Good afternoon,

Inauguration Day is right around the corner and President Joe Biden is preparing for his departure from the Oval Office. Yesterday, the president delivered a speech at the State Department on his foreign policy legacy, which includes rebuilding ties with the nation's longest standing allies, expanding NATO, and pushing back against foreign adversaries like Russia, China and Iran. He is expected to deliver a farewell address to the nation tomorrow night.

On the domestic front, President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the "biggest investment in projects to combat climate change in American history." The IRA and its companion bill, the CHIPS Act, provided more than $400 billion to revive the manufacturing industry, reduce emissions, and provide cleaner electricity. Combined with the American Rescue Plan and Infrastructure and Jobs Act, President Biden did more to combat global warming than any prior president. Hopefully, these measures aren't undone by a Trump Administration to pay for more tax cuts for billionaires. It is a threat that both Trump and his obedient Speaker of the House Mike Johnson have made on multiple occasions.

Here are a few important updates ...

AN ESCALATING CLIMATE CRISIS

Last week, our country experienced two different weather extremes with blizzard conditions hitting the East Coast and wildfire flames engulfing parts of Los Angeles, California. Amid the tragedy of the wildfires, people are looking for answers and a path forward. On Friday, scientists announced that 2024 was the "hottest the Earth has experienced since the start of global temperature records in the mid-1800s." It was the first year to exceed 1.5° C above pre-industrial level. Additionally, global temperatures set a new record each month from January to June, marking 18-straight months –and counting- with global temperatures above the pre-industrial average.

The science around climate change is changing the way natural disasters and their consequences are being understood. "Scientists are warning that the world has entered a dangerous new era of chaotic floods, storms and fires made worse by human-caused climate change." The Los Angeles wildfires are just the latest disaster of this horrifying new era. Now more than ever, it's important to continue educating ourselves on the negative impacts of climate change and what changes can be made to improve conditions. Unfortunately, our incoming president is a climate denier and people across the globe are already bracing for a serious blow on climate when he returns to office.

CONFIRMATION HEARING COMPLICATIONS

The Republican-led Senate is set to hold more than a dozen hearings this week for Trump's Cabinet picks. It looks like some selections will have smooth paths to confirmation while others will face an uphill battle. "With Democrats looking to create fireworks and the Republican party deeply divided, the hearings are sure to escalate clashes over Trump's most controversial nominees."

Due to failing to disclose information for their ethics and background checks, confirmation hearings for a handful of nominees are being delayed. Trump's Agriculture secretary pick, Brooke Rollins, is among the nominees whose confirmation hearings are delayed. Surprise, surprise...the Trump transition team appears to be at fault for the tardiness of the required paperwork. If this is the precedent for how the next four years will go, we are in for an extremely bumpy ride.

• Confirmation Hearings are underway for Trump nominees. Some key positions are listed below:

• Wednesday, January 15th
  • 10 a.m.: Chris Wright, Energy Department
    • The fossil fuel executive, who has been one of the industry's loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change, appears before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The secretary oversees energy generation and use in the United States as well as the nation's nuclear weapon stockpile. Wright would also join the National Energy Council. The hearing will be streamed on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

• Thursday, January 16th
  • 10 a.m.: Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency
    • The former New York congressman appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The agency is tasked with matters pertaining to environmental protection, conducting assessments, research, education and maintaining and enforcing national standards. The hearing will be streamed on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee webpage.

• Not Yet Scheduled
  • The failure to deliver background checks and paperwork related to ethic clearances have delayed the scheduling of several nominees of interest, including:
  • Agriculture Secretary nominee Brook Rollins
  • Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
  • Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick
  • Labor Department nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer

• The 60^th Presidential Inauguration will take place on Monday, January 20, 2025 at Noon EST. Trump will be taking the oath of office on the Speakers Balcony where his lies about the 2020 election culminated in a violent attack on the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the election. No such violence was invoked after Trump's 2024 win and a peaceful transfer of power will take place. Unlike Trump, President Biden will be in attendance for the oath ceremony. Trump left the city in a huff hours before Biden took office in 2021.

• The DNC chair election will be held on February 1, 2025. The first in-person candidate forum will be held on January 16^th in Detroit, Michigan. That forum can be viewed on the Democrats YouTube account. The first virtual forum can be viewed here.

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