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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said nations should prioritize safely reopening schools, warning of a “generational catastrophe” if children are deprived of public education for too long.

In a Tuesday video message, Guterres said at least 1 billion students have been affected by school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. At least 40 million children lost access to pre-school education, he said.

The pandemic, he said, has exacerbated an ongoing educational crisis in developing countries, where he said only a quarter of secondary school pupils graduated with basic skills.

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“Now we face a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress and exacerbate entrenched inequalities,” he said. “Once local transmission of COVID-19 is under control, getting students back into schools and learning institutions as safely as possible must be a top priority.”

The UN chief said that although governments must take public health into account, they should also bear in mind the school closures’ impact on wider issues like gender equality.

The continued closures, he noted, also affect issues in the development world ranging from child marriage to women’s participation in the workforce.

“The decisions that governments and partners take now will have lasting impact on hundreds of millions of young people, and on the development prospects of countries for decades to come,” Guterres said.

He added that the pandemic also presents opportunities for national and local governments to reimagine potentially outmoded educational models.

“We can take a leap towards forward-looking systems that deliver quality education for all,” he said. “We must take bold steps now, to create inclusive, resilient, quality education systems fit for the future.”

The fall school year has become a hot-button issue in the U.S., with the White House pushing for a full return to in-person schooling and threatening the funding of schools that do not fully reopen. Several school systems have announced an entirely online fall semester, and polling indicates parents broadly oppose a full reopening.

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IT’S MONDAY! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch. Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

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TVA ON THE TV: President TrumpDonald John TrumpWhite House sued over lack of sign language interpreters at coronavirus briefings Wife blames Trump, lack of masks for husband’s coronavirus death in obit: ‘May Karma find you all’ Trump authorizes reduced funding for National Guard coronavirus response through 2020 MORE on Monday signed an executive order aimed at blocking U.S. agencies from outsourcing jobs to foreign workers, a move partly sparked by outrage among some conservatives over outsourcing plans from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

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The order specifically targets the use of H-1B visas and requires federal agencies to prioritize hiring U.S. residents and green card holders before outsourcing contract jobs to foreign workers. The Department of Labor will also finalize guidance to prevent employers from moving H-1B workers to job sites that would displace American workers.

The order additionally requires federal agencies to complete an internal audit to determine whether they are only appointing U.S. citizens and nationals to government jobs in the competitive service.

H-1B visas are used for skilled workers and are common in the tech industry. They are the largest visa program of those included in Monday’s order, as such recipients can stay for multiple years.

Several TVA employees were in attendance for Monday’s announcement. TVA is a federally owned corporation created amid the Great Depression that provides utility services to parts of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky, among other states.

The company was a target of outrage among immigration hawks and some conservatives earlier this year, both because of its CEO’s high pay and because of an announcement that it would lay off roughly 60 American workers as part of outsourcing plans.

The president on Monday said he was removing two appointees to the TVA’s board of directors, including Chairman James Thompson. Trump nominated Thompson to the board in 2017.

And…he apparently had one replacement ready, nominating Charles Cook Jr., the Chairman of Bandwidth Infrastructure Holdings, LLC,  to the board Monday. 

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The president also spoke critically of its CEO, Jeff Lyash, warning that he would seek his ouster. He later said the CEO had reached out and expressed openness to reversing course on outsourcing jobs, but Trump indicated he still hoped Lyash would agree to lower his salary.

A TVA spokesperson said they were not aware of the language in the executive order prior to its release and noted that Trump does not have the sole authority to fire the CEO.

“We understand and support today’s Executive Order,” spokesperson Jim Hopson said in a statement. “We want to ensure that U.S. employees have good opportunities through our employment and supply chain practices. We look forward to working with the White House, continuing a dialogue and supporting future policies in this direction.”

Hopson noted that all TVA employees are based in the U.S. and all of its information technology workers must able to work in the country legally.

Lyash is the highest-paid federal employee in the U.S., making roughly $8 million annually, a point of contention among some conservatives. Trump was asked about Lyash’s pay during an April press briefing, calling it “ridiculous.” TVA responded at the time by noting that taxpayer money does not go toward compensation or benefits to Lyash.

Read more about the president’s actions here.

 

FACING A NEW PHASE: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving ahead with the second phase of returning employees to the office, prompting concerns from employees as the agency’s internal dashboard shows an uptick in cases.

The new guidelines don’t force employees back to the office, but they kick off new restrictions on telework.

“Telework is at the option of the employee but you should notify your supervisor if you choose to telework. Facilities are open and employees have the option to return to the workplace,” EPA Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump order aims to curb US agencies’ use of foreign workers after TVA outrage | EPA transition back to the office alarms employees | Hundreds of green groups oppose BLM nominee EPA transition back to the office alarms employees OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Latest Trump proposal on endangered species could limit future habitat, critics say | House-passed spending bill would block Pebble Mine construction | Interior sends 100K pages of documents to House MORE wrote to employees in an email obtained by The Hill.

