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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies – today questioned Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray regarding potential spying on the Trump campaign during the 2016 election and the FBI’s efforts to combat Russian inference in our elections.
Click Here to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Questioning
Director Wray (0:38): “Well Mr. Chairman, there are a couple things going on.
“First, there is of course, the ongoing Inspector General’s investigation that is being conducted by the independent Office of the Inspector General, and our folks are assisting them with their effort.
Director Wray (1:46): “Well as to the 2016 election, I think I’ll let the Special Counsel’s report speak for itself. You know its 450 pages long, represents a lot of hard work by a large team of professionals over almost two years.
“One of the things that I set in motion, almost immediately after starting in this role, was to create a Foreign Influence Task Force, which is a measure not just of how seriously I take, and we take, the foreign malign influence threat, but also, I think a recognition of the need for better coordination.
“This is a multidisciplinary problem requiring a multidisciplinary solution. So the Foreign Influence Task Force brings together our cyber resources, our counter-intelligence resources, our criminal resources and even our counter-terrorism resources because there is a little bit of a domestic terrorism wrinkle to some of this. It acts as sort of the hub with the spokes going out to our field offices and coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security, ODNI, NSA, and in particular, working much more closely with state and local election officials, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the tech sector in Silicon Valley.
“Because – on the foreign influence threat in particular – I think it’s very important for Americans to understand that this is a threat that is not just a government threat. We need to have the partnership with the social media companies in particular. And, we’ve had really significant progress in that regard going into the midterms, and there were a lot of successes in the 2018 midterms through that kind of team effort.”
Sen. Moran (3:30): “Is the election interference broader than just – when we talk about foreign interference in our elections – is it broader than just Russia?”
Director Wray (3:37): “Well there’s different kinds of malign foreign influence. Certainly other countries, other adversaries, are engaged in different kinds of malign foreign influence. The specific form of sowing divisiveness and discord through the bullhorn that social media provides – you know the trolls, the bots, etcetera – that was something that was really fairly unique to the Russians. But, certainly we know that other countries have been eyeing those efforts and entertaining whether or not to take a page out of that book.”
Click here to watch the full questioning.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), and U.S. Representatives Roger Marshall (KS-01), Ron Estes (KS-04), Steve Watkins (KS-02) and Sharice Davids (KS-03) today encouraged Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to address concerns related to the accuracy of Form 477 collection of voice and broadband service and deployment data.
“The FCC’s current broadband availability maps, particularly in the context of fixed broadband access shown by the National Broadband Map, do not utilize data that is granular enough to adequately depict broadband availability in rural communities,” the members wrote. “Form 477 data collection policies dictate that an entire census block be considered served with broadband service even if that service is only offered to one location within the census block. Since census blocks in rural communities are larger than their urban counterparts, rural communities are particularly threatened by this policy. As a result, Kansas communities could be denied eligibility to participate in existing federal funding programs for broadband deployment regardless of their actual need.”
“Many Kansans’ access to affordable and reliable broadband services relies on federal programs that distribute resources for deployment, like the programs administered within the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, but if the information that the federal government uses is not specific or accurate, the agencies administering these programs are not equipped to make appropriate decisions,” the members continued. “In the interest of effectively allocating federal resources to unserved and underserved communities, we urge the FCC to take immediate action to improve the granularity and accuracy of broadband availability maps, especially as new broadband funding initiatives like the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund are rolled out.”
The FCC established its Form 477 data program in 2000 to collect “data regarding broadband services, local telephone service competition, and mobile telephone services on a single form and in a standardized manner” from providers. In 2017, the FCC adopted a rulemaking to evaluate methods to improve the quality of the data collected by the Form 477.
Full text of the letter is here and below.
The Honorable Ajit Pai
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C., 20554
Dear Chairman Pai:
We write regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ongoing efforts to improve the accuracy of its Form 477 collection of voice and broadband subscription and deployment data. As the principal tool used by the FCC to gather data on communications services to inform policymaking, the current Form 477 data collection processes fall short in depicting where fixed and mobile broadband services are available or lacking, with one of the most extreme examples of inaccuracy found in our home state of Kansas. This is especially problematic because this data is used to determine where billions of federal dollars are allocated for broadband deployment. As such, we encourage the FCC to address concerns related to the precision of this critical data collection that informs federal funding so important to our rural communities, and prevents the overbuilding of existing broadband networks.
