Latest news with #JoeMorelle
Business Wire
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Industry Leaders, Policymakers to Gather at Annual DC-based SPIE Photonics Industry Summit on 18 September
BELLINGHAM, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On 18 September, in Washington, DC, SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, will host its fourth annual Photonics Industry Summit. The event will bring together leaders from the optics and photonics community, executives from related businesses, high-level US government agency representatives, and US congressional representatives. Collectively, they will be sharing their plans and expectations for optics and photonics-related programs in key areas such as directed energy, semiconductors, space, biotechnology, quantum, and other emerging technologies. The featured speakers include: US Congressperson Joe Morelle NASA Acting Deputy Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate Mark Clampin NIH Director of the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Bruce Tromberg Akin Senior Counsel Matthew S. Borman NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Kerri Dugan US Department of Energy Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy Emily R. Kinser Defense Innovation Unit Technical Program Manager Jeffrey Wright SPIE CEO Kent Rochford Prior to the summit SPIE will host a Congressional Reception, which will be held on Capitol Hill at the Rayburn House Office Building, from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM on 17 September. No additional registration is required for this opportunity to network, speak directly with congressional representatives, and advocate on behalf of the photonics industry. 'I'm very much looking forward to this year's SPIE Photonics Industry Summit,' says SPIE Director of Government Affairs Jennifer O'Bryan. 'The constantly changing policy landscape can be challenging for company executives. This unique opportunity allows direct access to a range of senior government officials with significant budget authority. Additionally, the complementary congressional reception offers a truly unique opportunity to engage with your elected representatives.' The event is sponsored by Hamamatsu, Leonardo, Optimax, Sydor Optics, Thorlabs, and TOPTICA. For more information and to register for the SPIE Photonics Industry Summit, please visit our website. Be sure to register early: prices will increase after 5 September. About SPIE SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, we have invested more than $25 million in the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development.
The Herald Scotland
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Lawmakers call for more security funding after Minnesota shooting
Back in Washington, lawmakers on the Hill are pressing for more detailed security briefings and calling on leadership to do more to protect their members. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Democrat Rep. Joe Morelle urged House Speaker Mike Johnson in a June 16 letter to increase lawmakers' office budgets to "support additional safety and security measures." That allowance is meant to pay for costs incurred as part of a member's "official and representational duties," which may include travel, rent, printing or supplies. The amount each member receives varies. The Democrats also called on Johnson to direct the House's chief law enforcement officer to "take all necessary steps" to protect members across the country. "Too many other patriotic public servants have left Congress because they no longer felt safe carrying out their duty as elected officials," they wrote. "We must act to protect each other and preserve this great American institution." The Minnesota shooting has led some lawmakers to change their daily schedules. Scholten, for example, canceled a June 16 town hall meeting in her western Michigan district "out of an abundance of caution," according to a statement. Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee is planning to send to a letter later this week to a critical House panel responsible for authorizing lawmakers' security spending that says he and his colleagues are "publicly identifiable at all times" and need "around-the-clock security services," according to a draft obtained by USA TODAY. Data from the U.S. Capitol Police shows that threats against members of Congress, their family and staff have significantly risen in the past few years, with 3,939 "concerning statements and direct threats" in 2017 to 9,474 in 2024. On June 16, a 25-year-old man was arraigned on federal charges after sending messages threatening sexual violence against Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer. House Administration Committee Chairman Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisconsin, and Morelle, the committee's ranking member, noted the escalation of threats in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on June 17. They requested Bondi assign federal prosecutors across the country who would work on at least a part-time basis to investigate and prosecute threats against members of Congress. "We are concerned that the current lack of prosecutorial capacity will allow threat behavior to persist unabated," they wrote. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawmakers' request.