Employees are also expected to return to normal work schedules unless they have “dependent care issues.”

Unions representing EPA employees expressed alarm to the sudden change in status.

“What the email failed to mention is that this week’s update to the Facility Status Dashboard indicates that HQ does not meet all the criteria set forth in the guidelines,” the National Treasury Employee Union, which represents some EPA employees, said in a release.

The changes are in effect for EPA employees in the Washington, D.C. area as well as Boston and other locations.

But internal EPA data for D.C. shows the 14-day trend of new cases is up, and the 14-day incidence rate of new cases is 141.6 per 100,000 people, not under 10 per 100,000 as the agency set forth in its initial guidelines.

“The dashboard is the not the sole driver in reopening decisions but rather helps form decisions,” EPA spokesperson James Hewitt said by email. 

“Moving into Phase 2 doesn’t put any staff at additional risk as it gives employees the option to telework.  The Phase 2 reopening for the Capital Region is also determined by guidance from local and state officials.”

Read more about the agency’s plans here.

 

LOTS OF OPPOSITION: More than 300 environmental groups are calling on senators to vote against President Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), arguing William Perry Pendley should be disqualified because of his history of controversial comments and opposition to federal ownership of public lands.

Pendley was nominated at the end of June but has been serving as the agency’s acting director since July 2019 through a series of temporary orders that have since been challenged in court.

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Pendley’s presence at the BLM sparked immediate pushback from critics who cited his earlier support for selling off public lands.

“Mr. Pendley’s public record over decades both in and outside of government have made abundantly clear that he is abjectly unfit to lead any government agency and particularly the BLM,” the groups wrote in a letter Monday to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has not yet set a date for his confirmation hearing.

The groups, which consist of almost every major U.S. environmental organization including the Natural Resource Defense Council and Sierra Club, as well as a handful of civil rights groups, said the Senate has a “constitutional and moral duty to reject the nomination.”

They added that his disqualifications include “radical anti-conservation positions, a deeply held belief antithetical to the agency’s mission that public lands should be privatized, virtually unprecedented conflicts of interest and ethical issues, a history of supporting anti-government extremists, and a track record of dismantling the very agency he is tasked with managing.”

Read more here. 

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CHAIRMAN TESTS POSITIVE: House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has tested positive for COVID-19 after being in Washington, D.C., last week, becoming the latest member of Congress to be diagnosed with the disease.

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“While I cannot blame anyone directly for this, this week has shown that there are some Members of Congress who fail to take this crisis seriously,” Grijalva said in a statement. 

Grijalva, who is the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, had been self-quarantining at his D.C., residence last week after chairing a hearing attended by Rep. Louie GohmertLouis (Louie) Buller GohmertOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump order aims to curb US agencies’ use of foreign workers after TVA outrage | EPA transition back to the office alarms employees | Hundreds of green groups oppose BLM nominee Interior stresses ‘showing up for work’ after Grijalva tests positive for coronavirus Trump’s junk medicine puts his own supporters at deadly risk MORE (R-Texas), who tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday.

Gohmert tested positive during a screening at the White House before he was supposed to accompany President Trump on a trip to Texas. The lawmaker is one of the House members who has been seen without a mask in recent weeks.

It is unclear where exactly Grijalva contracted COVID-19. The Arizona Democrat said in his statement Saturday that he was asymptomatic and felt “fine,” but he criticized House Republicans who have been resistant to wearing masks around the Capitol complex.

“Numerous Republican members routinely strut around the Capitol without a mask to selfishly make a political statement at the expense of their colleagues, staff, and their families,” he said. 

“I’m pleased that [Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiHillicon Valley: Trump backs potential Microsoft, TikTok deal, sets September deadline | House Republicans request classified TikTok briefing | Facebook labels manipulated Pelosi video Trump says he’s considering executive action to suspend evictions, payroll tax Trump won’t say if he disagrees with Birx that virus is widespread MORE (D-Calif.)] has mandated the use of masks at the Capitol to keep members and staff safe from those looking to score quick political points,” he added.

And the Interior Department talked about “showing up for work” in its response to the news….

“We wish Chairman [Raúl] Grijalva a speedy recovery. He’s paid a lot of money by the American people to be an elected official – a job he sought and was entrusted to uphold – and showing up for work like millions of other dedicated public servants, such as our law enforcement officers and firefighters, is true leadership,” Interior said in a statement.

Interior and Grijalva have repeatedly feuded, and the statement underscored the department’s insistence that hearings should be in person and not remotely, even during the pandemic.

