Breaking News: Trump launches task force to evaluate Postal Service operations

View in your browser     Trump launches task force to evaluate Postal Service operations President Trump announced Thursday he is forming a task force to look at the viability and operations of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on the heels of his tweets accusing Amazon of hurting the organization. Trump said in an executive order that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would chair the panel, which will assess how the Postal Service is affected by the package delivery market and declining use of mail as well as examine its business model and role in the U.S. economy. Read the full story here         SPONSORED CONTENT   Join Jump$tart April 12 for Financial Literacy Hill Day. Free buffet lunch sponsored by GM Financial, Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation, Lending Tree, SIFMA Foundation, SunTrust and Visa. http://jumpstart.org/hillday18             Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Breaking News     Forward Breaking News       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Defense: Pompeo grilled by Dems at nomination hearing | Faces tight panel vote | Mattis insists no decision yet on Syria | Dems seek answers on National Guard border deployment

View in your browser     THE TOPLINE: CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday faced a grilling from Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggesting he faces uncertain prospects to win a panel vote to become the nation's top diplomat. Pompeo declined to answer repeated questions from Democrats related to the ongoing Russia investigations and was challenged at several points to break with President Trump, as lawmakers voiced concerns that he would be too deferential as secretary of State.   Where he stands on... North Korea: Pompeo said that he is not advocating for regime change in North Korea. "I have never advocated for regime change," Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during the hearing. "I am not advocating for regime change." Pompeo made waves last year when he made comments that were widely interpreted as supporting regime change in North Korea. "It would be a great thing to denuclearize the peninsula, to get those weapons off of that, but the thing that is most dangerous about it is the character who holds the control over them today," Pompeo said at the Aspen Security Forum. Iran deal: Pompeo said he shares Trump's views on "fixing" the Iran nuclear deal or withdrawing by May 12. The Trump administration is negotiating with European allies for a follow-on deal that addresses three issues Trump sees with the Iran deal: several provisions sunset, inspectors can't demand to see some military sites and it does not address other activities of interest by Iran, such as its ballistic missile program and support of terrorists.  Pompeo was first pressed by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) about his views on whether the United States should withdraw if Europeans do not agree to a follow-on deal. Pompeo responded by repeating the administration's plans. "The president has made very clear what the secretary of State's mission is, and I expect no change to that," Pompeo said.   Cybersecurity at State: Pompeo would not say what his plans would be for the top cyber position at the State Department, though he said he would put "a great deal of resources" toward cybersecurity efforts if confirmed. I have had the [organization] chart shown to me. I have seen the holes," Pompeo said Thursday. "Beyond that, I haven't given a great deal of consideration to people filling particular positions."  "I can only say that, every element of government has a piece of its cyber duty. It's one of the challenges that it's so deeply divided, that we don't have a central place to do cyber work," Pompeo said.   Russia: Pompeo also told senators on Thursday that the "historic conflict" between the U.S. and Russia is due to Moscow's "bad behavior" -- contradicting Trump's assertion that the special counsel's probe is to blame. Pompeo was asked directly whether he agreed with a recent tweet from Trump that "much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama."   Will he get the vote? Pompeo's performance seemed to please Republicans on the panel, but with the defection of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) home receiving treatment for cancer, he will need support from Democrats to win confirmation. But even getting a majority vote from the panel -- the first hurdle for the former Kansas congressman -- could prove difficult. And no Democrats on the panel have so far offered their support.     MATTIS TAMPS DOWN TRUMP'S SYRIA BLUSTER: Defense Secretary James Mattis on Thursday tried to tamp down President Trump's recent threats of a looming strike on Syria, insisting the commander-in-chief had not yet decided on a response.  Mattis acknowledged Trump's tweet from a day earlier, which warned Russia that U.S. missiles fired at Syria "will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!'" Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee, Mattis indicated the administration was weighing a response that would both prevent an escalation in the region and send a strong message to Syrian President Bashar Assad for an alleged chemical weapons attack carried out over the weekend. "We are trying to stop the murder of innocent people. But on a strategic level, it's how do we keep this from escalating out of control, if you get my drift on that," Mattis told lawmakers.   Decision coming soon, after Trump talks to France and UK: Mattis said he would leave after the hearing to attend an afternoon meeting of the president's National Security Council, where he and other advisors "will take forward the various options to the president." The White House released a statement after the meeting that asserted "no final decision has been made." "We are continuing to assess intelligence and are engaged in conversations with our partners and allies. The President will speak with President Macron and Prime Minister May this evening," said press secretary Sarah Huckabeee Sanders.   Trump pushes back on criticism of tweet: Trump stressed in a tweet early Thursday that he never said when a military strike on Syria would happen, adding it could be "soon or not so soon at all!" "Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!" he tweeted. "In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our 'Thank you America?'"   And Ryan says no need for Congress to authorize a Syria strike. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday that President Trump has broad authority to attack Syria, precluding the need for Congress to act beforehand. "The existing AUMF gives him the authority he needs to do what he may or may not do," Ryan said during a press briefing in the Capitol.  The Pentagon is currently operating under a 17-year-old authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) approved in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks. A number of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have pushed for years for Congress to pass an updated AUMF, reflecting the expanding geography and evolving enemies that have marked the war against terrorism since 2001.     MATTIS INSISTS GUARD ISN'T AT BORDER LONG-TERM: Top national security House Democrats are demanding more information from the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on last week's deployment of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border. "We require a clearer explanation of the impetus for this approach at a time when border crossings are at a 40-year low," the lawmakers write in a Wednesday letter to Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. But Mattis in a House Armed Services Committee hearing described the deployment of up to 4,000 guardsmen to the border is "an anticipatory backing-up" of Customs and Border Patrol. Mattis also insisted that the move "right now ... is not a long-term deployment."   What the Dems want: The lawmakers are asking for an answer on when DHS and the Pentagon completed an assessment that identified the Guard as a necessity along the southwest border, and the factors used to determine the cost of the endeavor. They also want more details on the total number of guardsmen to be sent, who will govern them, what role they will play along the border, the estimated cost of the deployment and where the money will come from. Pentagon officials have not said whether the effort will be paid for with Department of Defense dollars, or how the department will support the plan to send as many as 4,000 National Guard troops to bolster DHS's border security efforts.   DEMS WANT MATTIS TO REVEAL EXPERTS ON TRANSGENDER POLICY: Top defense committee Democrats want Mattis to reveal who sat on a panel of experts that helped draft the Pentagon's controversial transgender policy. "We were surprised and disappointed by the recommendations contained in that memorandum. In our view, these recommendations contradict previous findings from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the professional medical community," Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.) and Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), the ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees, respectively, wrote in a letter. Late last month, the Pentagon released a three-page memo and 44-page report Mattis submitted to Trump outlining his recommendations on how to handle transgender troops.   Who recommended what's in the memo? Drafted by an unnamed panel of experts of senior uniformed and civilian Defense Department leaders, the memo makes recommendations that would prevent the enlistment of transgender people diagnosed with gender dysphoria or those who have already undergone or begun a gender transition.  The Pentagon has been mum on who the so-called experts are, as the report's analysis of medical research has been harshly criticized as misrepresenting the findings or leaving out important context. The lawmakers ask Mattis to name who was on the expert panel, who they consulted with and whether they consulted with any medical professionals with expertise in gender dysphoria.    ICYMI: -- The Hill: Trump thanks California governor for sending troops to border: 'Good job' -- The Hill: Haley attends Pompeo secretary of State confirmation hearing -- The Hill: Pompeo confirms 'a couple hundred' Russians killed in Syria -- The Hill: Trump, May vow to deter further use of chemical weapons by Assad: UK -- The Hill: US found chlorine gas, nerve agent in samples from Syria attack: report -- The Hill: International watchdog deploys team to probe suspected Syria chemical attack     Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@thehill.com, and Ellen Mitchell, emitchell@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @Rebecca_H_K, @EllenMitchell23         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Defense Newsletters     Forward Defense Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Overnight Energy: Former Pruitt aide alleges more wasteful spending, retaliation | Senate confirms EPA No. 2 | Zinke backs off big park fee increases

