In the quest for new and inexhaustible sources of energy, solar energy has become a promising contender. However, several factors prevent solar energy from falling freely into the Earth's surface, leading to the concept of collecting solar energy in space and beaming the energy to receiving units on the ground. Studies to date have not identified any barriers with regard to technical feasibility, and discussions with a number of respected scientists were told there are no scientific breakthroughs required. Yet solar power satellites do represent very large engineering endeavor. There are...

These are the transcripts and reports from a U.S. House of Representatives hearing held in 1984 on subliminal communication technology---the process by which an individual is presented with information without that individual being made aware specifically of that information, but to which they make a selective response. The message, which is usually in the form of words, pictures or voices, is presented so rapidly or faintly that the person seeing or hearing the message is not consciously aware of seeing or hearing anything.

In February 2011, Huawei Technologies Company, the leading Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer, published an open letter to the U.S. Government denying security concerns with the company or its equipment, and requesting a full investigation into its corporate operations.1 Huawei apparently believed - correctly - that without a full investigation into its corporate activities, the United States could not trust its equipment and services in U.S. telecommunications networks.

The Tax Reform Act of 2014 makes the code simpler and fairer by: Providing a significantly more generous standard deduction so that 95 percent of taxpayers will no longer be forced to itemize their individual tax deductions. Reducing the size of the federal income tax code by 25 percent. Tackling fraud, abuse and mismanagement at the IRS to protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars. It will make our economy stronger resulting in: $3.4 trillion in additional economic growth. 1.8 million new jobs. $1,300 per year more in the pockets of middle-class American families. The results are clear: More...

On January 16, 2013, President Obama signed a series of executive actions that will have a meaningful impact on reducing gun violence. However, reducing gun violence cannot be the job of only one branch of government. The policies that will have the greatest impact require congressional action. It's time for Congress to act. For nearly two months, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, under the leadership of Chairman Mike Thompson, has met with people on both sides of the aisle and all sides of the issue to develop a comprehensive set of policy principles that respect the 2nd Amendment and...

Since its creation in 2008, SIGAR has issued 37 inspection reports examining 45 DOD reconstruction projects with a combined value of about $1.1 billion. The projects were located in 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, and included 16 Afghan National Police (ANP) and 13 Afghan National Army (ANA) bases, 5 schools, 3 medical facilities, 3 incinerator locations, 2 storage facilities, 1 road, 1 bridge, and 1 electrical plant. These projects do not constitute a representative sample of all DOD reconstruction projects. As a result, we do not use our findings to draw conclusions about the full...

Terrorist financing describes a form of financial crime in which an individual or entity solicits, collects, or provides funds "with the intention that these funds] may be used to support terrorist acts or organizations." While terrorists can benefit from big donations of deep-pocketed financiers sympathetic to their cause, terrorist financing often involves relatively small-dollar amounts and itself is just a subset melting into the larger stream of all financial crime occurring in the international financial system. The threat to national security from terrorist financiers is real, so...

Chairman Whitfield, Ranking Member Rush, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Department of Energy's (DOE) Budget Request for fiscal year (FY) 2017. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss how the Budget Request advances the Department of Energy's missions.