View source for Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (2020 Presidential transition)

{{TB 2020 Book 3}}
[[File:Congress building.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Washington Capital]]

The [[Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs]] (CI) manages overall relations with [[United States Congress|Members of Congress]] and supports the [[Secretary of Energy|Secretary]] as the chief strategic advisor on all interactions with congressional and state officials. [[Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs|CI]] also facilitates the confirmation process of all DOE Senate confirmed officials and notifies Congressional members and State officials of DOE announcements, initiatives, proposals, and grants which may affect their respective jurisdictions, across the full range of DOE’s energy, national security, environmental, and science and technology missions, and assures any appropriate follow-up is provided.
== Mission Statement ==
To promote the Secretary’s, Department’s, and Administration’s policies, legislative initiatives, and budget requests with the Congress, State, territorial, Tribal, and local government officials, and other Federal agencies. CI is also responsible for managing and overseeing the Department’s liaison with Members of Congress, other levels of governments, and stakeholders, which includes consumer liaison and public interest groups.
== Budget ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Fiscal Year !! Budget 
|-
| FY 2019 enacted	 || $6,200,000
|-
| FY 2020 enacted || 	$4,395,000
|-
| FY 2021 requested ||$5,626,000
|}
== Human Resources ==
FY 2020 authorized [[Full-time equivalent|full-time equivalents]] (FTEs): 33
== Functions ==
The CI functions are organized around the following major constituency groups: Congressional, Intergovernmental, Tribal, and External Affairs.
=== Congressional Affairs ===
CI provides oversight, management, and direction of legislative strategies in connection with the Department’s policy and program initiatives, and ensures that the Department’s positions are properly communicated with the Congress. CI provides advice and guidance to the Secretary, [[Deputy Secretary of Energy|Deputy Secretary]], and [[Under Secretaries]] on policy issues and Members’ interests and concerns, and facilitates accurate, timely information and responses to the Congress. Congressional interactions and hearings on [[National Nuclear Security Administration]] (NNSA) issues are handled by the NNSA [[Office of External Affairs (National Nuclear Security Administration)|Office of External Affairs]]. Issues involving appropriations and appearances before the appropriations committees are handled by the External Coordination Office in the [[Office of the Chief Financial Officer]] (CFO).
== Hearings ==
CI prepares Departmental officials for congressional hearings, including  confirmation,  programmatic, and oversight hearings before authorizing committees. CI works in close coordination with the CFO, which leads preparations for budget hearings. In this capacity, CI manages testimony development, prepares DOE officials for engaging in hearings, and manages the Department’s response to questions for the record. The Department’s primary authorizing committees are: Senate Energy and Natural Resources; Senate Armed Services; House Energy and Commerce; House Armed Services; and House Science and Technology.
== Budget ==
CI works in partnership with the CFO and [[Office of Public Affairs|Public Affairs]] offices on an annual basis as the CFO leads coordination and preparation of Departmental officials for the roll-out of the President’s Budget to Congress. This includes multiple meetings, briefings, and hearings before the congressional committees of jurisdiction. and prepares all Departmental officials for meetings, briefings, site visits, and engagements with Members of Congress, Congressional staff, or committees. CI notifies Congressional members of DOE announcements, initiatives, proposals, and grants which may affect their respective states across DOE’s energy, national security, environmental, and science and technology missions, and assures any appropriate follow-up is provided. The CFO manages and coordinates briefings for the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee staff in the House and Senate and provides all notifications to the appropriations committees, as needed.
== Legislation ==
CI provides counsel, advice, and support on all legislative and non-legislative initiatives of Congress and the legislative implications of major Departmental programs and policies. CI works in counsel with the Office of General Counsel who officially manages, and catalogues, all legislation introduced to Congress that could affect DOE programs. The CFO leads the engagement with the appropriations committees on DOE annual funding bills.
== Oversight and Investigations ==
CI coordinates with the [[Office of the General Counsel|Office of General Counsel]] in managing Congressional oversight and investigations requests, including the document production process.
=== Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IGEA) ===
CI maintains ongoing communications with governors, state legislators, tribal, and local officials across the country. CI proactively engages stakeholders to ensure that their views are considered as part of the Department’s decision making process. CI also communicates routinely with all relevant stakeholders on DOE announcements, initiatives, proposals, and grants, and assures appropriate follow-up.

The Department has a physical presence in 30 states. Of those, much of CI’s focus is on 12 states where multiple, ongoing DOE missions are executed ([[California]], [[Colorado]], [[Idaho]], [[Illinois]], [[Ohio]], [[Kentucky]], [[Nevada]], [[New York]], [[New Mexico]], [[South Carolina]], [[Tennessee]], and [[Washington]]).

CI interacts on a regular basis with intergovernmental and tribal associations including but not limited to: the [[National Governors Association]]; regional governors associations; National Association of Attorneys General; [[National Congress of American Indians]]; [[National League of Cities]]; National Conference of State Legislatures; National Association of Counties; U.S. Conference of Mayors; [[Southern States Energy Board]]; and the [[National Association of State Energy Officials]]. The focus of CI’s work with these organizations is to communicate the activities of DOE programs, policies, and initiatives and solicit these groups’ views, comments, and concerns. These efforts extend to a broad group of constituencies, to include business/industry, civic groups, colleges, universities, foundations, trade associations, and energy-oriented organizations.
=== Tribal Affairs ===
CI engages with the 566 federally-recognized tribes, and the tribes’ more than 250 reservations. This includes: advising and informing DOE senior officials on the potential impacts of Departmental programs on tribal interests and culture; developing and enhancing working relationships with Tribal leaders and organizations and entities working with tribal governments; representing DOE with sovereign Tribal governments and at tribal meetings and conferences; and recommending policies and procedures for on-going collaboration between DOE and tribes.
== Recent Organization Accomplishments ==
CI has accomplished the following activities during the course of the 116th Congress.
=== Successful Nomination Hearings ===
During the course of FY 20 CI has supported the timely execution of multiple nominations hearing including the nomination of a new Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Energy. Earlier in the Congress CI also helped facilitate nomination hearings for the [[Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy]], the [[Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy|Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy]], the [[Assistant Secretary of Energy (Environmental Management)|Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management]], the [[General Counsel]], the [[Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy]], and others