View in your browser     EX-PRUITT STAFFER TELLS ALL: Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deputy chief of staff Kevin Chmielewski has met with both GOP and Democratic staffers on the House Oversight Committee to discuss the circumstances that led to him being placed on permanent leave. In those talks, Chmielewski also accused EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt of excessive spending and of retaliating against critical employees. According to Democratic staffers who met with him Wednesay, he confirmed a number of reports including that Pruitt used his advance team staffer Millan Hupp as a personal real estate representative during his apartment hunt. He also claimed that Pruitt knew about a 33 percent raise given to that same staffer and a 63 percet raise given to another. Democrats announced what was discussed with Chmielewski in a letter they sent to both President Trump and Pruitt Thursday. "Mr. Chmielewski provided new details and corroborated other reports regarding allegations of wasteful spending of taxpayer funds and your disregard for the ethical and legal requirements of your position," Democratic Sens. Tom Carper (Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) and Reps. Elijah Cummings (Md.), Gerry Connolly (Va.) and Don Beyer (Va.) wrote to Pruitt on Thursday. "Mr. Chmielewski described an environment in which you sought to marginalize, remove or otherwise retaliate against agency employees who advised you not to take these troubling actions, or refused to take or justify such actions at your direction," they wrote. A spokesperson for the GOP House Oversight committee said the staff found Chmielewski to be "very credible" and that they were "impressed by the amount of information he was able to share." The spokesperson said the committee hopes that next steps will be done in a bipartisan way. GOP members of the House Oversight committee, including Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C), were not alerted to the Democrats interview with Chmielewski until reports surfaced Wednesday.   Here are some of Chmielewski's allegations from the Dems letter: --Pruitt bought bullet proof vests, biometric locks and new SUVs for security. --Pruitt's offices are decorated by art on loan from the Smithsonian, paid for by taxpayer dollars. -- Chmielewski said he not see former EPA head of policy Samantha Dravis "for a period of weeks." --Pruitt "insisted" on the use of lights and sirens to speed through traffic. --Millan Hupp, who was given a 33 percent raise, was used as "personal real estate representative" for Pruitt during his D.C. apartment search. --Raises given to Hupp and another formerly Oklahoma based staffer were "100% Pruitt himself." --EPA looked into a $100,000 private jet contract but said he was responsible for squashing the idea. --Pruitt routinely told staff to "find me something to do" in regions he wanted to visit personally, including frequent trips back to his state of Oklahoma. --Pruitt often chose hotels over the 300 percent cap permitted in exceptional circumstances by the federal government. --Chmielewski said he overheard a convo where the energy lobbyist husband of Pruitt's landlord, Steven Hart, complained to Pruitt about delayed payments and that Pruitt's daughter had ruined the floors from her roller suitcase while staying there. (Hart has since denied these allegations in a statement from his spokesman.) Read more here.     Another letter of note: Another letter sent by two Democrats Tuesday requested an investigation into Pruitt's usage of "at least four" email addresses with epa.gov endings. The letter, sent by the ranking member of the Environmental and Public Works committee, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), highlighted that using multiple emails could be against federal policy and might not show up in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. An EPA spokesperson told The Hill that only one of the four emails is used personally by Pruitt and all are searched under FOIA. Read more here.   Pruitt's approval at 29 percent: Public Policy Polling is out with a poll Thursday putting Pruitt's approval rating at 29 percent. The left-leaning firm found that 43 percent of respondents -- a plurality -- want Pruitt fired. The survey was commissioned by American Bridge, a liberal campaign group. Read more.   