Senator Lujan Questions Trump Nominee on Familiarity with Key Legislation

Questioning Nominee's Familiarity with Legislation

• ❓ Senator Ben Ray Lujan questioned a nominee for General Counsel for the Department of Commerce regarding their familiarity with major legislation.
• 💡 The nominee stated they were "not sure" if they were familiar with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021.
• ⚠️ Lujan expressed concern that someone nominated for the Department of Commerce would not recognize such a significant bipartisan bill.

Digital Equity Act Discussion

• 💻 When asked about the Digital Equity Act, the nominee acknowledged awareness of a grant program by that name.
• 🎯 Lujan clarified the act's purpose is to close the broadband adoption gap and provide digital skills to children and seniors.
• 🤷 The nominee stated they did not know the details of the program and would defer to the Senator's description.

Constitutional Law Questions

• ⚖️ The nominee correctly answered yes to questions about Article III vesting judicial power in the Supreme Court and Marbury v. Madison establishing judicial review.
• 🏛️ When asked if the judicial branch has the sole power to declare a law unconstitutional, the nominee affirmed that judicial authorities have the right to review laws for constitutionality.
• 🚫 Regarding the president's power to nullify laws, the nominee stated they had not looked into the constitutional issues and did not recall such a power being discussed in law school.

Concerns Regarding Nominee's Past Leadership

• 🚂 Lujan raised concerns about the nominee's previous leadership at a railroad, citing findings of critical safety concerns, a culture of retaliation, high accident rates, and poor track conditions.
• ❗ The nominee disagreed with the assessment, stating they met standards and that any issues raised by the FRA were fixed.
• 🛤️ The nominee asserted that their incidents and accidents were at or below industry standards.

Amtrak and Rail Network Funding

• 🚄 Lujan inquired about the nominee's commitment to advocating for increased funding for Amtrak's long-distance network.
• 🌐 The nominee expressed support for Amtrak as a national network.
• ❓ When specifically asked about the Southwest Chief route, the nominee stated they had no information and were not sure where it goes, but would work with the committee on Amtrak issues.