Wednesday, May 16, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), today released new information that confirms the White House played a pivotal role in cutting a “deal” with the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the details of which have never been fully disclosed to the public. The latest revelations come as part of an ongoing investigation launched more than a year ago to allow Congress and the American public to understand the process that was used to write legislation that fundamentally transformed the nation's health care system.   Read More >

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns (R-FL) today issued the following statement on the ongoing investigation into the FCC's handling of the license and waivers granted to support deployment of a terrestrial broadband network by LightSquared, potential GPS interference issues, and the FCC's continued management of the nation's airwaves:   Read More >

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

American families and businesses continue to struggle with high gas prices. High energy prices don’t just affect Americans at the pump, they contribute to the costs of products families consume every day. But instead of offering relief, the president has only offered excuses, blaming high prices on speculators and calling for higher taxes. In fact, the president’s policies have only made things worse by preparing layers of expensive new regulations and embargoing our own energy resources from ourselves.   Read More >

Friday, May 11, 2012

After several Energy and Commerce Committee members called attention to coal’s exclusion in President Obama’s new energy infographic, the website was quickly changed to replace “fuel efficiency” with “clean coal.”   Read More >

Thursday, May 10, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – The House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), today unanimously approved the “Food and Drug Administration Reform Act,” H.R. 5651, by a vote of 46 to 0. The legislation ensures continuation of various FDA programs, including the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and Medical Device User Fee Act, and authorizes new user fee programs, the Generic Drug User Fee Act and Biosimilars User Fee Act, to facilitate the review and approval of life-saving and life-improving drugs and medical devices. As part of the agreement, FDA will commit to certain performance goals, fostering more interaction, predictability, and certainty between industry and FDA. The legislation also includes reforms to ensure patients receive quality care and timely access to new therapies while promoting innovation and job creation. Click here to read a legislative summary.   Read More >

Thursday, May 10, 2012

This week, I began negotiations with House and Senate colleagues on a transportation package to support jobs and infrastructure, and the good news is, there's an infrastructure project with shovel-ready jobs that we can include in this legislation, and it won't cost taxpayers a dime: the Keystone XL pipeline, which will carry Canadian energy supplies to American refineries.   Read More >

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of its ongoing effort to save taxpayer dollars, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), today held a hearing on “Budget and Spending Concerns at HHS.” This is the fourth in a series of hearings on the administration’s efforts to identify wasteful, duplicative, or excessive spending by agencies within the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee. As the nation’s debt approaches $16 trillion, this hearing provided an opportunity to examine the results of HHS’ spending-reduction initiatives through the proposed FY 2013 budget, as well as to assist HHS in finding more spending cuts and savings, pursuant to the president’s ordered line-by-line review. Carolyn Yocom and James Cosgrove from the Government Accountability Office and HHS budget chief Norris Cochran testified this morning.   Read More >

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power, chaired by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), continued its American Energy Initiative series today with a hearing to discuss two pieces of bipartisan legislation to improve America’s power generation.   Read More >

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Earlier this year, President Obama began traveling around the country to road-test the slogan “we can’t wait.” He used the phrase to justify a whole host of policies on which he wanted to bypass Congress, claiming the need to move quickly because, "we can't wait." But his message fell flat after he stalled and eventually rejected the Keystone XL pipeline. It turns out President Obama is the one making the American people wait. The president has now unveiled a new message giving to Congress a 'to do list'. At a speech yesterday in Albany, NY, he assigned Congress a series of tasks featuring job creation as a top priority. But once again, the president's slogan belies his own actions. The president could easily check an important job creation opportunity off the nation's "to do list" by approving the Keystone XL pipeline. After three and a half years of review and two permit applications, the president has yet to say “yes” to this vital energy infrastructure project that will support thousands of new jobs.   Read More >