Welcome to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

E&C is at the forefront of all issues and policies powering America’s economy, including our global competitive edge in energy, technology, and health care.

Established

December 14, 1795

30

Members

6

specialized subcommittees

The Latest

From the Committee

Jun 16, 2026

E&C Leaders Request Details from NIH About Two Laboratory Researchers Who Allegedly Transported Biological Materials into the U.S. Illegally

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, wrote to the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, about concerns arising from two NIH researchers who, based on allegations in a recent federal criminal complaint, improperly transported biological materials into the U.S. To help inform the Committee’s oversight, the E&C leaders seek to better understand the circumstances surrounding the alleged importation of biological materials, the research activities involving those materials, the adequacy of existing oversight mechanisms, and any corrective actions undertaken by NIH.

“The announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan that two NIH researchers have been charged with conspiring to smuggle mpox and other biological material into the country is deeply concerning,” said Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Griffith. “And what’s even worse is how a leading scientist allegedly misled CBP officers given the risks of improperly transporting such materials into our country. For these reasons and more, the Committee has questions about the incident, what actions are being taken in response to the incident, and what is being done to safeguard our country.”

The Committee has requested that a written response and all responsive materials be provided to staff no later than June 30, 2026.

BACKGROUND:

On January 25, 2026, two NIH scientists, Dr. Vincent Munster and Dr. Claude Kwe, arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport after traveling to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. They were subjected to further inspection at the airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents after exhibiting nervous behavior while possessing a large, suspicious plastic case.
According to the complaint, when asked about the case, the individuals claimed that the case only contained “diagnostic and testing equipment,” but did not disclose biological materials.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) subsequent investigation revealed the large plastic case contained biological materials, some of which an FBI laboratory test confirmed were deactivated mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) virus material, which Dr. Munster and Dr. Kwe would have needed specific documentation to transport via commercial flight and which would have required declaration to customs authorities upon arrival into the U.S.
As of June 2, 2026, the FBI had only tested 20 of the vials. Seventeen of them contained deactivated mpox virus, one contained the chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA.
On June 2, 2026, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan charged both scientists with conspiring to smuggle mpox and other biological samples into the U.S. and lying to law enforcement.
NIH has stated that the individuals’ access to NIH facilities were terminated, the individuals acted on their own accord, and that NIH has continued to take this incident seriously and is working with the FBI.

Read the full letter HERE.

Read the full criminal complaint HERE.

More News & Announcements

Jun 15, 2026

Press Release

Chairman Guthrie Announces Stakeholder Engagement and Member Services Staff Updates

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, announced that Chris Sarley has been named Senior Director of Policy & Stakeholder Engagement. Additionally, Chairman Guthrie has named Ryan P. Murphy the Director of Member Services.

Chris Sarley—Senior Director of Policy & Stakeholder Engagement

Having served as the Committee’s Senior Advisor and Director of Member Services & Stakeholder Engagement since the beginning of this Congress, Chris Sarley will now serve as the Senior Director of Policy & Stakeholder Engagement of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Chris has played a critical role in executing the Committee’s outreach efforts and has enhanced the communication and collaboration among not only Committee Members but also stakeholders on and off Capitol Hill. In his new role, he will continue to oversee those functions while assuming expanded responsibility for coordinating the policy and legislative agenda across the subcommittees, helping guide the development of Committee priorities. Chris is a Capitol Hill veteran, with more than 17 years of experience in the House of Representatives, working for the Energy and Commerce Committee and for senior members of the Committee. He also brings private-sector experience from Cornerstone Government Affairs, where he advised a diverse portfolio of clients on federal policy and legislative matters.

Ryan P. Murphy—Director of Member Services

Ryan P. Murphy joins the House Committee on Energy and Commerce as Director of Member Services, where he will facilitate engagement and communication with Members, both on and off Committee. He comes to E&C from the House Committee on Small Business, where he served as Deputy Staff Director. Ryan is a graduate of Marquette University, the University of Oklahoma, and The George Washington University, a U.S. Army veteran, and a former commissioned officer with 13 years of service.

Jun 10, 2026

Press Release

Chairman Griffith Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Hearing to Examine Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency for Patients and Employers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: Examining Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency.

Subcommittee Chairman Griffith’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

“Today’s hearing will examine ways we can work to improve health care price transparency.

“Health care affordability has long been a priority for this Committee and Congressional Republicans.

“Building on the foundation established by President Trump’s transparency initiatives, we have focused on policies that increase competition, expand consumer choice, reduce regulatory burdens, and strengthen transparency throughout the health care system.

“While there is no single solution to addressing rising health care costs, empowering Americans with better information and transparency data remains a critical step toward a more efficient, accountable, and affordable health care landscape.

“For too long, patients, families, and employers have faced a health system where the cost of care is often unclear—sometimes even unclear after care is delivered.

“As we have seen throughout our Affordability Series, health care pricing, medical bills, and coverage information can be complex and opaque.