Washington Post
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Defying Trump, National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet is still at work
President Donald Trump's latest attempt to assert control over an elite American cultural institution has turned into a high-stakes Washington stand-off. In defiance of Trump's announcement last Friday that he was firing her, Kim Sajet — the director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery — has continued to report for work, conducting meetings and handling other museum business as she did before, according to several people familiar with her activities who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter. Writing on Truth Social, Trump had declared he is firing Sajet because she 'is a highly partisan person' and because she is a 'strong supporter of DEI,' a reference to diversity, equity and inclusion. He said her replacement would be named shortly. Trump has not provided a legal reasoning to support his authority to fire Sajet. Two top congressional Democrats have asserted the president does not have legal authority for the firing. In a joint statement, House Administration Committee ranking Democrat Joe Morelle of New York and House Appropriations Committee ranking Democrat Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut said: 'President Trump has no authority to fire employees of the Smithsonian Institution — including the Director of the National Portrait Gallery. The dismissal of Director Sajet is unacceptable and has the same legal weight as the President's prior attempts to undermine the Smithsonian's independence: absolutely none. Should the White House require a copy of the Constitution, we would be more than happy to provide one.' Sajet's refusal to abide by Trump's decision sets up a test of the bounds of presidential authority over the Smithsonian, a sprawling complex of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo. It is not a traditional government agency nor part of the executive branch, and hiring and firing decisions have historically been handled by the Smithsonian's secretary, rather than its Board of Regents. The Smithsonian's current secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, is widely expected to discuss the president's attempt to oust Sajet when regents meet next Monday. In an only-in-Washington twist, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. — who has been presented with major questions at the Supreme Court regarding the limits of presidential authority since Trump took office — is the chancellor of the Smithsonian and a member of its board. A Trump White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Smithsonian spokesperson declined to comment. In February, Trump made another foray into American arts when he took over control of the Kennedy Center, dismissing his predecessor's appointees to its board, who then installed him as chairman and replaced the institution's director with a political ally with scant experience in the arts. The Smithsonian differs from the Kennedy Center because presidents don't appoint members to its board, which is composed of a mix of officials from all three branches of government and members of the public. But Trump is not without allies on the Smithsonian board, including Vice President JD Vance who, like Roberts, is an ex-officio member. Trump's move against Sajet follows an executive order he issued on March 27 titled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' which aims to 'restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.' A 35-year-old special assistant and senior associate staff secretary, Lindsey Halligan, was among the order's architects — instigated, in part, by her early-2025 visit to the show 'The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,' an exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which shares a building with the Portrait Gallery. The order calls for Halligan and Vice President JD Vance to 'remove improper ideology' from the Smithsonian and 'prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race.' 'President Trump's attempt to fire the National Portrait Gallery Director is outrageous and represents yet another disturbing example of his relentless effort to control American art and culture,' said Rep. Chellie Pingree (Maine), ranking Democrat of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees the Smithsonian, in a statement. 'Despite what the President may think, America's cultural institutions are not run by dictatorial impulses.' On Tuesday a White House official provided The Post a list of 17 instances in which, the White House argued, Sajet was critical of Trump or outspoken about her support for diversity, equity and inclusion. The list included her donations to Democratic politicians and advocacy groups; a social media post praising Anthony Fauci; the caption for the museum's presidential portrait of Trump mentioning his two impeachments and 'incitement of insurrection' for the events of Jan. 6, 2021; and numerous quotes from interviews in a variety of publications about her efforts to represent a broad swath of Americans within the gallery's walls. One item on the list was a quote in a 2019 USA Today story about Black artists demanding representation in American artistic institutions: 'We owe it to Americans to reflect them because we owe it to accurate history,' Sajet says. 'I'm not interested in only having a museum for some people.' The list additionally took issue with remarks Sajet has made in support of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, and criticism of Columbus Day and her rejection of one artist's 2016 portrait of Trump as 'too political.' It notes that Sajet has commissioned artworks about Mexican immigration and 'the complications of ancestral and racial history.' It was critical of her 2013 decision to use '50 percent of all money spent on art' to 'support diverse artists and portrait subjects.' Since its founding 179 years ago, the Smithsonian, which receives about 60 percent of its budget from federal appropriations and grants, has generally operated independently, although there have been several controversies in which museums have altered exhibitions in response to outside criticisms, including from politicians. Museum directors, such as Sajet — holders of some of the most prestigious positions in American arts — are not paid with federal funds, instead drawing their salaries from the Smithsonian's trust fund. Hours after Trump's post, Bunch told Smithsonian staff in an email obtained by The Washington Post that the White House also sent new details of proposed cuts to the institution's budget, slashing it by 12 percent and excluding funding for its Anacostia Community Museum and its forthcoming National Museum of the American Latino, Bunch said. On Saturday, at the Portrait Gallery and SAAM's joint family Pride celebration, a trio of visitors strolled the central courtyard in neon vests emblazoned with 'Hands off the arts' on the back — closely watched by a Smithsonian staff member, who hovered nearby. 