Read about Grijalva testing positive here and read more about Interior’s response here. 

 

ON TAP TOMORROW:

President Trump is expected to sign the Great American Outdoors Act into law. The bill would provide permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and attempt to address a maintenance backlog at national parks 

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY:

The Guardian looks at the US lawyers rolling back wildlife protection one species at a time

Life and death in our hot future will be shaped by today’s income inequality, Bloomberg reports

Noble Corp. files massive bankruptcy in Houston, the Houston Business Journal reports

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon up 28% in July, worrying experts, The Associated Press reports

ICYMI: Stories from Monday and the weekend…

Global coal capacity shrinks in first half of 2020 for the first time on record

Governors declare emergency as hurricane bears down on East Coast

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The coronavirus recession is taking an axe to revenue streams for key government programs like Social Security, Medicare and highway infrastructure.

The high rate of unemployment during the pandemic means fewer payroll taxes are being collected to fund Medicare and Social Security, and less driving means the federal gas tax isn’t bringing in as much money for the Highway Trust Fund as it normally does.

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Many of those programs, which Congress established with dedicated funding, were already on borrowed time before the pandemic hit, but the record economic downturn in the second quarter and the deteriorating labor market are accelerating their decline.

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The Social Security retirement fund, for example, was previously projected to run out of money in 2036, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model. Now, a worst-case pandemic scenario could bump that up to 2032.

The Highway Trust Fund, which was already set to run dry in 2022, is now on track to empty its tank next year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB). Funding for Medicare Hospital Insurance is expected to be depleted in 2024 instead of 2026.

The same CRFB model shows Social Security’s Disability Insurance fund running out of money in the coming decade instead of the 2030s.

A lack of funds would force Congress to choose between raising taxes, borrowing more, or cutting funds to other programs. Alternatively, lawmakers could just leave the programs insolvent, which would result in severe benefit cuts.

Republicans are hoping to tackle the issue by including legislation called the TRUST Act in the COVID-19 relief package under negotiation with Democrats.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyTrump tests GOP loyalty with election tweet and stimulus strategy On The Money: GDP shrinks by record amount in second quarter amid virus lockdowns | Jobless claims rise for second straight week | McConnell tees up fight on unemployment benefits Overnight Defense: Pompeo pressed on move to pull troops from Germany | Panel abruptly scraps confirmation hearing | Trump meets family of slain soldier MORE (R-Utah), would require Congress to appoint bipartisan committees to come up with plans for each ailing fund starting next year. If the committees can agree on a plan, they would receive an up-or-down vote in each chamber.

“Among its many devastating effects, COVID-19 has threatened the fiscal health of essential programs like Medicare and Social Security,” Romney said.

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“If Congress does not respond quickly, the day of insolvency for these programs will now come years sooner than expected.”

The legislation has support from centrist Democrats like Sens. Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinOvernight Energy: Official says protesters not cleared from Lafayette Square for Trump | Trump administration blasts banks refusing to fund Arctic drilling | 2019 coal production hit lowest level since 1978 OVERNIGHT ENERGY: National Guardsman says removing protesters from Lafayette Square was an ‘unprovoked escalation’ | EPA watchdog kicks off probe after agency slashed fuel efficiency regs | Trump offers new FERC nominees Trump makes two FERC nominations, potentially rebalancing commission MORE (W.Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) and Mark WarnerMark Robert WarnerVirginia governor, senators request CDC aid with coronavirus outbreak at immigrant detention facility Hillicon Valley: House panel grills tech CEOs during much anticipated antitrust hearing | TikTok to make code public as it pushes back against ‘misinformation’ | House Intel panel expands access to foreign disinformation evidence House Intel Committee votes to give all members access to foreign disinformation evidence MORE (Va.), and even a few left-leaning organizations.

Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, who both co-chaired the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform in 2010, are among those who have endorsed Romney’s bill.

“While most people in Washington would prefer to put — or leave! — their heads in the sand, the TRUST Act would create a truly bipartisan process to save these important programs,” they said in a joint statement.

Experts from the Brookings Institution and the Progressive Policy Institute also gave their nod of approval, as did the CRFB.

But House Democrats aren’t on board, posing a considerable roadblock to the bill’s inclusion in a final COVID-19 relief measure, particularly with Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiDemocrats reject short-term deal ahead of unemployment deadline GOP lawmakers comply with Pelosi’s mask mandate for House floor Trump tests GOP loyalty with election tweet and stimulus strategy MORE (D-Calif.) as one of the lead Democratic negotiators engaging with Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinDemocrats reject short-term deal ahead of unemployment deadline Trump tests GOP loyalty with election tweet and stimulus strategy Shaheen, Chabot call for action on new round of PPP loans MORE and White House chief of staff Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsDemocrats reject short-term deal ahead of unemployment deadline Trump tests GOP loyalty with election tweet and stimulus strategy Senate rejects dueling coronavirus bills as unemployment cliff looms MORE.

