Good afternoon, all. The capital is buzzing with Inauguration Day prep, and several high-profile Cabinet nominees are no doubt anxiously anticipating their hearings on the Hill this week.

Doug Collins, President-elect Donald Trump’s chosen Secretary of the VA, will lead the pack with his confirmation hearing tomorrow morning. Our team will be up bright and early to watch the new Senate Veterans Affairs Committee ask their questions and set the pace for the next few years.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee is set to hold a business meeting on Thursday, formally introducing its new members and adopting the committee rules for the 119th Congress. We are excited to welcome everyone and continue working with them on behalf of our nation’s veterans.

In this week’s Nimitz Report:

• Deputy SecVA nominee: Paul R. Lawrence tapped for role in new administration

• Disgruntled President-elect: Frustrated Trump presses Hill Republicans on the national debt

• Good news from the VA: Veterans homelessness and unemployment rates down at the end of 2024

✔️ Confirmation hearings: ‘Tis the season for formally questioning the President-elect’s Cabinet nominees. More information on the ones we’re watching closely can be found below.

WHO’S HAVING EVENTS THIS WEEK?

Tuesday, January 14th

• ✅ Full Committee Nomination Hearing: “Nomination of the Honorable Douglas A. Collins to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs,” Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) at 9 am. Watch here.

Wednesday, January 15th

• 🎉 Joint HillVets & DAV Welcome to Congress Party at 5 pm. More information here.

Thursday, January 16th

• 👔 Full Committee Business Meeting: House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) at 9 am. More information here.

NEWS DRIVING THE WEEK

Congressional News

This week, the Senate will begin holding confirmation hearings for Trump’s Cabinet nominees. One of the most controversial picks is scheduled for Tuesday morning as Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth makes his way to Capitol Hill. Hegseth has made himself widely available to GOP Senators, meeting with several members in the weeks following his nomination in mid-November. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are “fuming” as the nominee has allegedly failed to provide them with requested vetting information.

President-elect Donald Trump is placing major pressure on Republicans to find a way to avoid defaulting on the national debt. Trump’s frustration with his party grew after the Senate GOP failed to raise the debt limit in last month’s government funding deal. The buck has passed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, according to an inside source. A debt limit increase is not expected to be included in the upcoming budget reconciliation package.

Veteran News

Over the weekend, Trump announced his pick for the Deputy Secretary of the VA, Dr. Paul R. Lawrence. Lawrence served as the VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits in Trump’s first administration. The President-elect voiced his support for the nominee, claiming he will care for veterans and ensure they are “treated with the respect they deserve.” Lawrence is a veteran himself, having served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. For more information on Trump’s recent Cabinet nominees, click here.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, veterans saw a 2.8% unemployment rate in the final monthly jobs report of the Biden administration. This number was well below the national average of 4.1% last month. Statistics for post-9/11 veterans showed that their unemployment rate rose from 3.1% in November to 3.9% in December. Kevin Rasch from the Wounded Warrior Project said that “we’re still in a good place” for veterans in the job market moving into the new year and new administration.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced its findings from the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count for estimating the number of Americans without permanent housing. Results indicate a record low in veteran homelessness since the measurement began in 2009. An 11.7% reduction in veterans experiencing homelessness was observed since 2020, reflecting a 55.6% reduction since 2010. The VA is attributing these successes to the department’s outreach, residential, and permanent housing services.

National News

On Friday, President-elect Trump received an unconditional discharge for his criminal conviction in New York. He will not face prison time, fines, or any other penalties for his 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Though planned appeals could drag on for several years, Anna Cominsky, director of the criminal defense clinic at New York Law School, commented that “we should want to move on, in particular as he assumes the role of president, and be able to look forward to the next four years without this sentence pending.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

FOR FUN

What a weekend for football lovers, especially those Washington Commanders fans! We have compared our team’s picks for the Super Bowl champions from the beginning of the season to now. We chose wisely in most cases; nevertheless, here are the final predictions:

• Justin (CEO): Kansas City Chiefs (same, though rooting for the Washington Commanders)

• Danielle (Junior Partner): Detroit Lions (same)

• Essam (Junior Partner): Philadelphia Eagles (same)

• Nicole (Social Media & Communications Coordinator): Washington Commanders (same)

• Rita (Operations Coordinator): Detroit Lions (picked San Francisco 49ers in September)

• Dallas (Director of Programs, HillVets): Kansas City Chiefs (same)

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