Zoe Lofgren
11/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/13/2026 10:28
Ranking Member Lofgren Notifies Agencies, Companies, and Individuals Tied to Committee Oversight to Preserve All Records
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), sent letters to over 30 companies, individuals, and federal agencies informing them to preserve their records. Letter recipients include companies and individuals with ties to ongoing Science Committee Democratic investigations and agencies over which the Committee has jurisdiction.
In her letters to individuals and private companies, the Ranking Member writes:
"This letter serves to formally notify you of your obligation to identify, retain, and preserve all information and materials in your possession or control, including personal property if applicable, that could potentially be relevant to the Committee's oversight. You must preserve all information and materials subject to this obligation until further notice. … Failure to act as instructed may be interpreted as the deliberate obstruction of Congress's power of inquiry. The Committee reserves the right to respond accordingly."
In her letters to agency leaders, the Ranking Member sites the Federal Records Act:
"The Federal Records Act and the regulations promulgated to implement it require the head of each federal agency to safeguard against the removal or loss of agency records. Records and documentation regarding policies, decisions, procedures, transactions, and deliberations are subject to these statutory preservation requirements. The requirement to preserve records extends to applicable government documents and communications on personal property and in encrypted electronic messaging applications. Additionally, other records of interest may be covered by The Presidential Records Act."
Letter recipients:
USA Rare Earth, Inc.(link is external)
Barbara Humpton(link is external)
Travis Boeker(link is external)
G. Michael Brown(link is external)
John Christy(link is external)
Judith Curry(link is external)
Steve Koonin(link is external)
Ross McKitrick(link is external)
Geoffrey Jervis(link is external)
Cantor Fitzgerald(link is external)
Cathy Tripodi(link is external)
Scott McIntosh(link is external)
Ryan Whitley(link is external)
Scott Coulter(link is external)
Riley Sennott(link is external)
Alexander Simonpour(link is external)
Travis Fisher(link is external)
Joshua Loucks(link is external)
Scott Rayder(link is external)
National Science Foundation (NSF)(link is external)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)(link is external)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)(link is external)
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)(link is external)
Department of Commerce (DOC)(link is external)
Department of Energy (DOE)(link is external)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(link is external)
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)(link is external)
Zoe Lofgren published this content on November 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 13, 2026 at 16:28 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]