity and physical security threats that stress gas control and
corporate business continuity.”
Lindahl: “Co-ops apply a risk-based, layered defense strategy to
protect critical assets, including power plants, transmission infrastructure that carries electricity
long distances, and substations and distribution lines that provide electricity to local users. This
approach is designed to ensure protection against all hazards – severe storms, vandalism,
physical, and cyber incidents.”
On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 4931 (Rep. Murphy of NC), “National Park System Long-Term Lease Investment Act”, to remove competitive bidding requirements for long-term leases within the national parks
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee; House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries; and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will hold a press conference to sound the alarm about the skyrocketing costs of climate change and to condemn Trump’s abandonment of climate action.
The U.N.’s 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the largest and most important forum for world governments to address the global climate crisis, is currently taking place in Belém, Brazil, but the Trump Administration failed to participate in—and actively undermined Congressional presence at—this year’s gathering, a first in the 30-year history of these U.N. climate talks. Ranking Member Whitehouse was the only U.S. federal government official to attend COP30.
As electricity costs surge because Republicans are suppressing clean power, and home insurance premiums balloon because Republicans refuse to address climate risks, the corrupt Trump administration continues to label climate change a “hoax” and has abdicated U.S. leadership on climate—despite a majority of Americans supporting action on climate change.
Charlton Allen to be General Counsel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
John Walk to be Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Thomas Bell to be Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Allen is the former chairman and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is the founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc., editor of The American Salient, and the host of the Modern Federalist podcast.
Walk serves as Judicial Officer at the United States Department of Agriculture. He served as Associate Counsel to President Donald J. Trump at the White House Counsel’s Office from January 2017 until December 2020. At the White House, Walk advised the President and senior White House officials on the exercise of the President’s constitutional authority, regulatory matters, executive actions, and implementation of public policy. Prior to the White House, Walk served as an attorney at the Department of Homeland Security, providing advice on DHS operations and defending against federal litigation as agency counsel as an ally of Stephen Miller. Before entering the legal profession, Walk was a senior government relations advisor at an international law firm and served as a congressional staffer in the House of Representatives. Walk is the son-in-law of Jeff Sessions, married to Sessions’ daughter Ruth.
As Inspector General for Health and Human Services, Thomas March Bell will oversee fraud, waste and abuse audits of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which spend more than $1 trillion annually. Bell currently serves as general counsel for House Republicans and has worked for GOP politicians and congressional offices for decades. The president’s nomination of this anti-abortion extremist is a “brazenly political” one. Bell was ousted from Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality in 1997 after a state audit showed he improperly authorized a nearly $8,000 payment to the agency’s former spokesman. He was staff director for House Republicans’ 2016 investigation into Planned Parenthood. During the first Trump administration, Bell helped create the Conscience and Religious Freedom division within the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Bell held leadership positions in Gary Bauer and Pat Robinson’s presidential campaigns.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Brent Christensen, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Benjamin León, Jr., of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Andorra
Leo Brent Bozell III, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, all of the Department of State
Brent Bozell is a notorious climate denier and right-wing propagandist, the long-time head of the Scaife-backed Media Research Center. His son was a January 6 rioter.