The FCC’s current broadband availability maps, particularly in the context of fixed broadband access shown by the National Broadband Map, do not utilize data that is granular enough to adequately depict broadband availability in rural communities. Form 477 data collection policies dictate that an entire census block be considered served with broadband service even if that service is only offered to one location within the census block. Since census blocks in rural communities are larger than their urban counterparts, rural communities are particularly threatened by this policy. As a result, Kansas communities could be denied eligibility to participate in existing federal funding programs for broadband deployment regardless of their actual need. With methods such as shapefile format submissions already used to increase granularity of mobile broadband availability depictions, the federal government should consider every tool at its disposal to improve the granularity of all broadband maps.
Additionally, the validation of data submitted to broadband availability databases needs to be bolstered. As the FCC takes steps to improve the quality of broadband availability maps, it should seriously consider verification mechanisms that extend beyond the self-certification of initial data submissions by providers. The Mobility Fund Phase II initial eligibility map highlighted the issues of relying on self-reported data indicating broadband availability in Kansas, but it also demonstrated the importance of a robust and meaningful challenge process, which required significant time and resources of the challenging parties. Therefore, standardized validation of broadband availability, including a challenge process that allows independent entities to participate, is vital to any data collection that affects the distribution of federal resources for broadband deployment.
Many Kansans’ access to affordable and reliable broadband services relies on federal programs that distribute resources for deployment, like the programs administered within the FCC’s Universal Service Fund. But if the information that the federal government uses is not specific or accurate, the agencies administering these programs are not equipped to make appropriate decisions. In the interest of effectively allocating federal resources to unserved and underserved communities, we urge the FCC to take immediate action to improve the granularity and accuracy of broadband availability maps, especially as new broadband funding initiatives like the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund are rolled out. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) cosponsored a resolution highlighting the importance of the freedom of the press and honoring journalists around the world. The bipartisan resolution recognizes the dangers that reporters face and reaffirms freedom of the press as a priority for the U.S. government under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
“On World Press Freedom Day, we recognize free press as a cornerstone of a democratic society,” said Sen. Moran. “We also recognize the countries abroad that lack a free press because of authoritarian leadership. We ought not relent in our work to free captive journalists around the world who have been imprisoned for their tireless work to uncover truths. Being a journalist in today’s world can be dangerous and thankless, so today, we pause for a moment to offer our gratitude.”
In 1993, the United Nations proclaimed World Press Freedom Day, which honors the principle of press freedom and pays tribute to journalists around the world who have lost their lives while pursuing stories.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture – released the following statement after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Kansas City made the list of finalists to be the next home of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service (ERS):
“After months of advocating to Secretary Perdue that these agencies ought to be in the Kansas City area, I’m pleased to see USDA listed Kansas City as a finalist to be the headquarters of these critical agencies. Kansas City is home to a highly-skilled workforce as a result of the state’s premier universities, research institutions, agricultural companies, and industry producer groups, and I am thrilled that it’s a finalist for USDA’s ERS and NIFA. The animal health corridor, stretching from Manhattan, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri, is the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world; our state is also the future home of the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF), the nation’s foremost animal disease research facility.
“The concentration of animal health companies and location of NBAF will not only complement the research capabilities of NIFA and ERS, but have also fostered a talented workforce that will help meet the personnel needs of USDA. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue advocating to Secretary Purdue and USDA that Kansas City be chosen as ERS and NIFA’s new home.”
Items to note:
- On September 20, 2018, Sen. Moran urged Secretary Perdue to consider Kansas City as the new home for NIFA and ERS.
- On October 22, 2018, Sen. Moran penned an op-ed to the Topeka Capital-Journal making the case for Kansas to be the next home of NIFA and ERS.
