Subcommittees

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The following op-ed by Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, appeared in the Courier Journal this week. “Earlier this year, President Trump tasked Congress with developing a bill that enacts his domestic policy agenda and kickstarts the American economy. “This piece of legislation, known as the One Big, Beautiful Bill, was signed into law by the president on July 4, 2025. It accomplished its goal of providing tax relief for Kentucky families, securing our border, investing in our military readiness, unleashing American energy and strengthening Medicaid for our most vulnerable Americans. “In Congress, I am honored to serve as the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. At the onset of the work on the One Big, Beautiful Bill, we were tasked with finding $880 billion in savings from our committee’s jurisdiction. “The final version of the One Big, Beautiful Bill includes over $1 trillion in savings from my committee’s jurisdiction. To accomplish this, we worked to eliminate reckless Green New Deal environmental regulations, promote American energy dominance and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse within the Medicaid program. “As you may have seen in the news over the past few weeks, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have spread misinformation about this bill, claiming that it is a disaster for Kentucky families. That’s simply untrue. “Let’s take a moment to address a few of the false narratives that have been spread to scare the American people. “ Truth and lies about the One Big, Beautiful Bill and Medicaid “ Allegation : Single mothers, children, seniors and people with disabilities will lose access to health care. “ Truth : The Medicaid provisions included in the One, Big Beautiful Bill ensure our most vulnerable Americans continue receiving the support they need. It strengthens the program by removing deceased recipients from the Medicaid rolls, requiring states to conduct more frequent eligibility checks for the expansion population, ensuring that individuals are not enrolled in multiple states and enacting commonsense work requirements for able-bodied Americans who choose not to work. Additionally, our bill expands access to Home and Community Based Services for low-income seniors and individuals living with a disability. “ Allegation : Work requirements are a ‘ruse’ to force people off Medicaid. “ Truth : According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, there are 4.8 million able-bodied adults currently on Medicaid who choose not to work. A survey showed this population spends roughly 184 hours a month watching television and socializing- that’s 50% higher than employed beneficiaries. “Our bill enacts basic work requirements to require individuals to be employed, participate in job training, go to school or volunteer in their communities for just 20 hours per week to receive Medicaid. Notably, the One Big, Beautiful Bill exempts people aged under 19 or over 65, pregnant women, tribal members, caregivers of children and seniors with disabilities and parents with dependents under 15. I believe most people would agree it’s appropriate to expect able-bodied, unemployed adults on Medicaid to work or give back to their communities to receive fully subsidized health insurance. “Kentuckians’ support for these policies is strong, as this year, the Kentucky General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to overturn Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto and institute a similar state-level work requirement. “ Allegation : Over 35 Kentucky hospitals are at risk of closing as a direct result of this bill. “ Truth : The allegation that 35 rural hospitals will close is a blatant mischaracterization at best. This number stems from a list of hospitals that generally receive high levels of Medicaid funding or experienced three consecutive years of negative total profit margin. “This claim fails to mention the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program created by the bill to support rural health providers care for their patients. This will bolster funding for our most vulnerable hospitals and allow them to keep serving their communities. “ Trump’s bill refocuses Medicaid to cover the most vulnerable “Our legislation eliminates restrictive Biden-Harris era state requirements, forcing ineligible individuals to remain enrolled, and lifts Americans out of poverty by encouraging reentry into the workforce. By cutting top-down mandates, we refocus Medicaid dollars to cover the most vulnerable and give states’ budgets the ability to further invest in hospitals. “Spending in the Medicaid program continues to chart an unsustainable path, growing at twice the rate of inflation between 2018 and 2023. If not addressed, the program will no longer have the capacity to serve its intended purpose. In order to preserve this safety net for generations to come, Republicans have committed to policies that empower states to care for our most vulnerable Americans — pregnant women, children, individuals living with a disability and low-income seniors. “The One Big, Beautiful Bill is a commonsense win that strengthens Medicaid for Kentucky’s most vulnerable, and I’m proud to have supported its passage.