Murkowski Morning Meeting For Thursday, February 12, 2015

Note to readers: After yesterday’s edition of the Morning Meeting, Senator Murkowski sat down with Secretary of State John Kerry and the U.S. Special Representative to the Arctic Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr. (left) to stress the need for urgency and perspective in framing an Arctic future for America. Click here to hear her thoughts on the meeting.

What DC is Reading

• The Hill: Sen. Murkowski Meets with Kerry on Arctic Issues
• Wall Street Journal: The War Irresolution
• USA Today: Ban Internet Taxes for Good

U.S. Senate Events

An Arctic Energy Plan

Alaskan Impact: The Department of Energy is one of the few administration bureaus that have an Arctic plan. Senator Murkowski today convened a hearing to consider the Department of Energy’s FY 2016 budget. Secretary Ernest Moniz, who visited Alaska in August 2014, testified about the funding he is seeking for his Department—specifically about the DoE’s strategy for the Arctic, energy security in relation to national defense, whether or not he was consulted in advance of the Administration’s recent anti-development actions in Alaska (he was not), and the situation with methane hydrates (a prolific resource found in abundance off of Alaska’s North Slope).

(Click image to watch video.)

Senator Murkowski: “What is the DoE doing to advance our Arctic issues through the lens of the budget?”

(Click image to watch video.)

Senator Murkowski: “We’ve been talking a lot about North American energy independence…yet we see announcements like we saw a couple weeks ago, where within our own borders, we’re putting off energy supply.”

6:00a.m. AKST

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing

Topic: “Department of Energy’s FY 2016 Budget.”

Witness:

• The Honorable Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy

Watch the entire hearing by clicking here.

Assessing Global Threats

Alaskan Impact: Senator Murkowski shares Alaskans’ concerns that the world is at a more volatile place than ever in recent history. The threat of ISIS only continues to grow, and although President Obama submitted a formal Authorization for Use of Military Force to combat this, his plan continues to lack clarity and details on how America must deal with the violent world around us. The Senate Intelligence Committee conferred with counterterrorism experts on what needs to be done to mitigate this threat.

10:30a.m. AKST

Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing

Topic: “Current Terrorism Threat.”

Witness:

• Nicholas Rasmussen, Director, National Counterterrorism Center

U.S. House Events

Can We Trust HealthCare.gov?

Alaskan Impact: Alaskans were relieved to find that healthcare provider Anthem’s security breach did not seem to impact us and our personal information, but it did threaten the data of 80 million Americans in the lower 48. This is just the latest hiccup and example of the mismanagement of the Affordable Care Act’s rollout. Today the House Science, Space, and Technology Hearing questioned whether or not Americans can trust HealthCare.gov to keep their private information secure.

10:00 am

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Hearing

Topic: “Can Americans Trust the Privacy and Security of their Information on HealthCare.gov?”

Witnesses:

• Michelle De Mooy, Deputy Director of Consumer Privacy, Center for Democracy and Technology
• Morgan Wright, Principal, Morgan Wright, LLC

Watch the hearing here: financialservices.house.gov