{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://pallone.house.gov/press-release/pallone-cummings-seek-answers-trump-transition%E2%80%99s-doe-questionnaire", "Pallone & Cummings Seek Answers on Trump Transitions DOE Questionnaire", "2016-12-14", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Frank Pallone", "P000034", "pallone.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\u201cThese efforts may be an attempt to apply an ideological \u2018litmus test\u2019 to career civil servants\u201d\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Frank (NJ-06), ), the Ranking Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member, sent a\u00a0letter\u00a0to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, the head of the Trump transition team, seeking answers after the transition team sought to identify Department of Energy (DOE) employees and contractors who worked on or participated in international climate talks.\u00a0\n\u201cWe are concerned that these efforts may be an attempt to apply an ideological \u2018litmus test\u2019 to career civil servants, which runs counter to the principles of a merit-based civil service and the prohibition against discrimination against civil servants on the basis of political affiliation,\u201d Pallone and Cummings wrote.\nThe members continued, \u201cWe are concerned that these efforts to single out particular Department employees involved in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may be an attempt to target DOE employees whose scientific views on climate change differ from those of the incoming Trump Administration.\u00a0 While the new Administration is entitled to select political appointees who share the President-Elect\u2019s views on climate change, any effort to retaliate against, undermine, demote, or marginalize civil servants on the basis of their scientific analysis would be an abuse of authority.\u201d\nThe two Democratic committee leaders asked the transition team to provide the memorandum and questionnaire sent to DOE, as well as any similar requests that were sent to other federal agencies seeking the identification of civil service personnel in order to obtain the political policy opinions of individual civil servants.\nA copy of the letter is available\u00a0here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://pallone.house.gov/press-release/pallone-cummings-seek-answers-trump-transition%E2%80%99s-doe-questionnaire"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1249037235975266, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}