“The TRUST Act is a shameless ploy to slash and burn Medicare and Social Security as we know it, under the guise of an allegedly innocuous commission,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauroRosa Luisa DeLauroLobbyists see wins, losses in GOP coronavirus bill Public health groups denounce new Trump move sidelining CDC Will Congress provide relief to the ailing child care sector? MORE (D-Conn.), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services and education.

“Leave it to Republicans to actively seek to harm our nation’s seniors and most vulnerable during a pandemic,” she added.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard NealRichard Edmund NealPelosi huddles with chairmen on surprise billing but deal elusive House approves two child care bills aimed at pandemic Top Democrat: Stimulus payments in GOP plan shortchange dependents MORE (D-Mass.) said he was “troubled” by the bill, saying closed-door commissions could not be trusted to protect vulnerable beneficiaries.

“In 2010, a similar closed-door commission made cuts to the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA); hiked the retirement age (which is an across-the-board benefit cut for all retirees); changed the Social Security benefit formula to reduce the amount people receive each month; and made cuts to Medicare that forced seniors and individuals with disabilities to pay more for drugs, doctor visits, and hospital care by increasing cost-sharing like co-pays,” he said in a statement on the TRUST Act.

Supporters of the legislation argue such critiques are overblown and note that Democrats will have the power to appoint half the people on the committees, which won’t be allowed to report out their proposed fixes without bipartisan support.

The recommendations would need to clear a 60-vote procedural hurdle in the Senate and approval in the House.

Some experts aren’t holding their breath, even if Romney’s bill becomes law.

Charles Blahous, a fiscal expert at the right-leaning Mercatus Center, says the process is likely to end in failure.

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“The track record of process-based solutions is not a good one,” he said, pointing to the Simpson-Bowles commission which was unable to advance a plan, let alone get it signed into law. 

“One could not fairly say that the chances of success are high. But God bless them for trying,” Blahous added.

Paul Van de Water, a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, also has doubts.

“The question raised by the TRUST Act is whether this is the right mechanism to do it. One of my concerns is that this is a very short process,” he said, noting the five-month timeline in the legislation.

“There’s not a lot of time to think through all the important issues,” he added.

Van de Water says that even without the TRUST Act, Congress is unlikely to simply let the funds run out.

“It would be better if something were done earlier, but we’re more likely to get something comprehensive through the normal process,” he said.

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Proponents of action sooner rather than later argue that the normal process will create anxiety for millions of retirees and end up costing more.

“When today’s youngest retirees turn 73, they can expect an abrupt 23 percent cut in their Social Security benefits under current law,” said CRFB President Maya MacGuineas.

“This is no longer about saving these programs for our grandchildren. The benefits of our grandparents are vulnerable,” she added.

Updated at 10:00 a.m.

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WWE legends Edge and Christian recently interviewed WWE United States Champion AJ Styles on their E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness. Below are the highlights from the interview:
On Vince McMahon’s call to have AJ Styles beat Kevin Owens for the U.S. Championship at the recent WWE MSG live event: “To me, it’s smart. It’s something that hasn’t been done in a long time and to do it at Madison Square Garden and everybody with WWE knows that’s a big deal. I think it was awesome. I think it was very clever and I loved it. There was a pop, ‘he won! Yes!’ but, ‘well, who’s going to walk out there?’ and then, there was another pop because nobody walked out there. It was really cool, but it was smart to not do that every year, but every couple of years to do something like that. I think it just came down to doing something different and it was Vince’s call and no one else’s. And yeah, it was great.”
On if he feels the WWE Championship could change hands at a SmackDown Live house show: “You never know. And who knows? When the guys wrestling, whoever it may be wrestling Jinder Mahal, they may switch it. If you’ve got John Cena working Jinder Mahal on the main event or whatever, it could possibly happen. That’s a good idea. That’s a business move to some extent.”

On wanting to work big programs with the likes of Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Seth Rollins and Rusev: “I have yet to wrestle Rusev and I think that would be really fun, to wrestle a guy like him. But there are guys on the RAW side that I haven’t really been in the ring with like Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor. I think people want to see. I’ve never worked Shinsuke Nakamura on US soil, so that could be a big deal as well.”
On his goal to headline a future WrestleMania event: “I would like to somehow find myself back at the main event. Everybody wants to be in the main event of WrestleMania. I’ll keep climbing that ladder and see where it takes me, but there’s nothing better than being a part of WrestleMania except being in the main event of WrestleMania.”
You can listen to the entire interview of AJ Styles from Edge and Christian’s E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness at Art19.com.