SENATE CONFIRMS PRUITT'S NO. 2: Amid the news about Pruitt's controversies, the Senate voted 53-45 to confirm Andrew Wheeler, a former energy lobbyist, to be Pruitt's deputy. All of the Republicans present voted for Wheeler, along with Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.). Those Democrats are running for reelection this year in heavily Republican states. Most Democrats argued that Wheeler could become Pruitt's successor if the administrator is dismissed, and that he has not been properly vetted for that scenario. "We should know whether Andrew Wheeler is up to the task of helping to right this badly damaged EPA ship, to restore the confidence and have it headed back on the right course," Sen. Tom Carper (Del.), the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, said on the Senate floor before the Wheeler vote. "The things we've learned about the EPA over the last two weeks give us a different outlook than when [Mitch] McConnell filed cloture on Andrew Wheeler's nomination just before the Easter recess. And it certainly gives a much different perspective than we had when Andrew Wheeler sat before the Environment and Public Works Committee last year," he added, referring to the Kentucky Republican who serves as Senate majority leader. The GOP was united in support of Wheeler. "Mr. Wheeler is very well qualified for the position. He spent over 25 years working in environmental policies," said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), for whom Wheeler used to work, also cheered him. "The extreme environmentalists were given free rein under the Obama administration for eight years, including writing the EPA's regulations, and they can't handle the fact that the American people said, 'enough,'" he said. "[President] Trump and Scott Pruitt have been delivering relief for the American people and the economy since they've been in office. Andrew Wheeler will be a great help to Administrator Pruitt in continuing to implement President Trump's vision of returning the EPA to an agency of the people, subject to the rule of law." Read more.   What it means: Ostensibly, if Pruitt resigns or is fired, Wheeler would become acting administrator, once he is sworn in at the EPA. He'd bring with him the same basic policy agenda, priorities and commitment to Trump's deregulation push, without the scandals currently plaguing Pruitt. But whether that will happen is little more than speculation at this point. Trump has only said good things about Pruitt lately and shown no indication he wants his EPA head out.   ZINKE TO RAISE PARK FEES BY $5: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is backing off from his plan for big increases to entrance fees for some national parks. The National Park Service said Thursday it will increase most entrance fees at parks that currently charge them by $5, much less than the increase of as much as $45 that Zinke proposed in October. That would have raised a vehicle pass for the most-visited parks during their peak periods to $70. "I want to thank the American people who made their voices heard through the public comment process on the original fee proposal. Your input has helped us develop a balanced plan that focuses on modest increases at the 117 fee-charging parks as opposed to larger increases proposed for 17 highly visited national parks," Zinke said in a statement. Zinke's original proposal elicited strong backlash from Democrats and environmentalists, who accused Zinke of prioritizing oil, coal and other companies that use federal land over parkgoers. The groups that opposed Zinke's previous plan applauded Thursday's announcement. "From the moment the administration made its proposal to triple fees at some of America's most popular national parks, many businesses, gateway communities, governors, tourism groups, conservation organizations and the public have said this was the wrong solution for parks' repair needs. The public spoke, and the administration listened," said Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association. Read more.   ON TAP FRIDAY: The House and Commerce Committee's environment subcommittee will hold a hearing on high-octane fuels and high-efficiency vehicles.   OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: The Environmental Defense Fund is planning to launch a satellite to monitor methane emissions, NPR reports. OPEC is predicting that the global surplus of oil stockpiles is tightening, which will spur prices to increase, Reuters reports. New Zealand's government is banning new offshore oil and natural gas exploration, the New Zealand Herald reports.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Thursday's stories ... -Senate approves Trump's pick for No. 2 at EPA -Zinke backs off plan for big national park fee increases -Trump aims to ease compliance with air pollution rules -Trump signals support for changing summer ethanol policy -San Juan mayor: 700K without power in Puerto Rico after outage -Dems call for probe into EPA chief's use of multiple email addresses -EPA chief Pruitt has 29 percent approval rating: poll -Dems: Former Pruitt aide alleges more wasteful spending, retaliation at EPA -Senate moves toward confirming deputy EPA head     Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com; and Devin Henry, dhenry@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @dhenry, @thehill         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Energy Newsletters     Forward Energy Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.