Murkowski Morning Meeting For Wednesday, September 16, 2015

What DC is Reading

• Washington Post: U.N. Rights Committee Hears Appeal Over Reporter Held In Iran
• New York Times: Cyberthreat Posed by China and Iran Confounds White House

U.S. Senate Events

Holding EPA Accountable

Alaskan Impact: Just last month, the Environmental Protection Agency spilled 3 million gallons of wastewater from the Gold King Mine into the Animas River—sending contaminated and toxic water through New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. The EPA failed to notify authorities until a day after the spill, and it later came out that the EPA was aware of potential risks of interfering with the mine but did not take any precautions. Today, EPA Administrator Gina McCarty testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the causes of the spill, and her agency’s inadequate response in the aftermath.

6:00a.m. AKDT

Senate Environment and Public Works Hearing

Topic: “Oversight of the Cause, Response, and Impacts of EPA’s Gold King Mine Disaster.”

Witness:

• Gina McCarthy, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

Watch the entire hearing by clicking here.

ISIS Update

Alaskan Impact: It was recently made public that senior military officials in the Pentagon manipulated reports on the war against ISIS—distorting facts about the readiness of Iraqi security forces and the success of the bombing campaign in both Iraq and Syria. From the beginning, Senator Murkowski was skeptical of the administration’s strategy to “defeat and degrade” this extremist group, and is now concerned that many of the updates received on our military actions might have been falsified in order to present an optimistic view on our progress. Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee received an update from foreign policy experts on the situation in Iraq and Syria in the fight against ISIS.

10:30a.m. AKDT

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing

Topic: “Syria, Iraq, and the Fight Against ISIS.”

Witnesses:

• Dr. Kimberly Kagan, President, Institute for the Study of War
• Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
• Michael Bowers, Vice President of Humanitarian Leadership and Response, Mercy Corps

Watch the entire hearing by clicking here.