- On April 11, 2019, during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Sen. Moran reiterated to Secretary Purdue why these USDA agencies should be relocated to the Kansas City area.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) today sent a letter U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar asking for a continued delay in the changes made by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to the national liver distribution policy. HHS has temporarily delayed the changes, which were scheduled to take effect on April 30. The senators are seeking to continue the delay pending additional information they have requested from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
“The new OPTN policy will have a chilling effect on Midwestern and Southern states as well as rural areas. No longer will locally donated livers be more likely to stay in Missouri, Kansas, or other Midwestern states that have high donation rates,” the senators wrote. “Instead, the OPTN rewards locations that underutilize existing organ donation resources and have historically troubled organ procurement organizations. Under the plan, Missouri could lose 32 percent of livers donated in the state; Kansas could lose 45 percent.”
In light of the concerns both senators have raised about the new liver allocation policy, they have requested that GAO determine: whether the Health Resources and Services Administration is exercising adequate oversight of changes made by OPTN; to what extent the process used by OPTN took into account the opinions of experts in the areas of organ transplantation; how a similar change to the lung allocation policy affected costs for acquiring, processing, and transplanting lungs; and whether these factors were considered prior to adopting a change to the liver policy.
We believe the new liver policy is shortsighted and simply wrong,” the senators continued. “As you have shown with the temporary delay, you have the authority to delay the allocation policy. We urge you to continue this delay until a full and thorough examination of the OPTN policy and process can be accomplished.”
Last month, Sen. Moran questioned Secretary Azar on this policy in an Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services hearing. Sens. Moran and Blunt previously sent two letters to Secretary Azar, in December 2018 and January 2019, raising concerns over the policy change. In both letters, the senators noted that OPTN’s decision ignores the recommendations of the Liver and Intestine Transplantation Committee, whose members include some of the nation’s leading transplant experts. Sens. Moran and Blunt also wrote an op-ed in the Kansas City Star underscoring the harmful impact the policy will have for patients in Missouri and Kansas.
The full text of the letter to Secretary Azar is available here and the full text of the letter to GAO is available here.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense – on Wednesday discussed Wichita and Wichita State University’s contributions to the U.S. Navy and to the nation’s defense with Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer during a subcommittee hearing to examine the U.S. Navy’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget request.
“Secretary, we are an aerospace manufacturing capital and engineering expertise abounds in Wichita, Kansas, known as the Air Capital of the World,” said Sen. Moran. “You and I have had several conversations about the talent, particularly at Wichita State University, to support Fleet Readiness in the Navy and the Marine Corps. The University is the number one industry funded university for aerospace research and development in the country . . . I would ask you, Mr. Secretary, can you describe the partnership with Wichita State University and how will the Navy and Marine Corps benefit from this private sector assistance?”
“Senator, it’s interesting you bring that up because I actually use Wichita State University as a venue to really present how we are doing things differently in Navy,” responded Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer.
Click Here to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Questioning
Remarks as delivered:
Sen. Moran: “Chairman Shelby, thank you. General Neller and Admiral Richardson, first, I want to join my colleagues in thanking you both for your service – tremendous, impeccable service – to our country. Extend my congratulations and best wishes to you and your family upon your retirements.
“General Neller, you have an impressive 44 years of service to our nation – I think that sets a record for the Marine Corps. I again wish you well and the first time we met you spent a lot of time talking about your tomatoes, and I hope they now get your attention in this stage of your life.
“Admiral Richardson, you and I were together on a forum panel at the Reagan Defense Forum several years ago, and I want to remind you and thank you for assisting me in calling a young Kansan, Dawson Podlena, from Topeka, and we congratulated him on his nomination by me and his acceptance by the Naval Academy. It was great. I’m not sure he knew what ‘The Chief’ was at the time, but I assume he now knows the significance of your notifying him of his acceptance to the Naval Academy. I’m proud of those folks we get to nominate and I know they will serve the country well.
“Mr. Secretary, you gave me a great honor. The opportunity to be in Florida and to help dedicate, to preside over the commissioning of the USS Wichita in January. I was reluctant, not knowing what I might say. It was a great ceremony and instilled in me, reminded me, of the great patriotism and service to our country of you and those who serve in the Navy. And, it was a great day to recognize Wichita, Kansas, the ‘Keeper of the Plains,’ and the Navy honored the USS Wichita – now the ‘Keeper of the Seas’ and again, thank you for that great opportunity.
