Welcome to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Wireless Technology.”   “Good morning, and welcome to the first hearing in the Communications and Technology subcommittee of the 119th Congress. “I am honored to serve as the Chairman of this subcommittee, where there’s a rich history of identifying and addressing the most pressing issues raised in the communications and technology sectors. “As technology continues to advance, this subcommittee will be at the forefront of solving tough issues. “The subcommittee has historically worked in a bipartisan manner to solve many of the issues before us, and I plan to continue that tradition working with my Ranking Member, Representative Matsui. “I have admired and respected her bipartisan work and accomplishments as a leader in this space and look forward to working together and learning from her. “I am grateful for the work Chairman Latta brought to this subcommittee and I’m looking forward to continuing it and learning from him as well. “I’m also excited to work with my Vice Chair Mr. Rick Allen, and all my colleagues on this subcommittee to advance important legislation this Congress.” U.S. Leadership “Our nation is the world’s economic powerhouse, and we lead the world in innovation.  “America is home to the best technology companies, both large and small. These companies lead in everything from next-generation wireless technology to all the emerging technologies that rely on connectivity, ranging from artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to NextGen 9-1-1 and precision agriculture. “Our country’s startup ecosystem is strong and should be fostered. This Committee must advance thoughtful policy that continues to grow American innovation and productivity rather than stifle it. “Next-generation wireless technology supports many of these technological advancements. It impacts nearly every sector of our economy, from powering everyday communication networks and advancements in healthcare and manufacturing, to being used for our national defense, something heavily present in my district at Fort Bragg, the home of our Special Forces and the largest military base in the world. “But if our wireless networks are going to keep pace with the speed of innovation, we need to make sure they have additional spectrum resources. “Spectrum is a crucial element for wireless technology to operate. Americans depend on connected devices in their everyday lives, and the congestion on our networks has skyrocketed. “Our wireless networks need to keep up. “As our wireless networks advance from 5G to 6G technology and beyond, the demand for spectrum will only continue to grow.” Spectrum Landscape “We must remember these important resources are finite. Managing these limited resources is vital to maintaining our economic dominance and protecting our national security. “We will take a balanced approach to making both licensed and unlicensed spectrum available. “This includes working with our federal partners such as the Department of Defense, which must have enough spectrum to defend the homeland, but also be held accountable to use their resources efficiently. “Last Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC’s, spectrum auction authority expired for the first time due to disagreements about how spectrum resources should be allocated. These auctions have historically brought in billions to our national economy, with the highest spectrum auctions raising over $80 billion from private companies. “It is simple economics: there is limited supply, unlimited demand, and a willingness to pay. We need to reauthorize the FCC’s spectrum auction authority immediately. “We must also continue looking for ways to make unlicensed spectrum available. Unlicensed spectrum unlocks the Internet of Things and smart device economy on which Americans rely, providing tremendous economic growth. “Under the first Trump Administration, more than 1,200 megahertz of unlicensed spectrum was made available in the 6 gigahertz band, leading to massive opportunities for innovation for our farmers, industrialists, and communities.” Securing our Networks “These successes are just a start. “However, as we progress, our adversaries are constantly trying to undermine our leadership in international standard setting bodies, through IP theft, and through cyberattacks. “The U.S. must remain resolute in defending our leadership to safeguard democratic values, and this happens by trusting in our private sector partners to address some of our nation’s most pressing challenges. “We recently learned about ‘Salt Typhoon,’ which may be the largest Chinese-backed telecommunications hack in our nation’s history. “As we deploy advanced networks and connected devices in an environment of Great Power Competition, we have to thoughtfully secure our networks every step of the way. “At the end of last year, I was glad to see Congress fund the removal of the remaining Chinese equipment in our communications networks. “China is producing cheap communications equipment at the cost of our national security, and that needs to change. We need trusted alternatives. “Companies are working to develop and deploy Open RAN technology, which is intended to promote an ecosystem of trusted vendors for communications network equipment, and I look forward to hearing an update on its progress today. “The key to our success is working together with all stakeholders to deploy and secure our networks. “As our adversaries seek to undermine U.S. leadership, we will continue to build a comprehensive spectrum policy in the United States and a unified position on the international stage. “I look forward to discussing these issues more in depth with our witnesses today and discussing the future of spectrum policy in the United States.” ###