“But it does not have to be that way.

“Greater transparency is essential to creating a more consumer-driven marketplace, where patients have the tools needed to make more-informed care decisions.

“When patients have a better understanding of the costs associated with medical treatments, procedures, and services, they are better positioned to compare options, seek high-value care, and avoid unexpected medical bills.

“Increased transparency is also critical to bringing health care disruptors into the market and promoting competition amongst insurers and providers, where we continue to see consolidation that contributes to higher health care costs.

“It is important that we strive to foster a health system that not only delivers high-quality care at a more affordable cost but also increases accountability across the sector.

“This Administration, both in President Trump’s first term and in this current term, has prioritized bringing more transparency to health care.

“Some of the proposals today build off the transparency work that President Trump has implemented through regulatory pathways, meaning a different administration can come in and change or reverse course on them.

“That’s why codification is important, as it aims to allow for a more standardized format and implementation of rules for hospitals and insurers to follow.

“For instance, many hospitals have invested millions of dollars into creating transparency within their system and shifting regulations by different administrations only adds to that cost.

“During this hearing, we will explore a range of legislative proposals aimed at strengthening transparency requirements and providing patients with upfront, clear information about health care prices.

“One of the bills we will consider is an updated version of the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, which was led by former Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and passed on the House floor back in 2023.

“The bill aims to increase price transparency throughout the health care system, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and clinical labs and imaging testing.

“Additionally, some of the proposals today look at ways we can empower the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, with the tools they need to improve price transparency data and accountability.

“Further, we look at ways participants can be more fully informed, as one of the discussion drafts requires Medicare Advantage and commercial health plans to publicly post their prior authorization data so that individuals can view the plans’ approval and denial rates for health claims.

“Another bill we will discuss is H.R. 5582, the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, championed by Representative John James from Michigan. This bill takes a slightly different approach compared to the Lower Cost, More Transparency Act, but shares the same goal of bringing more transparency into the market.

“I am proud of this Subcommittee’s commitment toward working to lower health care costs for all Americans, and I am eager to examine these proposals so we can continue to look for ways to make health care more affordable and transparent.

“I thank the witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to the discussion.”

Jun 10, 2026

Press Release

Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing to Examine Policies Increasing Price Transparency for Patients and Employers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, led a hearing titled Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: Examining Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency.

“For too long, patients, families, and employers have faced a health system where the cost of care is often unclear—sometimes even until after care is delivered,” said Chairman Griffith. “Building on the foundation established by President Trump’s transparency initiatives, we have focused on policies that increase competition, expand consumer choice, reduce regulatory burdens, and strengthen transparency throughout the health care system.”

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

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Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (IA-01) on the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026: “One of the bills we’re considering is the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026, which this Committee has previously passed. While patients are often encouraged to shop for care and make informed decisions, too many still lack access to clear, timely, and usable information about the cost of services. [...] As a physician, I’ve seen firsthand—my arch nemesis—the challenges prior authorizations can create throughout our insurance companies, be they private or public. And today, we’re considering discussion drafts that would require commercial health plans to provide greater transparency into prior authorization and claim denial rates, which, we know, about 90 percent of those are approved after the first review. So, as well as the plans’ overhead cost, how would this additional data benefit the employers you represent?” Mr. Gremminger: “So first, I’ll just say we very much support the discussion draft. I think the employer perspective on prior authorization [and] utilization management is a nuanced one, right? We have seen too often where physicians may inadvertently or potentially intentionally prescribe drugs that are higher priced than what’s otherwise necessary or try to do services that are unnecessary and may actually be harmful to patients. That’s a rarity. But we think it’s important that there is actually an opportunity to say, ‘Time out; let’s look at something else.’ That being said, we do believe that the significant use of prior auth is often simply to just delay care, create float for the insurance plan and then, ultimately, they’re going to 90 percent of the time say yes. Understanding how often prior auth is being used—not just by the carriers that we may be contracted with, but by other carriers—will then provide more information for employers to say, ‘I don’t like the way that we’re doing it internally. We found there’s this other carrier over here. We have their data. We want to shift to them because we think that they’re doing this better.’”

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Congressman John James (MI-10) on the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act: “The idea behind this legislation is simple: it will make it easier for patients to price-compare when getting medical treatment so they can pick the lowest cost option—just like they do in every other aspect of their lives. People drive out of their way to fill up on cheaper gas. They check different websites for the best price before making an online purchase. They price-compare before buying a flight. They get an estimate before making house repairs... so why can’t the people price-compare before getting a medical procedure? Because it’s too hard. The people are forced to blindly pay whatever it costs, because hospital prices are confusing and hard to find. The system is too complicated by design; it’s a ‘Confusopoly’. As a result, patients end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more for the exact same services and the same level of care with the same billing codes. Patients Deserve Price Tags was part of a bipartisan, Lower Costs, More Transparency legislation the House approved last term.”

