Welcome to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is leading to advance the American Privacy Rights Act , which establishes strong data privacy protections for people of every age in every state. Last week, the Committee held a legislative hearing to consider data privacy and security proposals that eliminate the existing patchwork of state laws, protect children online, set clear national data privacy rights, and give Americans the ability to enforce their privacy rights.  Kara Frederick, Director of the Tech Policy Center at the Heritage Foundation, said this on Fox & Friends about the American Privacy Rights Act : “This is the moment. This is the first time the United States could actually pass a national data protection framework which protects us, young and old. [The American Privacy Rights Act] is the thing we should be training our focus on because it underpins everything that kids can do on social media and every predation that Big Tech can train on young children.” Politico Pro – Morning Technology: “ On the same page: One area of consensus was APRA’s data minimization standard [...] which requires a company to only collect the information that’s necessary to provide its services to users.  “Five out of the six witnesses Wednesday said data minimization is the most essential provision in APRA.  “This provision would be a shift from the current data collection model of 'notice and consent,' where companies can collect and use data for purposes disclosed in their privacy policies unless a person opts out.”  [...]  “APRA even came up when the discussion switched to bills about children’s safety online, including the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). Companions to both bills have advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee and are awaiting a Senate floor vote.” Washington Post: “House lawmakers pledged to take swift action on data privacy and children’s online safety at a key legislative hearing Wednesday.” [...] “Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee touted the breakthrough deal struck by Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) as a significant step forward in the debate over privacy protections. Several expressed confidence that Congress will finally get a national law on the books after years of false starts. “'I’m fired up. We’ve got to get this done,’ said Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), whose subcommittee held the hearing. ‘I’m fired up, too. […] We do need to get this done,’ echoed Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.).” The Verge: “Legislators are ‘fired up’ about what they see as an actual chance at passing comprehensive privacy reform.  “ We might really do it this time. “That was the takeaway that House lawmakers were eager to impart at a hearing in the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on innovation, data, and commerce (IDC). Comprehensive data privacy legislation is on the table yet again—but this time, it’s different.” [...] “Comprehensive privacy protection has been a shared bipartisan goal for years but has failed to become law due to disagreements on the finer points: Should they preempt state legislation that’s provided some baseline protections in the absence of federal ones? Should individual consumers have a private right of action to sue for violations of their data rights? “This is the closest that Congress has gotten to advancing comprehensive privacy legislation in some time.”  Read more coverage from Yahoo News , The National Desk , and Inside Radio . CLICK HERE to watch Chair Rodgers on NewsNation discussing the American Privacy Rights Act .

Happy Earth Day! On Earth Day, we are celebrating how America has led the world in reducing emissions—and we’ve done it while raising the standard of living, fighting poverty, and maintaining the highest environmental and labor standards in the world.   How has this been possible? By taking advantage of America’s abundant and diverse energy resources—like natural gas, hydropower, and nuclear power—and leading the world in developing clean technologies to utilize them.  Energy and Commerce Republicans are leading on all-of-the-above energy solutions to reverse the negative consequences of President Biden’s radical rush-to-green energy agenda, which undermines our economy and slows progress to reduce emissions.  UNLEASHING CLEAN NATURAL GAS:   Unleashing energy production and exporting U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to our allies is KEY to lowering costs, strengthening democracy and our geopolitical power, AND lowering emissions worldwide. President Biden’s ban on American LNG exports—a blatant political decision—jeopardizes all of this.  The development and revolution of American natural gas has helped reduce U.S. emissions in the energy sector by 25% from 2008 to 2018. Today, America’s CO2 emissions are at the lowest levels since the 1990s. The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal called President Biden’s decision " a win for political symbolism, not the climate ” and “ Biden’s Worst Energy Decision .” We agree. That’s why the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7176, the Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act , to reverse President Biden’s ban on American LNG exports and secure American energy and environmental leadership. EXPANDING HYDROPOWER: Hydropower is the largest source of clean, renewable energy in the country. It’s strengthened our energy grid and lowered energy costs for families and businesses—all while reducing carbon emissions. Energy and Commerce Republicans are leading to expand hydropower through H.R. 4045 , the Hydropower Clean Energy Future Act. This legislation, which was passed out of Committee and advanced to the House Floor, would reform the licensing process to protect existing hydropower resources and remove barriers to rapidly expand hydropower development.  