Good morning. So this meeting will now come to order. Today the subcommittee is holding a hearing entitled oversight of doe, during covid19 pandemic. Members will be participating in todays hearing finally in person or remotely via video conferences. And just as a reminder weve had some technical difficulties in making sure that our remote video was operating up to standard. As part of this hearing, the microphones of members participating remotely will be set on mute for the purpose of eliminating inadvertent background noise. Members participating remotely will need to unmute their microphones each time you wish to speak. For members and witnesses participating in person, i encourage you to wear your mask whenever you are not speaking. Dr. Monahan, our physician, stressed in attending physician covid19 guidelines that use of face coverings is meant to protect other people in case someone was unknowingly infected and does not have symptoms. But wearing our mask when we are not speakin
Good afternoon. I call this meeting of the committee on appropriations to order. Before we begin, house rules now we have set up any mileage us to which members can send anything they wish to submit they wish to submit in writing in any of her hearings or markups. Our hearings or markups. Has been provided to staff. The first order of business is consideration of the energy and Water Development appropriations bill. For fiscal year 2021. Captornow recognize this ms. Captor to present the bill. Please let me also add my you for your honorable and dedicated service to our community and nation and for your recognition of the full potential of this bill. You will truly be missed. I am pleased to consider the energy and water bill today. It is a good bill. A bill that captures the spirit of ingenuity and independence of the American People. Are actually able to provide the most important Climate Change bill congress will pass this year. This bill provides the foundation of critical investme
49. 1 billion in discretion fundi funding and the disaster of the relief fund. Today we welcome chad wolf, the acting secretary of the department of Homeland Security. Thank you for being with us. Mr. Secretary, the fy 21 budget proposes 49. 7 billion in discretionary funding for the department of Homeland Security. This is a cut of 750 million below the current year level. I want to be clear, absent of any in acted law to affect such a transfer, this subcommittee will continue to include funding f for the secret service. When including funding for the secret service for the total, the budget request for fy 21 is 1. 78 billion above the current year level. There is something of the proposed budget that i believe will find strong bipartisan support. However there are also proposals we should not expect to see funded in the house bill. Among those are funding for border barriers and the expansion of capacity. Particularly in light of high priority needs that just continues to hire custom
The acting secretary of the department of Homeland Security. Thank you for being with us this morning. Mr. Secretary, the f. Y. 21 proposes 49. 7 billion in net discretionary funding for the department of Homeland Security. Chair roybalallard while this is a cut of 750 million below the current year level, the budget also proposes transferring the United States secret service to the treasury department. I want to be clear that absent any enacted law to effect such a transfer, this subcommittee will continue to include funding for he secret service in its bill. The budget requests for f. Y. 21 is actually 1. 78 billion above the current year level. There are some things in the proposed budget that i believe well find strong bipartisan support. Such as funding for the coast guard second polar security cutter. However, there are also proposals you should not expect to see funded in the house bill. Among those are more funding for border barriers and the expansion of detention bed capacity
Order. Last hearing of the year there is a lot going on this morning so i think we will have people popping in and out but we do have a pretty hard to sto stop 0 this morning a series of votes beginning at 11 and we are going to observe an actual ten minute clock. We are going to be able to have an opportunity for the very, very important conversations this issue. We are here to discuss the impact of wildfires on the reliability of the electric grid iand efforts to mitigate the rik and the grid recently and see. In recent years devastating wildfires and relate tobaccorelated hadron National Attention to the great idsiliency in the face of extreme conditions. Weve remember last yearss campfireem at the deadliest andt destructive in california hstory whichir incinerated the town of paradise and killed 85 inpeople. They determined it was caused by degraded 97yearold powerlines and the strong wind winds, low humidity, drive vegetation and heat. If it is a wakeup call on the inherent risk o