“Speaking of Wichita, Mr. Secretary, we are an aerospace manufacturing capital, and engineering expertise abounds in Wichita, Kansas – known as the Air Capital of the World. You and I have had several conversations about the talent particularly at Wichita State University to support Fleet Readiness in the Navy and the Marine Corps. The University is the number one industry funded university for aerospace research and development of the country.
“Your F-18 fleet has been characterized as the ‘backbone of the Navy.’ You’ve taken steps to address unacceptably low readiness rates and maintenance of that fleet. This time last year, I think 74% of the Marine Corps F-18’s were not ready for combat, but I understand that mission-capable rates have improved and maintenance remains a top priority. I’m pleased that one way the Marine Corps is tackling this issue is partnering with Wichita State. I would ask you, Mr. Secretary, can you describe the partnership with Wichita State University but how will the Navy and Marine Corps benefit from this private sector assistance?”
Sec. Richard Spencer (3:04): “Senator, it’s interesting you bring that up because I actually use Wichita State University as a venue to really present how we are doing things differently in Navy.
“Through the DoD Strategic Capabilities Office, which we call the SCO office, Marine Corps is working with Wichita State in a program called Paladin. Where it is primarily that the front-runner is data analytics, to do predictive analytics. And, what I mean by that is studying the wear the tear of parts so we can predetermine through data analysis what parts will be needed and we have them ready in the bin, and it sounds simple, it really is cutting-edge technology.
“They’re also working with the University on the whole concept of a ‘digital twin’ for the F-18. This is a model where we don’t have to physically destruct anything anymore. We create the actual airframe in a digital environment, putting stresses on it. With the algorithms we know from past histories, we can test out and find out where the limits are in certain areas of the plane. And then, the automatic robotic scanning and drilling. At the end of the day we still assemble aircraft. It is still science but a lot of art. And the ability to but the hole in the right place to put it simply is very important. So, three areas that we’re working with Wichita State on – ten years ago probably not traditional – now this is the way we want to think and work with our academic institutions.”
Sen. Moran (4:35): “Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for that. A couple years ago I would not of understood much of what you just said and now I do, and it is the future. It is the way that we can sustain and improve our readiness.”
Click here to watch Sen. Moran’s full questioning.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) today sent a letter U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar asking for a continued delay in the changes made by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to the national liver distribution policy. HHS has temporarily delayed the changes, which were scheduled to take effect on April 30. The senators are seeking to continue the delay pending additional information they have requested from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
“The new OPTN policy will have a chilling effect on Midwestern and Southern states as well as rural areas. No longer will locally donated livers be more likely to stay in Missouri, Kansas, or other Midwestern states that have high donation rates,” the senators wrote. “Instead, the OPTN rewards locations that underutilize existing organ donation resources and have historically troubled organ procurement organizations. Under the plan, Missouri could lose 32 percent of livers donated in the state; Kansas could lose 45 percent.”
In light of the concerns both senators have raised about the new liver allocation policy, they have requested that GAO determine: whether the Health Resources and Services Administration is exercising adequate oversight of changes made by OPTN; to what extent the process used by OPTN took into account the opinions of experts in the areas of organ transplantation; how a similar change to the lung allocation policy affected costs for acquiring, processing, and transplanting lungs; and whether these factors were considered prior to adopting a change to the liver policy.
We believe the new liver policy is shortsighted and simply wrong,” the senators continued. “As you have shown with the temporary delay, you have the authority to delay the allocation policy. We urge you to continue this delay until a full and thorough examination of the OPTN policy and process can be accomplished.”
Last month, Sen. Moran questioned Secretary Azar on this policy in an Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services hearing. Sens. Moran and Blunt previously sent two letters to Secretary Azar, in December 2018 and January 2019, raising concerns over the policy change. In both letters, the senators noted that OPTN’s decision ignores the recommendations of the Liver and Intestine Transplantation Committee, whose members include some of the nation’s leading transplant experts. Sens. Moran and Blunt also wrote an op-ed in the Kansas City Star underscoring the harmful impact the policy will have for patients in Missouri and Kansas.
The full text of the letter to Secretary Azar is available here and the full text of the letter to GAO is available here.
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Sen. Moran Chairs Hearing with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to Discuss NASA Priorities
“In my home state of Kansas, we are proud of our aviation history, which continues to thrive today”
May 01 2019
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies – today questioned National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jim Bridenstine on NASA’s Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations request, its ambitions for travel to the Moon and Mars, and NASA’s overall priorities during his subcommittee’s hearing.
