Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Reconciliation Committee Print providing for reconciliation pursuant to H. Con. Res. 14
H.Res. 264: Of inquiry requesting the President transmit certain documents in his possession to the House of Representatives relating to the security clearances held by Elon Musk, members of the United States Department of Government Efficiency Service, and any other individual considered to be a member of the DOGE team.
H.Res. 286: Of inquiry requesting the President to transmit certain documents relating to the dangerous, unaccountable use of AI by the United States DOGE Service to jeopardize the private information and essential services of the American people.
H.Res. 316: “Of inquiry requesting the President to transmit certain documents relating to the use of insecure electronic communication platforms, including Signal, for official communications and to the compliance of the Administration with all Federal records laws.
And Postal Office namings.
Markup of House Oversight Committee legislative proposals (“Committee Print”)
to comply with the reconciliation directive included in section 2001 of the Concurrent
Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, H. Con. Res. 14. The Committee Print
would achieve $30.716 billion in revenue increases by raising the FERS retirement
contribution rate for certain existing federal civilian employees and postal employees up
to the new rate of 4.4% of their salary. The Committee Print would save $10.113 billion
by eliminating the additional retirement annuity payment for new federal retirees that are
eligible to retire before age 62 which they currently receive until they reach the age of
Social Security retirement eligibility (exempted from this reform are those in federal
occupations subject to mandatory early separation). The Committee Print would save
$4.750 billion by reducing federal pension benefit spending by basing a retiree’s annuity
payment on their average highest five earning years (instead of highest three). The
Committee Print would achieve $4.541 billion in net savings by giving new Federal
employee hires the option to elect to serve “at will” in exchange for higher take-home
pay. The Committee Print would raise $2 million in revenue by charging a modest fee for
Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) filings that would be refunded to employees
who win their appeals. The Committee Print would achieve $1.5 billion in net savings by
requiring a comprehensive audit of employee dependents currently enrolled in the
Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program plans—such as verifying marriage
certificates and birth certificates—and require any ineligible individual found to be
receiving FEHB coverage be disenrolled.
Full committee hearing following a business meeting to vote on nominations.
Nominees:
Luke Lindberg, of South Dakota, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, vice Alexis Taylor, resigned
Devon Westhill, of Florida, to be Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights, vice Joe Leonard Jr.
Luke Lindberg is the President & CEO of South Dakota Trade, a 501c(6) public-private-partnership that navigates international trade for South Dakota. During the first Trump term, Lindberg served as the Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. As the agency’s second-highest ranking official, he was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of EXIM and advancing strategic initiatives such as the program on “China and Transformational Exports”, opening new markets for American Liquified Natural Gas, securing America’s supply of Critical Minerals & Rare Earths, and protecting allies in the race to deploy 5G globally.
Devon Westhill is the President and General Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank which opposes affirmative action and bilingual education. Westhill led the civil rights office at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. He has also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor, Federalist Society, and as a criminal trial lawyer in private practice. Mr. Westhill is a U.S. Navy veteran with degrees from UNC at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida.
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., in room 1334 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:
H.R. 528 (Rep. Pettersen), “Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025”
H.R. 655 (Rep. Bentz), “The Dalles Watershed Development Act”
H.R. 1276 (Rep. Comer), To remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky.
H.R. 2876 (Rep. Moore of Utah), “University of Utah Research Park Act.”
On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing titled “Exploring the Potential of Deep-Sea Mining to Expand American Mineral Production.”
Witnesses:
Gerard Barron, CEO and Chairman, The Metals Company and The Metals Company USA
Oliver Gunasekara, CEO and Co-Founder, Impossible Metals
Thomas Peacock, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director, Environmental Dynamics Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Duncan Currie (Democratic witness), Legal Advisor, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
A hearing of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Republicans are calling for a new fee on electric vehicles.
Witnesses:
Carlos M. Braceras, P.E., Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation; on behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
Ty Johnson, President, Fred Smith Company; on behalf of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA)
Jeff Davis, Senior Fellow, Eno Center for Transportation
Brian Burkhard, P.E., Vice President and Global Principal for Advanced Mobility Systems, Jacobs