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, released a statement following the Environmental Protection Agency ’ s (EPA) proposal to roll back Obama and Biden-era regulations that have limited motor vehicle manufacturing and created a de-facto EV mandate for consumers for over a decade. “During the Obama-Biden and Biden-Harris Administrations, one-size-fits-all regulations were weaponized to create an EV mandate that limited consumer choice and increased costs for American businesses and consumers. “Over the past year, our Committee has led the way in Congress to address these issues including three Resolutions of Disapproval under the Congressional Review Act which ensured California could not impose an EV mandate on consumers across the country and force automakers and consumers to align with their radical green policies,”  said Chairman Guthrie. “No country has reduced its emissions more than the United States over the course of the 21st century. That accomplishment came from innovation and investments, not federal mandates. Today’s decision by the EPA to reconsider impractical and unworkable vehicle standards is a victory for American families who want to choose the car or truck that is right for them—not what’s mandated by Washington bureaucrats.” Background: The so-called “endangerment finding” was issued in 2009 by the Obama-Biden Administration and is the basis for the vehicle emission rules issued by both the Obama-Biden and Biden-Harris administrations that imposed costly EV mandates that limited consumer choice and increased costs of newer vehicles. EPA’s proposal is based on recent Supreme Court decisions limiting the scope of regulatory agencies like EPA in accordance with Congressional authorities.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  –  In case you missed it, Fox News recently featured Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, who shared his personal experience relating to the importance of ensuring patient safety remains the top priority within the nation’s organ transplant and procurement system.  In Case You Missed It:   “House Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday about how his personal experience with organ transplantation has shaped his view of the system, which he said must ensure families are confident in it so they will not be afraid to donate much-needed organs.    “On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing with Dr. Raymond Lynch, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) chief of the organ transplant branch. Current and former leaders of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), Network for Hope, which serves Kentucky, southwest Ohio and parts of Indiana and West Virginia, were also present.  “The investigation follows a shocking HRSA investigation that found hospitals and OPOs in Kentucky were allowing organ procurement processes to begin despite patients showing signs of life. The investigation ultimately found that, since December 2024, out of 351 cases involving patients who had been authorized for organ procurement, but the organs were ultimately not recovered, 29% showed ‘concerning features’ related to protocols and patient safety, while around 20% exhibited a ‘neurologic status’ not conducive to organ procurement. “My big concern is people will not – if they don’t have confidence in the system – won’t feel like they’ll register as an organ donor, Guthrie said between panels at Tuesday’s hearing.   “People need to have confidence in the system, or at least know the questions to ask if they’re in this end stage with their loved one, Guthrie continued. Because when you’re sitting there, and you’re getting prepped to go get your next – hopefully, chance at life – you also, as you sit there, know that there’s some other family in some other emergency room somewhere else having a different experience. And they are losing a loved one, but they’re willing – the loved one, either pre-designated or they’re willing to let their loved one live on by helping somebody else live. “Guthrie’s experience stems from his mother, who died waiting on a new liver. He recounted how she was, at one point, told they had found her a new liver, but when the surgeon went to go pick up the new organ, it was not in the adequate shape to be transplanted. “Despite assurances that she was high on the list, Guthrie’s mother never found an organ in time before declining so fast that neither the congressman nor any of his relatives could attempt a live-organ transplant procedure. The live procedure allows a living person to donate a part of their organ, which will later grow back but can help repair the damaged organ in the person receiving the partial transplant. “Guthrie said that despite the alarming evidence uncovered by HRSA’s investigation, he still intends to keep his donor status, adding we need more people to donate. Currently, around 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant. “While the HRSA investigation probed multiple cases, it highlighted one shocking case in particular where staff were so uncomfortable with commencing the organ procurement process as a result of visible signs of life that some refused to participate. At that point, after staff had witnessed tears rolling down the patient’s face, the process eventually stopped, but not after the patient sat in the operating room getting prepped for organ donation for around 45 minutes. “This should never have gotten to the point of them being in the operating room, Guthrie said of the case. There were a lot of indications this person was not going to die. “Guthrie added that the issue is a bipartisan one and said the work will be done when confidence in the system has been shored up.”   ###