Subcommittees

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, sent a letter to Steven S. Cliff, Ph.D., Executive Officer of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), demanding answers and documents that the Committee previously requested from CARB on California’s refusal to follow the law and implement the Clean Air Act as written by Congress. The Committee also requested transcribed interviews of six individuals if CARB fails to provide the previously requested information by December 5, 2025.    “The Committee’s August 11, 2025, letter requested information and documents from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) about California’s enforcement of state vehicle emission standards that disregard recent Congressional actions to disapprove waivers of federal preemption under the Clean Air Act,” said Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Palmer. “Unfortunately, CARB’s responses to date have been woefully inadequate and do not satisfy the Committee’s important oversight interests in this matter.” Key excerpt from the letter: “Clean Air Act section 209(a) preempts states from adopting or attempting to enforce any emissions control standard for new motor vehicles or engines, or any condition precedent to the initial retail sale, registration or inspection of such vehicle or engine. Under section 209(b), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may waive federal preemption, allowing California to establish state motor vehicle emission standards. However, Congress passed with bipartisan support, and President Trump signed, three resolutions under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) disapproving three waivers of preemption that the Biden-Harris Administration previously granted.” “Due to CARB’s failure to make a good faith effort to provide the requested information and documents, the Committee requests transcribed interviews with the following individuals if CARB fails to provide the requested information and documents by December 5, 2025: Lauren Sanchez, CARB Chair (from September 2025 to present); Liane Randolph, Former CARB Chair (from December 2021 to September 2025); Steven Cliff, CARB Executive Officer; Shannon Dilley, CARB Chief Counsel; Christopher Grundler, CARB Deputy Executive Officer – Mobile Sources & Incentives; and Robin Lang, Division Chief, CARB Emissions Certification & Compliance Division. “The Committee requests that these transcribed interviews be completed no later than December 12, 2025.” Background: Since President Trump signed the three Congressional Review Act resolutions into law, revoking California’s ability to set state emission standards that mandate the sale of EVs, the state cannot move forward with plans to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles. The Committee’s August 11, 2025, request sought answers about California’s apparent enforcement of the preempted standards and requested copies of related documents, such as internal guidance CARB provided to its staff, communications with other states, internal correspondence between CARB officials and the Governor’s Office and the Office of Attorney General, and other internal documents concerning CARB’s response to the disapproval of the waivers of federal preemption. The requested information and documents will help the Committee understand how California is implementing the Clean Air Act in light of the federal preemption of state emission standards, and whether the waiver authority in Clean Air Act section 209(b) should be eliminated or otherwise modified. CLICK HERE to read the full letter .

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The following op-ed by Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL) appeared in the Bismarck Tribune this week. “Our health care system is broken, and North Dakotans know it. “The law that was supposed to make things better—the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—has not lived up to its name. “‘If you like your plan, you can keep it,’ leaders assured us. “‘A typical family will save up to $2,500 a year,’ they promised. “‘The ACA will help bring down health care costs and even reduce the deficit,’ they claimed. “Fifteen years later, none of that matches what North Dakotans have lived. Instead, we pay higher premiums and have fewer choices. And Washington is trying to hide the true costs with more and more subsidies instead of fixing the underlying problem. “The latest debate in Congress is over something called the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits. You’ve probably heard about these temporary credits and how they’re set to expire on January 1, 2026. Here’s what you’re not hearing: “First, the original Affordable Care Act subsidies do not expire. That support remains in law for everyone who qualifies, including the majority of the 42,000 North Dakotans who used the exchange last year. “What’s being debated now are the temporary extra subsidies Democrats added during COVID to make the credits more generous and expand eligibility to people earning beyond 400 percent of the federal poverty level. In North Dakota, that means a family of four earning over $125,000 a year. “From the beginning, Democrats wrote these enhanced subsidies to expire. Now, many of those same lawmakers are exasperated by the expiration date they set themselves! “Second, making these temporary subsidies permanent is  enormously expensive : $350 billion over the next 10 years. And despite that massive taxpayer investment, experience proves just one thing: Americans will continue to pay more—a lot more—for health care. “Since the enhanced credits were enacted in 2021, insurance companies have raised premiums by 31 percent nationally. “Third, these payments don’t show up in your wallet to buy down the cost of your healthcare. This money goes directly to insurance companies, with no requirement that it’s used to reduce prices or improve care. “Lastly, massive fraud plagues this program. ‘Phantom Enrollees’—people enrolled on paper but who have zero claims—now make up roughly 35 percent of marketplace enrollees. National insurance companies get paid for millions of nonexistent ‘phantom’ patients, while North Dakota farm families and small business owners continue to pay rising premiums. This makes no sense. “Some in Washington celebrate all this and call it ‘affordable.’ North Dakotans know better. Pouring more taxpayer money into a program every year to make it look affordable, isn’t affordable at all. “Clearly, we need an off ramp from these massive payouts to insurance companies. They aren’t working. So, what are the alternatives? “Republicans have been working for years on reforms to drive down costs, increase transparency, and put patients back in charge. In fact, we passed several improvements in the Working Families Tax Cut plan (One Big Beautiful Bill) earlier this year. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), our House-passed reforms to crack down on fraud and support cost sharing reductions would have reduced ACA premiums by nearly 13 percent and saved taxpayers more than $130 billion over 10 years. Sadly, Democrats stripped these out of the final bill in the Senate. These reforms are a good starting point. “Importantly, we should direct tax credits to individuals, not insurance companies, and strengthen direct-to-patient tools like Health Savings Accounts and flexible spending accounts. Let’s put families back in the driver seat of their own care and encourage healthier decisions. “And while we work toward these fundamental changes, we have other bipartisan reforms ready to go: Price transparency legislation—including the Lower Prices, More Transparency Act—which passed the House last year to give patients clear information to compare costs and quality.   Comprehensive PBM reform to end practices that drive up drug prices.   Patent reform to increase the number of lower-cost generic medications available to patients.   340B reform to direct discounts to patients and strengthen the rural hospitals the program was designed to support.   Prior authorization reform to stop unnecessary delays that prevent patients from getting timely care. “North Dakotans, and Americans everywhere, are fed up with our health care system. It’s time for all stakeholders in the system, and leaders in Washington, to move beyond the superficial talking points to real reforms that make health care affordable.”   ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, led a hearing titled Daylight and Destinations: Examining Time, Travel, and Tourism. “Travel and tourism are vital engines for local communities across the country and for our national economy. During this week’s CMT hearing, we discussed the importance of programs such as Brand USA and how Congress can strengthen the travel and tourism industries,”  said Chairman Bilirakis. “We also examined a range of perspectives on Daylight Saving Time—a practice that touches nearly every American and merits careful evaluation. Our discussion focused on its real-world impacts and the factors Congress must consider as we assess potential reforms. It was a productive and insightful dialogue.” Watch the full hearing here. Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congressman Tom Kean (NJ-07): “Miss Maietta, the state of New Jersey is pleased to host eight matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The hospitality industry is critical to hosting these important matches. Could you please share how the hospitality industry is preparing for these highly anticipated events?” Ms. Rosanna Maietta: “We are accustomed to holding and hosting big events all the time, but of course, bringing in so many people at the same time does present some unique challenges, but also opportunities. Right now, our industry is working very closely with law enforcement, city officials, and all stakeholders involved to ensure that we are prepared. I would encourage those lines of communication to stay open. Thank you for serving on the [2026 FIFA World Cup] Caucus. We commend the administration for setting up task forces around these events to ensure that they go off without a hitch.” Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07): “We have roughly 790,000 people that live in the district, but every year the Myrtle Beach area sees 18 million come to our area. If you take it proportionally, there are 20 visitors for every one resident. Tourism in the Grand Strand generates tens of billions of dollars in economic impact and supports tens of thousands of jobs. In the district, we talk about tourism, but we’re really talking about the livelihoods of the folks that I represent.” Congressman Gabe Evans (CO-08): “What happens at the local level when a hotel or some other sort of lodging venue closes? Can you speak on the impact that that has on a local economy?” Ms. Maietta: “Operating costs have risen four times faster than revenue in the last five years. What we are seeing is small businesses—our industry is primarily made up of small businesses—simply can’t afford to stay open. So, we’ve seen closures, and that impacts jobs and the local community that relies on the hotel to create more economic flow.” ###