=== Congressional Hearings ===
CI has supported Departmental participation in 52 hearings over the course of FY19/20 and helped to provide responses to 962 questions from Member of Congress.
=== State Negotiations ===
CI has been integral in maintaining and advancing relationships with stakeholders at the state level. In some cases CI has been a key partner in bringing states to the negotiating table to resolve differences and advance mutually beneficial solutions to shared challenges.
=== Congressional Engagement ===
CI has also helped to facilitate approximately 500 congressional member and staff briefings and advance congressional and intergovernmental notification of nearly 200 important DOE priorities, events, advancements, and funding announcements.
=== Industry Engagement ===
CI held numerous conference calls and industry roundtables over the course of the year to connect energy industries and stakeholders with Departmental leadership to help inform, and advance, DOE policies. These conversations spanned all of the applied energy sectors and helped inform the Department’s, and Administration’s, response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to major disruptions in energy markets resulting from that event.
=== Tribal and Arctic equities ===
CI continues to be a key component in planning, organizing, and executing the Department’s interactions with tribes.  This includes participation in the Indian Country Energy and Infrastructure Working Group and in planning, organizing, and conducting the National Tribal Energy Summit which occurs every two years. CI also helped advance the Department’s re-establishment of the Arctic Energy Office in Fairbanks, Alaska.
== Leadership Challenges ==
CI leadership challenges include:
=== Financial Constraints ===
CI received a reduction of $1.9 million in funding as part of the FY 2020 appropriations process. This has created a situation where the office faces significant funding constraints to accomplish its mission. CI has implemented aggressive cost cutting, is working with the [[Office of the Chief Financial Officer]] to gain additional funding and remain solvent, and has requested increased financial resources as part of the FY21 and FY22 budget process.
=== New Administration Confirmation ===
Manage the [[Presidential Appointments with Senate confirmation|confirmation process]] for new Administration officials in a smooth and timely manner with fewer staff given the political nature of CI’s workforce.
=== Stakeholder Coordination ===
Coordinate a high volume of stakeholder inquiries in the new Administration’s energy priorities and leadership. Historically, CI has also organized roundtable events to connect the newly installed Secretary with organizations representing major energy industries and elected officials.
=== Staffing Resource Constraints ===
CI has an authorized staff level of 33 employees of these approximately 20 are [[Schedule C|Schedule-C]] positions. CI will lose more than half of its workforce during a transition making management of constrained staff resources while Schedule-C positions are filled an ongoing challenge. This is exacerbated by the fact that the beginning of the calendar year is often a busy time for CI due to the rollout of the President’s budget request and required associated hearings and briefings.
== Critical Events and Action Items ==
=== 3-month events ===
* Prepare the incoming DOE Secretary nominee for confirmation hearings, including DOE program briefings and congressional courtesy visits.
* Develop issue-specific questions and answers, and briefings and background information on new Administration DOE and legislative issues.
* Manage confirmed DOE Secretary’s initial round of congressional hearings.
* Advise on and schedule appropriate Secretarial participation in “Big Seven” Intergovernmental Groups’ Annual Washington DC Meetings (occurring in February and March) and conduct “meet-and- greet” roundtables with major energy industry trade associations if deemed appropriate.
=== 6-month events ===
* Manage the confirmation process for all DOE nominees (anticipate 2-4 nomination hearings to include waves of multiple nominees in each hearing) 
* Finalize and begin implementing an outreach and communications strategy with Members of Congress and leaders of major constituent groups (e.g., industry, environmental, academic groups).
* Rollout the FY 2022 revised DOE Budget Request to Congress.
* Manage program oversight and issue hearings for Program Secretarial Offices.
* Coordinate the DOE Secretary and Deputy Secretary congressional, intergovernmental, and external affairs engagements during anticipated travel and tours of the DOE complex and field sites.
* Assist with Departmental priorities for inclusion in major legislative packages to include, but not limited to, the National Defense Authorization Act, and other major legislative packages that could contain DOE equities.
=== 12-month events ===
* Continue execution of the outreach and communications strategy with Members of Congress and leaders of major constituent groups (e.g., industry, environmental, academic groups).
* Continue engagement and outreach on annual legislative priorities.
* Develop and implement August congressional recess travel schedule for the DOE Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretaries.
* Assist the CFO with engagement on conference negotiations of appropriations legislation.

== Organizational Chart  ==
[[File:Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs org chart - 2020 Transition book.png|800x800px]]

== Links ==

=== Internal ===

* [[Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs]]

=== External ===

* [https://www.energy.gov/ Department of Energy]
* [https://www.energy.gov/congressional/office-congressional-and-intergovernmental-affairs/ Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs]
* [https://www.energy.gov/congressional/working-us/congressional-affairs/ Congressional Affairs]
* [https://www.energy.gov/congressional/working-us/intergovernmental-external-affairs/ Intergovernmental and External Affairs]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Book 3 (2020 Transition)]]