Despite the many benefits of hydropower, the Biden administration has colluded with extreme activists to tear down dams in the Pacific Northwest. Dams in the Columbia Snake River system provide more than one third of all the hydropower capacity in the United States. In Washinton State, hydropower accounts for 70 percent of the electricity consumed. Breaching the dams would NOT be good for the environment—removal of the dams will reduce hydropower production and make America more reliant on the world’s biggest polluter, China. LEADING IN NUCLEAR POWER: Nuclear energy is key for reducing emissions and providing reliable, affordable, clean energy to Americans. In 2022, Nuclear power plants—which do not emit greenhouse gases—operated at full capacity more than 92% of the time . We’re leading on H.R. 6544, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, to encourage and support advancements in nuclear energy by modernizing and improving the current processes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The bill, which passed the House with bipartisan support, will help usher in a new era of U.S. energy leadership. DON’T MISS: E&C Republicans in the Washington Times Rep. Buddy Carter: Conservatives are leading the clean energy expansion Georgia is also home to the well-known Vogtle nuclear power plant, the first newly constructed nuclear reactor to be built in the United States in over three decades. That feat is made possible through American innovation and ingenuity. Once all of Vogtle’s four units are online, it will be the largest nuclear reactor in the country. And despite facing headwinds, the project marked the beginning of the return of American nuclear energy leadership a crucial aspect of our ability to meet climate and clean energy goals while providing reliable, affordable energy to Americans. Rep. Jeff Duncan: Biden’s LNG freeze: A backward step for all humanity America has been blessed with an abundance of energy resources. Oil and gas producers in the U.S. work daily to make energy clean, reliable, and affordable for Americans and people in the unempowered world. The Biden administration’s January decision to ban new permits for LNG export facilities will raise costs in the U.S. and prevent us from supplying our allies and those in the developing world.   Rep. Bob Latta: Baseload capacity is key to American energy success Instead of rushing into a ‘green’ energy transition, we should follow a pragmatic approach to an ‘energy expansion’ movement. Looking ahead, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has a crucial role to play in shaping America’s energy future. By fostering collaboration between industry stakeholders, policymakers, and environmental advocates, the committee can develop visionary solutions that balance the essentials of economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and energy security. We need to focus on bolstering the capacity and resiliency of our energy grid to accommodate a diverse array of energy sources, including renewables, natural gas, and nuclear power.   Rep. Brett Guthrie: America must reclaim energy independence Demand for energy is growing in the United States, and the time to reclaim our role as a leading energy producer is well overdue. Like many states, Kentucky is home to one of our best resources: proud and tested energy workers. That’s why I introduced the Nuclear for Brownfields Site Preparation Act, which I am happy to report recently passed the House as part of the Atomic Energy Advancement Act. This helps to make use of our existing infrastructure and our critical energy workforce while bolstering our grid with the increased energy we need to power our economy. Rep. Kelly Armstrong: Energy policy should help hardworking Americans, not radical environmentalists North Dakotans are a major contributor to increased U.S. energy production and we help the United States lead in emissions reduction across the world. Despite the narrative coming from the environmentalist left, the United States has proven that the best way to reduce emissions is to empower innovation and technological advancements, not double down on onerous regulations that do nothing to keep the air and water clean. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks: Reduce emissions, not choices America is making great progress. In 2023 alone, the United States cut emissions by 3%, outpacing many other nations including China. Our efforts in oil and gas production have also set global standards for cleanliness, demonstrating our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship while ensuring energy security. Additionally, the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) are approximately 40% lower than the gas supplied by Russia, the second largest exporter of LNG. Rep. August Pfluger: Unlocking America’s energy potential by reversing Biden’s LNG export ban Opponents of LNG exports often cite environmental concerns, but the reality is that American natural gas is among the cleanest and most efficient energy sources available. Technological advancements have enabled significant reductions in emissions intensity, with producers leading the way in implementing innovative solutions to minimize environmental impact. We must continue to incentivize emissions reductions through technologies like LNG, not pit one energy source against another. Rep. Tim Walberg: EV mandates are misguided Not only would these misguided regulations limit consumer choice; they would also increase our reliance on China. The United States does not yet have the domestic critical mineral supply chain necessary to support the proposed transition. As China currently controls 90% of the EV supply chain in aggregate, any push to make EVs the dominant type of vehicle on the market would essentially hand China the keys to America’s auto future. [...] The United States would also be relying on minerals from China, which has an atrocious track record when it comes to environmental and labor standards. As much as we would like to decrease our nation’s emissions, greenhouse gases, and criteria pollutants are a global issue and do not stop at international borders.   Rep. Debbie Lesko: China, with the help of the EPA, is coming for your car As we have seen especially in recent months an over-reliance on electric vehicles is not what this country needs or even wants. In fact, the scheme to flood the industry with electric vehicles is playing right into the Chinese Communist Party’s hands and plans to establish a greater world dominance. China controls many key aspects of the supply chain, and American providers struggle to keep up with the lower prices from our adversary and rival from the other side of the world.  

