The Week in Climate Hearings: Congress Under Occupation

Twenty years ago, New Orleans was flooded by the fossil-fueled Hurricane Katrina, with the racist and feckless George W. Bush administration, including the useless FEMA director Michael Brown, leaving their fellow Americans to suffer and die. Gretna, Louisiana’s racist police forces fired their weapons to prevent evacuees from New Orleans from crossing into their town.

Now, climate scientists have rebutted the Trump regime climate denial report with a comprehensive review of its “mockery of science” and are working to launch Climate.US to restore what has been lost by the Trump regime’s mothballing of Climate.gov and the National Climate Assessments.

At 6 pm on Wednesday, Lead Locally is holding its weekly Calls for Climate in support of Lily Franklin for Virginia’s House of Delegates.

Refreshed by a long August break, Congress has returned to Washington, D.C., now under unconstitutional occupation by fascist goons, including an armed military cordon around the Capitol.

Congressional leadership is otherwise occupied by negotiations over funding the government before the September 30 deadline, which are in jeopardy especially because of the White House’s extraordinary claim of a $5 billion “pocket rescission.” This illegal refusal to spend Congressionally appropriated funds at the end of the fiscal year has led to condemnation from Democrats and even Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Senate Republicans are also planning to go nuclear and change the Senate rules for confirming nominees, to speed through more of Trump’s dangerously fascist picks.

Free DC is organizing office visits for Thursday to advocate with Congress for the passage of the Termination Act (H.J. Res. 115, introduced by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)), to end Trump’s unconstitutional military occupation of the U.S. capital.

Tuesday, September 2

Starting at 4 pm, the rules committee is preparing a floor vote on the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4553), which was forced through committee by Republicans in July. The appropriations bill has major cuts for the Department of Energy, particularly for renewable energy. The rules committee is also marking up congressional disapprovals of the Bureau of Land Management Miles City Field Office (H.J. Res. 104), North Dakota Field Office (H.J. Res. 105), and Central Yukon (H.J. Res. 106) resource management plans. The rules committee is also considering an emergency measure on the Epstein files.

At 5 pm, House appropriators are marking up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill, including a rider that blocks implementation of executive orders on climate (Sec. 532).

Wednesday, September 3

At 10 am, Senate Environment chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.) leads votes on neo-fascist oil lawyer Jeffrey Hall to be EPA Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and former Capito staffer Katherine Scarlett to be a member of the Council on Environmental Quality. Both are already working for Trump in those respective offices on dismantling environmental rules.

At 10 am, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee interviews Trump nominees, including Mindy Hildebrand, the wife of Texas fracking billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand, to be ambassador to Costa Rica.

Two House Natural Resources subcommittees are holding legislative hearings on Wednesday. At 10:15 am, the energy and mineral resources subcommittee looks at six pro-mining bills, seeking to codify Trump executive orders. The bills include legislation to overturn the Rosemont decision (H.R. 1366), two coal-mining bills (H.R. 280 and H.R. 4068), and a seabed mining bill (H.R. 4018). The sole witness opposing the bills is Dr. Steve Feldgus, the former Interior Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. At 2 pm, the water, wildlife and fisheries subcommittee considers five bills, including Rep. Pete Gosar’s (R-Ariz.) bill to delist the Mexican wolf (H.R. 4255) and Rep. Dan Newhouse’s (R-Wash.) bill to block the removal of the Lower Snake River dams (H.R. 2073). Nez Pierce chair Shannon Wheeler will testify against Newhouse’s bill.

At 10:30 am, the House Appropriations Committee conducts its full committee markup of Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Services and General Government Bill, which includes numerous anti-climate riders.

Free DC activists are attending the hearing.

Thursday, September 4

At 9:30 am, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee votes on the nominations of Laura Swett and David LaCerte to be members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Swett is a Vinson and Elkins lawyer representing fracking pipeline companies, who Trump wants as chair. LaCerte, a Project 2025 contributor, is being attacked by Laura Loomer.

Friday, September 5

At 10 am local time, the federal lands subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee is holding a field hearing in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park on The Great American Outdoors Act: Modernizing and Maintaining National Parks. Witnesses include the National Parks Conservation Association’s Kristen Brengel.

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