Oversight Hearing on:

• "Oversight of the Obama Administration’s Questionable Application of Sequestration to the Secure Rural Schools Program and the Costs to States, Local Economies, and Rural School Children"

Archived Video Webcast:

Member Statements:

The Honorable Doc Hastings​
Chairman

Witnesses and Testimony:

PANEL I

The Honorable Thomas L. Tidwell*
Chief
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Honorable Ramona Romero*
General Counsel
Office of General Counsel
U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Honorable Sylvia Brian Deese*
Deputy Director for Budget
The Office of Management and Budget

The Honorable Robert Bonnie
Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment
U.S. Department of Agriculture

* Witnesses were invited but declined to attend.

Background:

This hearing was originally scheduled for November 20, 2013, with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell invited to testify on why the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had failed to fully comply with subpoenas for documents on the Obama Administration’s decision to apply sequestration cuts to funds already paid to states under the Secure Rural School (SRS) program, which provides essential funding for teachers and police officers. The hearing was postponed to give additional time to comply with the September 4, 2013 subpoenas. On January 14, 2014, the Committee's Majority staff released a report entitled, “A Less Secure Future for Rural Schools: An Investigation into the Obama Administration’s Questionable Application of the Sequester to the Secure Rural Schools Program.” To learn more about the Committee’s oversight investigation, click here.

Related Documents:

• Full Committee Hearing Notice - November 12, 2013
• Updated: Full Committee Hearing Postponement Notice - November 18, 2013
• Updated: Full Committee Hearing Notice - January 7, 2014
• Full Committee Hearing Witness List - January 13, 2014