TUNE IN: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, led by Chairman Richard Hudson (NC-09), is holding a hearing at 10:00 AM to discuss a strategic spectrum policy that empowers our innovators and can launch a new era of American leadership.   Who You’ll Hear from: Michael Powell, President and CEO, NCTA – The Internet and Television Association: “Wireless technologies are central to bringing high-speed internet to our customers and have allowed us to enter the competitive mobile broadband market. As a relatively new entrant, we have quickly become the Nation’s fourth largest wireless carrier.” Brad Gillen, Executive Vice President, CTIA: “The wireless industry can play a key role in addressing many of the core challenges facing our country today—from helping families with everyday household costs and creating more good paying jobs to competing more effectively against China and connecting all Americans." Diane Rinaldo, Executive Director, Open RAN Policy Coalition: “To navigate these challenges, the U.S. must reassert its leadership by restoring spectrum auction authority, strengthening collaboration across sectors, and advancing a clear, coordinated national strategy for telecommunications with competition and cybersecurity at its heart.” Additional Witness: Chris Lewis, President & CEO, Public Knowledge CLICK HERE to watch live or tune in to Channel 37 on the internal House network. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued the following statement after the White House announced a $500 billion investment by private companies in U.S. AI infrastructure: “This massive investment in American infrastructure makes clear that the United States is prepared to lead the world in next-generation technologies. The Committee on Energy and Commerce is already working on addressing the many challenges that accompany increased investment in AI technology, including the exponentially increasing demand for energy, the need for permitting reform, and the importance of securing Americans’ data, among many others,”  said Chairman Guthrie .  “The commitment announced this week is proof that industry leaders are ready to work with Congressional Republicans and President Trump to spark an economy that creates jobs, supports our communities, and provides opportunities for all Americans.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Yesterday, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, penned a letter to Secretary Jennifer Granholm questioning the Department of Energy’s involvement in the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to prevent new offshore oil and gas production, leading to higher prices for consumers and harming U.S. energy security. KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “Closing off swaths of U.S. offshore areas to energy production, as the Biden-Harris Administration reportedly intends to do, will lead to higher energy prices for American families, the loss of American jobs, and greatly diminish our country’s energy security. As the Secretary of Energy, you have an obligation to weigh in on this matter and insist on a full review of the energy security and economic impacts before any decisions are finalized. “The United States stands at an energy crossroads, facing mounting global security threats and soaring demand for power. Instead of leading the world in energy production, we’ve allowed misguided “green” policies to hamstring our potential. It’s time to unleash American energy dominance again—the federal government must become an ally, not an obstacle, to our nation’s energy security. We look forward to your prompt response to this request, no later than January 10, 2025.” Read the story  here . BACKGROUND: This morning, the Biden Administration announced that more than 625 million square miles of coastline would be off-limits for energy production. Republican Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce have continuously called on the Biden-Harris Administration to end its attack on American energy production before leaving office on January 20th. The letter requests an explanation of the DOE’s involvement in the decision and whether the White House or the Department of Interior consulted with the DOE about the plans to close off access to offshore resources. Any decision to shut down access to significant American energy resources impacts U.S. energy policy and should be reviewed by the DOE. The Biden Administration’s energy policies have continued to create major harm to America’s energy production and workforce. A unilateral ban on energy production in large swaths of the U.S. coastline will have lasting impacts on American energy production and security.