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) praised the inclusion of H.R. 7520, the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024, and H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, in the 21 st Century Peace Through Strength Act that passed the House today. “These bills are the result of diligent and bipartisan work to protect Americans’ data and address the serious national security threat posed by our adversaries. Today’s vote is a clear victory for protecting Americans online and off, but there is still work to be done,” said Chair Rodgers and Ranking Member Pallone. “Companies and bad actors are collecting troves of our data unchecked and using it to exploit, monetize, and manipulate Americans of all ages. This cannot be allowed to continue, which is why today’s actions are an important step forward as the Energy and Commerce Committee continues to work together on tech accountability measures.”

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), on behalf of the Health and Oversight Subcommittee Republicans, wrote to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra.  The letter outlines concerns with the role HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) plays—or fails to play—in investigating instances of sexual harassment that occurs at research institutions which receive grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  KEY EXCERPTS :  “There have been several public reports of sexual harassment occurring on NIH-funded research or NIH-supported activities over the last decade, and it raises concerns about what, if any, actions the NIH has taken to resolve these issues. The NIH’s own statistics show a significant problem with more than 300 cases related to sexual or gender harassment since 2018—with about a third of those allegations being substantiated. This also represents hundreds of men and women who may be forced to operate in a hostile or unsafe research environment.”  [...]  “According to the HHS website, OCR does investigate and resolve complaints of sexual harassment in the education and health programs of recipients of grants or other federal financial assistance from HHS—including the NIH. Moreover, HHS OCR is required to conduct periodic compliance reviews of institutional Title IX programs to ensure compliance with the law—including examining the way in which complaints are handled by the institution.”  The Chairs have requested answers to questions about HHS OCR’s role by April 30, 2024.  BACKGROUND :  Based on a recommendation from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), HHS OCR and the NIH adopted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate communication between the two components of HHS as it relates to sexual harassment.   This MOU was intended to clarify procedures on how the enforcement arm of HHS and the grant-making arm share valuable information with one another in an effort to respond appropriately to complaints of sexual harassment and prevent federal grant money from going to those with a history of sexual misconduct.   TIMELINE OF INVESTIGATION :  August 10, 2021 : E&C Republican Leaders Question NIH’s Handling of Sexual Harassment Complaints  August 11, 2022 : E&C Republican Leaders follow up with NIH on Insufficient Response to its Letter on the NIH’s handling of Sexual Harassment  November 30, 2022 : E&C Republicans to NIH: Turn Over Previously Requested Information Ahead of New Congress  March 14, 2023 : E&C Republicans Press NIH for Information on Handling of Sexual Harassment Complaints  October 6, 2023 : E&C Republicans Signal Intent to Issue Subpoenas to Obtain Information on NIH’s Handling of Sexual Harassment if Questions Go Unanswered  January 26, 2024 : Chair Rogers notifies NIH of Imminent Subpoena  February 5, 2024 : Chair Rodgers Subpoenas NIH for Documents Related to Investigation into Sexual Harassment at NIH and NIH Grantee Institutions February 20, 2024: HHS Responds on behalf of NIH to offer a rolling in camera document review to the Committee. Documents produced in the review have been highly redacted, including the redaction of the names of individuals convicted of criminal offenses, public news articles about individuals who have been found guilty of harassment, and redaction of the names of the institutions where the abuse occurred—effectively preventing the Committee from understanding if NIH continues to fund work performed by substantiated abusers at other institutions—a practice known as “pass the harasser.