Click Here to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Questioning
Opening statement as prepared for delivery:
“Good afternoon, I call this hearing to order.
“Welcome to today’s Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee hearing on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Fiscal Year 2020 budget request.
“Our witness today is NASA Administrator James Bridenstine. Welcome, Administrator. Thank you for being here today to testify regarding NASA’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget request.
“The Administration has initially proposed a funding level of $21 billion for NASA in its 2020 request, covering activities on Earth, in our solar system, and across far distant galaxies of the universe.
“Since then, it has been an interesting few months.
“Within days of the submission of the proposal, you announced efforts to explore alternatives to current plans to fly around the Moon, which have since been determined by NASA as unworkable.
“Simultaneously, NASA has been working on a 45-day study to bring forward the timeline for the initial launch of the Space Launch System and the Orion crew vehicle. I hope that we will be able to discuss results of that study today.
“Finally, the Vice President challenged NASA just a few weeks ago to land American astronauts on the Moon by 2024, rather than the 2028 date that was initially proposed. NASA has been very busy because of this and I hope we can discuss some of the details today.
“The Fiscal Year 2020 request includes significant changes to NASA’s exploration agenda and strengthening the focus on the Moon as its next major step before paving the way for the human exploration of Mars.
“NASA continues to develop vehicles that will take humans deeper into space with the Space Launch System and the Orion crew capsule, and now proposes beginning development of infrastructure that will enable humans to return to the lunar surface. This lunar exploration effort with both human and robotic missions is exciting and will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
“It is an exciting time and the Committee wants to be supportive of these exploration goals, but the delayed timing of a finalized plan could pose its own challenges. While there is some uncertainty about the details for human exploration, I urge us to also keep in mind that the first ‘A’ in NASA stands for aeronautics. Administrator, this is something that you and I have discussed in great detail.
“In my home state of Kansas, we are proud of our aviation history, which continues to thrive today. Kansas astronaut Nick Hague is currently stationed on board the International Space Station.
“As we all know, Nick persevered through last October’s launch that didn’t go as planned and forced him to make an emergency landing. I’m proud to say that Nick strapped back in at his very next opportunity and successfully made it to the International Space Station in March. I would also like to congratulate Nick on completing the first spacewalk of his career.
“Also, Wichita, Kansas, is celebrating over 100 years of history in aviation, and the quarter-million aircraft it has produced – more than any other city around the world.
“I enjoyed hosting you last year in Wichita at the National Institute for Aviation Research to see the crucial and innovative role that this facility plays in aeronautics materials research.
“Looking to the future, NASA’s experimental aircraft and research efforts are helping integrate unmanned aircraft into the nation’s airspace. These efforts hold the potential to further grow our economy. NASA is synonymous with “innovation” and “inspiration,” and is one of the most-recognized federal agencies because of its many great achievements and its bold vision.
“Administrator Bridenstine, we both agree on the important role NASA plays in inspiring students – the engineers, mathematicians, scientists and innovators of tomorrow.
“I know I’ve shared this previously, but during your visit to Wichita last year, we inspired a young high school student at our STEM event to act on his childhood dream of landing on Mars. That inspiration led to him applying for an internship with NASA this summer.
“Stories like this highlight the importance of making certain we have great minds and ambitious young leaders to help us achieve our goals in space far into the future – and NASA’s STEM education, internship and career pipelines help get them there.
“Unfortunately, this budget again sidelines the very programs at NASA that benefit involvement in STEM education from students in kindergarten to graduate students, and everything in-between.
“NASA education activities such as Space Grant, EPSCoR, and the Minority University Research Program have broad bipartisan support, particularly on this Committee. Rather than eliminating these opportunities, NASA should find more ways to encourage our future leaders.
“This committee has long worked together with NASA to facilitate exciting discoveries, develop cutting edge technologies and explore the universe. I thank you for coming today, Administrator Bridenstine, and look forward to working with you to ensure NASA has the resources it needs to carry out its important mission and responsibilities.
“I now would like to recognize the Ranking Member, Senator Shaheen, for any opening remarks.”
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