Senate Confirmation Hearing: Don Graves for Deputy Secretary of Commerce

• •The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on March 10, 2021, to consider the nomination of Don Graves for Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
• •The hearing took place in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
• •Chair Maria Cantwell opened the hearing by acknowledging the two-year anniversary of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash and the Lion Air Flight 610 crash.
• •The committee discussed the implementation of aviation safety reform legislation passed in December 2020, which mandates FAA vetting of new systems and whistleblower protections.
• •The hearing record includes a February 23, 2021, article by Courtland Milloy regarding the history of the Commerce Department's headquarters site.
• •The nominee, Don Graves, provided a prepared statement and biographical information for the committee record.
• •The appendix contains written responses from the nominee to questions submitted by 12 different Senators.

This hearing is a formal step in the federal confirmation process to appoint the second-highest official at the Department of Commerce, who will oversee agency operations and policy implementation.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.