'I'm outraged' by Sajet's firing, said Karen Nussbaum, 75, of Washington. 'There's a place for a political expression in art, but not political control of art.' 'I think the next step is controlling what artists think and do,' said Cynthia Cain, 60, of Washington, 'and that's not acceptable.' Sophia Nguyen and Janay Kingsberry contributed to this report.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats Troll Trump With Taco Jokes Amid Tariff Chaos
California Gov. Gavin Newsom led the charge Thursday as Democrats mocked President Donald Trump's tariff policies being thrown into disarray by federal judges. Speaking to the MeidasTouch podcast, Newsom weighed in on court rulings delivered within the past 24 hours that invalidated Trump's tariffs and quipped: 'It's raining tacos today.' 'It's not a good day for Donald Trump and his central economic program,' he continued. 'We're very, very pleased at this moment, this brief moment.' Newsom's taco zinger was a reference to the TACO acronym Wall Street investors have been using to degrade the president's oscillating tariff policies. The acronym stands for 'Trump always chickens out,' and was scrutinized by the president in a press conference Wednesday. Several other Democrats also followed suit with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis telling Politico Thursday that the court move against Trump's tariffs is 'the most substantial for our economy, for our prosperity.' Democratic New York Rep. Joe Morelle similarly told the outlet, 'It's interesting watching the president flail around here; he proposes tariffs and then he backs off.' 'If this is people's idea of a master negotiator, I don't know what people think a bad negotiator is,' he continued. Jon Cooper, a former campaign chair for Barack Obama, also hinged on Trump's Wall Street taco nickname in a celebratory X post Wednesday shortly after the U.S. Court of International Trade struck down his tariff policies. 'A special poem for #TacoTrump,' Cooper wrote alongside a diss poem titled 'Trump Always Chickens Out (Tariff Remix).' The U.S. Court of International Trade struck down Trump's tariffs Wednesday night, saying that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 Trump invoked when announcing his tariffs in April does not grant him 'unbounded authority.' A second federal court similarly countered the president's tariffs in a ruling Thursday, with D.C. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras again reiterating that Trump's emergency claims do 'not authorize the President to impose the tariffs set forth.' The Trump administration swiftly appealed the rulings. A federal appeals court has since temporarily reinstated Trump's tariffs as it considers the administration's request to keep the tariffs in place while litigation ensues. The decision exclusively applies to the Court of International Trade's ruling. Trump responded to the court rulings in a Truth Social post Thursday night, posting: 'Radical Left Judges, together with some very bad people, are destroying America. Under this decision, Trillions of Dollars would be lost by our Country, money that will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.' 'It would be the harshest financial ruling ever leveled on us as a Sovereign Nation,' he continued. 'The President of the United States must be allowed to protect America against those that are doing it Economic and Financial harm.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State lawmakers react to House passage of Pres. Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Following the US House's passage of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, our local representatives on both sides of the aisle are answering questions as to how exactly this would affect the everyday lives of New Yorkers. The package presents sweeping tax cuts, Medicaid reform, and changes to immigration spending. It passed the House by a narrow vote of 215 to 214 Thursday, and will now go to the Senate, which has brought forward plans of making changes. 'It's probably the worst budget in American history. It cuts back a trillion dollars on health care, nutritional systems for the poor, for the elderly, for children, all in the effort to get a large multi-trillion-dollar tax cut to the wealthiest people in the US,' said Rep. Joe Morelle, who represents New York's 25th Congressional District. There is significant pushback from Democrats, and Rep. Morelle says among direct hits to New Yorkers relying on Medicaid or programs like SNAP benefits, he also expects to see closures of rural hospitals and longer wait times at emergency rooms across the country. Republican NYS Assemblymember Josh Jensen says there is still time to reform aspects of the federal plan. 'There's still a lot of time. There's still a lot of deliberation. I think a lot of people are hearing calls of panic. I understand the concern, especially when you look at the impact to New York State's appropriation, which would be about $10 billion. I think we can have more conversations about that. I think the state should be taking the lead on a lot of this by putting some guardrails on it without creating a fiscal cliff or crisis for families. But, we should be having the conversation,' said Asm. Jensen, who represents New York's 134th Assembly District. As the plan goes before the US Senate, both the Senate and the House must pass identical pieces of legislation. 'My expectation is they're going to move quick. That's what the President has asked the Senate to do and asked for Congress as a whole to do. Certainly, if the federal government makes a spending plan that affects our state budget, we're going to have to go back and figure out, 'How are we going to react?'' said Jensen. State lawmakers have four weeks left of legislative session in Albany, where these conversations with state and federal partners will continue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