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Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) on the Clear Healthcare Expense Cost Knowledge (CHECK) Act: “The CHECK Act is designed to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding health care costs, giving patients clearer information, bringing hidden costs out into the open, and creating better accountability throughout the system. In every other part of our economy, consumers can see prices before making a purchase. When you go to a restaurant, you get a menu. There are prices on it. When you walk through a grocery store, there are prices on every shelf. Health care should be no different. There should not be a surprise when you get a letter in the mail a month later.”

Trending Subcommittees

Full Committee

4 Updates

Energy

3 Updates

National Energy Policy, energy infrastructure and security, energy related Agencies and Commissions, all laws, programs, and government activities affecting energy matters. National Energy Policy focuses on fossil energy; renewable energy; nuclear energy; energy conservation, utility issues, including but not limited to interstate energy compacts; energy generation, marketing, reliability, transmission, siting, exploration, production, efficiency, cybersecurity, and ratemaking for all generated power. Energy infrastructure and security focuses on pipelines, the strategic petroleum reserve, nuclear facilities, and cybersecurity for our nation’s grid. Our jurisdiction also includes all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security. Agencies and Commissions in our jurisdiction include: The US Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade

4 Updates

Interstate and foreign commerce, including all trade matters within the jurisdiction of the full committee; consumer protection, including privacy matters generally; data security; motor vehicle safety; regulation of commercial practices (the Federal Trade Commission), including sports-related matters; consumer product safety (the Consumer Product Safety Commission); product liability; and regulation of travel, tourism, and time. The Subcommittee’s jurisdiction can be directly traced to Congress’ constitutional authority “to regulate Commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.”

Communications & Technology

3 Updates

Electronic communications, both Interstate and foreign, including voice, video, audio and data, whether transmitted by wire or wirelessly, and whether transmitted by telecommunications, commercial or private mobile service, broadcast, cable, satellite, microwave, or other mode; technology generally; emergency and public safety communications; cybersecurity, privacy, and data security; the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Office of Emergency Communications in the Department of Homeland Security; and all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

Environment

3 Updates

All matters related to soil, air, noise and water contamination; emergency environmental response, both physical and cybersecurity. In particular, the subcommittee has jurisdiction over The Nuclear Waste Policy Act, The Clean Air Act, The Safe Drinking Water Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act – including Superfund and the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, The Solid Waste Disposal Act, The Toxic Substance Control Act and The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program. Under the Clean Air Act, this subcommittee deals with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for criteria pollutants; National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Standards; New Source Performance Standards (NSPS); Mobile Source Standards for vehicles, aircraft, fuels and fuel additives, including the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. The subcommittee focuses on the regulation of solid, hazardous, and nuclear wastes, including mining, nuclear, oil, gas, and coal combustion waste.

Health

4 Updates

The health sector broadly, including private and public health insurance (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP); biomedical research and development; hospital construction; mental health; health information technology, privacy, and cybersecurity; medical malpractice and medical malpractice insurance; the 340B drug discount program; the regulation of food, drugs, and cosmetics; drug abuse; the Department of Health and Human Services; the National Institutes of Health; the Centers for Disease Control; Indian Health Service; and all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

Oversight & Investigations

3 Updates

Responsible for conducting oversight and investigations of any matter related to the jurisdiction of the full committee.

Recent Letters

Jun 15, 2026

Press Release

Chairman Guthrie Announces Stakeholder Engagement and Member Services Staff Updates

Chris Sarley—Senior Director of Policy & Stakeholder Engagement

Ryan P. Murphy—Director of Member Services

Jun 10, 2026

Press Release

Chairman Griffith Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Hearing to Examine Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency for Patients and Employers

Subcommittee Chairman Griffith’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

“Today’s hearing will examine ways we can work to improve health care price transparency.

“Health care affordability has long been a priority for this Committee and Congressional Republicans.

“For too long, patients, families, and employers have faced a health system where the cost of care is often unclear—sometimes even unclear after care is delivered.

“As we have seen throughout our Affordability Series, health care pricing, medical bills, and coverage information can be complex and opaque.

“But it does not have to be that way.

“Greater transparency is essential to creating a more consumer-driven marketplace, where patients have the tools needed to make more-informed care decisions.

“It is important that we strive to foster a health system that not only delivers high-quality care at a more affordable cost but also increases accountability across the sector.

“This Administration, both in President Trump’s first term and in this current term, has prioritized bringing more transparency to health care.

“That’s why codification is important, as it aims to allow for a more standardized format and implementation of rules for hospitals and insurers to follow.

“For instance, many hospitals have invested millions of dollars into creating transparency within their system and shifting regulations by different administrations only adds to that cost.

“The bill aims to increase price transparency throughout the health care system, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and clinical labs and imaging testing.

“I thank the witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to the discussion.”

Jun 10, 2026

Press Release

Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing to Examine Policies Increasing Price Transparency for Patients and Employers

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

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