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General Christi Grimm, House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans requested an investigation into the strength, quality, and types of evidence-based scientific and pediatric medical literature relied on by the department to promote gender transition procedures for children.  KEY LETTER EXCERPT:  “As the agency responsible for safeguarding the health and well-being of Americans, all of HHS’s medical treatment recommendations, especially medical treatment recommendations for children, should be based on rigorous and well-established research, such as randomized controlled trials, that have definitively illustrated the long-term benefits of gender affirming care treatments.”  BACKGROUND:  Under the Biden administration, HHS has advocated for sex reassignment procedures on minors, including the use of serum puberty blockers, which have historically been used to treat children with precocious puberty (i.e., early onset puberty affecting about one percent of U.S. children) and sex offenders.   Puberty blockers, however, are known to stunt normal childhood development in children unaffected by precocious puberty.  HHS officials contend that sex reassignment procedures on minors are an unanimously accepted medical practice.  HHS Secretary Becerra testified before Congress that “every major medical association,” “medical journals,” and “scientific and medical evidence” has demonstrated the benefits of transitioning children’s biological sex.  When asked, via a Freedom of Information Act request, for the underlying scientific or medical basis for its position, HHS was only able to produce a two-page brochure that was already publicly available.  In contrast to HHS, a growing body of literature from medical experts and authorities around the world, including those in Europe, caution against performing such procedures on minors.   Courts and government health agencies responsible for determining child welfare have sought to limit child sex reassignment procedures.   Other countries have banned these interventions and surgeries on minors altogether.  An article published in the British Journal of Medicine found “there is great uncertainty about the effects of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries in young people.”   A court in the United Kingdom noted the obvious about administering puberty blocking chemicals onto children: “[i]t is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers. It is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.”  In April 2024, the Cass Review , an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, commissioned by the National Health Service England, found “[w]hile a considerable amount of research has been published in this field, systematic evidence reviews demonstrated the poor quality of the published studies, meaning there is not a reliable evidence base upon which to make clinical decisions, or for children and their families to make informed choices.”   The Cass Review also found that “[t]he rationale for early puberty suppression remains unclear, with weak evidence regarding the impact on gender dysphoria, mental or psychosocial health,” as well as unknown effects on cognitive and psychosexual development.  In August 2024, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) became the first major U.S. medical association to express caution on the use of gender surgery for gender dysphoria in adolescents. In its formal statement, the association stated: “ASPS currently understands that there is considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria, and the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty. This patient population requires specific considerations.”   The letter was signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL), Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL).  CLICK HERE to read the letter.

House Republicans scrutinize government grant funding recipients that fail to protect individuals from antisemitism Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to J. David Gladstone Institutes President Dr. Deepak Srivastava, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) and House Committee on Education and the Workforce (E&W) have requested information about ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic harassment and intimidation at Gladstone and its leadership’s insufficient response to these acts. The letter is signed by E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), E&C Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), E&C Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), E&W Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and E&W Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT).  KEY LETTER EXCERPTS: “The Gladstone Institutes, an independent biomedical research organization, claims that it takes an active stance against serious issues like discrimination and harassment and aims to ‘ensure all community members at Gladstone feel included’ and that the Institutes will aim to ‘implement accountability measures and reinforce Gladstone’s commitment to having an environment free of harassment.’ However, these values do not seem to be reflected in the actions of leadership in response to recent concerns of antisemitic harassment and discrimination within the Institutes.” [...] “The reports of antisemitic harassment at Gladstone coupled with the inadequate response by leadership is concerning to the Committees. Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe environment for all trainees, faculty, and staff is a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of Gladstone.” “Failing to comply with basic safety protections for members of Gladstone or failure to respond appropriately to and prevent harassment and discrimination, no matter the cause, may be grounds to withhold federal funds from the university. Congress has an obligation to exercise oversight of recipients of federal funds when blatant and ongoing Title VI violations appear to be happening. If Congress determines an institution of higher education/research is blatantly ignoring its legal responsibilities, we may consider rescinding research and development funds previously appropriated.” BACKGROUND ON TAXPAYER FUNDING: Gladstone received more than $41 million in funding from the NIH in Fiscal Year 2023, not including potential taxpayer funding that individual faculty may have received through their affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) or any other affiliated universities.   According to the NIH’s Grant Policy Statement, any institution receiving federal funds must assure work environments are free of discriminatory harassment and are safe and conducive to high-quality work.  Institutions receiving federal taxpayer financial assistance—such as NIH grants—are prohibited from discriminating based on a variety of categories, including national origin.   These laws also protect members of the institution who are or are perceived to be members of a group with shared ancestry, such as students/trainees of Jewish heritage. BACKGROUND ON INSTANCES OF ANTISEMITISM : Two days after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, a graduate student working in a lab within Gladstone sent an antisemitic email to all Gladstone faculty, trainees, and staff falsely stating that the attack on innocent Israeli civilians was “the resistance in Gaza launch[ing] a surprise attack against Israel, taking occupation soldiers hostage, taking over Israeli military vehicles, and gain[ing] control over illegal Israeli settlements.”  The email goes on to claim that all casualties resulting from Palestinian actions are the responsibility of Israel.  Immediately following this mass email, members of the Gladstone faculty began contacting the Gladstone Institutes’ President and other leadership, appalled by the language of the email, concerned for their safety and worried that the email could be seen as an incitement to violence.  Jewish members of the Institutes also expressed their deep, personal pain following the Hamas attack, as some members had family or friends reported killed or missing directly after the attack.  These fears—including fears of being attacked in the lab by the author of this cruel and antagonistic email—were shared directly with President Srivastava.  Despite this, Gladstone leadership did not issue a public statement or position against antisemitism to quell fears of Jewish faculty and trainees.  In May 2024, the Center for Combatting Antisemitism sent President Srivastava a letter requesting administrative action to address the hostile environment and disparate treatment of Jewish members at Gladstone.  This letter noted that Gladstone refused to acknowledge Jewish American Heritage Month, Passover, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, despite sending official celebratory emails and holding events for other religious, ethnic, or national holidays, including Black History Month, International Women’s Day, and Ramadan.  The Center followed up with Gladstone several times, but never received a response.  Jewish faculty and trainees have conveyed to leadership within Gladstone instances of antisemitic harassment and discrimination, which faculty and trainees believe were not taken seriously, making some feel uneasy about speaking out.  For example, per a publicly available Fair Employment and Housing Act complaint to the California Civil Rights Division, a Jewish faculty member openly discussed fellow faculty using racial stereotypes, including comments about a “Jewish nose.”  When these comments were brought to human resources, no investigation occurred.  Instead, the complainant was subsequently targeted with an investigation ultimately deemed to be unwarranted.  Then, following the complainant’s post-October 7th advocacy on behalf of Jewish faculty and trainees, the complainant was threatened repeatedly with career-ending termination, allegedly in an attempt to extort a resignation.  When the threats did not have their desired effect, Gladstone placed the complainant on administrative leave and removed the complainant’s electronic access to email and files but also physical access to the complainant’s lab, removing all ability to conduct work on an NIH-funded grant.  Gladstone ultimately paid an undisclosed sum to settle the matter and avoid litigation.  To elevate concerns regarding widespread, ongoing discrimination, Jewish faculty and trainees requested permission to bring in a speaker related to antisemitism.  Other minority groups had previously been given permission to bring in similar anti-racism speakers.  However, while leadership stated it would look into the idea, ultimately no speaker was brought, and no program was launched regarding antisemitism. BACKGROUND ON AFFILIATIONS WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS UNDER INVESTIGATION : Gladstone Institutes is affiliated with other institutions under congressional investigation.  For example, Gladstone is an affiliate of the UCSF, which is undergoing congressional investigation for reports of antisemitism within the university, medical school, and medical centers.  Most of Gladstone’s principal investigators are also faculty at UCSF, and the Institutes provide research positions and opportunities for graduate students from UCSF.  Moreover, there is a joint institute—the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology—further linking the two institutions.  Gladstone is also affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University, both of which are also under investigation for concerns related to antisemitism. CLICK HERE to read the full letter.