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., (D-NJ), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL) wrote to UnitedHealth Group, Inc., CEO Andrew Witty today seeking information about the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. Change Healthcare, which was acquired by UnitedHealth Group’s Optum subsidiary in 2022, is one of the nation’s largest providers of health care payment management systems. On February 21, UnitedHealth Group reported it had experienced a cyberattack on its platforms, and it had taken all Change Healthcare systems offline to contain the incident. As a result of the outage, critical services affecting patient care—including billing services, claims transmittals, and eligibility verifications—became inoperable. Though UnitedHealth first notified users that it expected the disruption to “last at least through the day,” several of the company’s products have now been inoperable for more than a month. “Change Healthcare is a central player in the country’s health care system, which has been upended by the recent breach,” t he bipartisan Committee leaders wrote to Mr. Witty. “We are interested in your efforts to secure Change Healthcare’s systems since it was acquired by your company and the efforts you are taking to restore system functionality and support patients and providers affected by the attack.” Change Healthcare’s platforms touch an estimated one in three U.S. patient records. Its systems process roughly 15 billion transactions annually, and are linked to approximately 900,000 physicians, 118,000 dentists, 33,000 pharmacies, and 5,500 hospitals nationwide. The breadth of Change Healthcare’s infrastructure all but ensures that the scope of the current disruption, and any disruption in Change Healthcare services, will be extensive. “The health care system is rapidly consolidating at virtually every level, creating fewer redundancies and more vulnerability to the entire system if an entity with significant market share at any level of the system is compromised,” the Committee leaders wrote. “In order to understand better the steps UnitedHealth has taken to address this situation, we request information about the impact of the cyberattack, the actions the company is taking to secure its systems, and the outreach to the health care community in the aftermath.” As a result of the system outage, providers reportedly struggled to make payroll while some patients have been forced to pay out of pocket for crucial medications including cancer therapy drugs and insulin because pharmacies are unable to verify coverage. The Committee leaders requested answers to a series of detailed questions by April 29, 2024. CLICK HERE to read the full letter. 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) led 26 of their colleagues in filing a bicameral amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit in support of state and industry challengers to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) so-called “Good Neighbor” air rule that targets American power production and burdens states with misguided air regulations. “Acting well beyond its delegated powers under the [Clean Air Act], EPA’s Rule proposes to remake the energy sector in the affected states toward the Agency’s preferred ends. The Rule is part of the broader joint EPA-White House Strategy that oversteps the Agency’s authority by concurrently developing regulations under three separate environmental statutes. It does so not to meet any of the statutes’ individual ends but to transform the power sector. "The group of regulations—including the Rule—are designed to hurriedly rid the U.S. power sector of fossil fuels by sharply increasing the operating costs for fossil fuel-fired power plant operators, forcing the plants’ premature retirement,” the brief reads in part. BACKGROUND: The so-called “Good Neighbor” rule imposes overreaching emissions requirements on power plants, natural gas pipeline assets, and industrial plants, like steel, cement, and paper production facilities in 23 states. Other federal courts have already frozen implementation of the rule in 12 states. Despite active Supreme Court proceedings that may halt implementation of the rule nationwide, the EPA has remained committed to the illegal rule and recently proposed to add five more states to the program.  In June 2023 , Capito joined Wicker in introducing a formal challenge to the rule through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval.  In June 2023, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) also introduced H.J.Res. 69, a formal challenge to the rule through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval.  In June 2022 , Ranking Member Capito sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan outlining serious concerns with the proposed “Good Neighbor Plan.”  Ranking Member Capito has criticized the EPA’s proposed “Good Neighbor Plan” during EPW hearings in March 2023 , July 2022 , and May 2022 , and in an op-ed .  In November 2023 , Chairs Rodgers, Duncan, and Johnson sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission expressing concerns with the impact of EPA’s suite of rules, including the “Good Neighbor” Rule (or Interstate Transport Rule), on the reliability of the nation’s electric grid. In addition to Capito and Wicker, senators who signed on to brief include, John Barrasso, (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and John Thune (R-SD). In addition to Rodgers, House members who signed on to the brief include, Rick Allen (R-GA), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Michael Burgess (R-TX), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Richard Hudson (R-NC), John James (R-MI), John Joyce (R-PA), Bob Latta (R-OH), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Gary Palmer (R-AL), Greg Pence (R-IN), August Pfluger (R-TX), Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Randy Weber (R-TX).  Full text of the brief is available here .