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Subcommittees News & Announcements


Apr 16, 2026

Energy Subcommittee Holds Hearing on the Department of Energy FY2027 Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, led a hearing titled The Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Energy Budget.

“This subcommittee has spent considerable time examining this historic load growth and what type of energy system is needed to fuel data center demand,” said Chairman Latta. “Without fail, experts across the field have testified that the answer is dispatchable, reliable, and affordable supplies of baseload power. In recognition of these needs, the Department has prioritized dispatchable resources that can power next-generation technologies and keep the lights on when we need it most.”

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

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Congressman Rick Allen (GA-12): “Nuclear energy plays a vital role, and I'm proud to highlight that my district is home to Plant Vogtle, the nation's largest and most advanced clean nuclear energy facility, with Units 3 and 4 now fully operational. Nuclear energy is critical for our nation's energy security, and I'm glad that the Trump Administration is promoting nuclear energy. I look forward to continuing to work with you on deploying our nuclear energy capabilities.

“The refocused Office of Energy Dominance Financing is committed to the responsibility of deploying capital to projects that meaningfully contribute to energy security and lower energy costs for Americans. These are projects that can be built quickly and start making a real difference, generating electricity and a return on investment alike. Mr. Secretary, how can the EDF be utilized to expand existing nuclear plants, gas generating plants, and grid components to build our capacity and usher forward the next generation of reactors?”

Secretary Wright: “Two of our early loans from the Energy Dominance Finance program are for nuclear plant restarts, both the Palisades plant in Michigan and the formerly Three Mile Island, which will be rechristened the Crane Clean Energy Center. Those are EDF loans from the Department of Energy in partnership with solid corporate partners that are leading the effort and funding with equity. We're just their debt partners coming along with them.

“EDF loans will almost certainly be part of the first five or ten new reactors that are built in this country. Commercial lenders will be right there along with us, and after we get that ball rolling again, I think the commercial capital markets will fill that role nicely. But there is an important role for us at the start. We need key equity partners, and we need the right projects. The enthusiasm is high, and I believe we'll get the nuclear ball moving again.”

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Congressman John James (MI-10): “What we saw during Winter Storm Fern should be a wake-up call for Michigan, because when the grid was under maximum stress, the truth became very clear: reliability is not theoretical. It's tested in moments like these.

“Look at New England at the peak of the storm. They weren't relying on wind and solar. They were burning fuel oil for 35 percent of their power, natural gas for 32 percent, and even garbage and wood to keep the lights on. Wind produced just 2 percent. Solar, effectively zero. Now think about that, even if you doubled wind capacity, you're talking about 4 percent. If you doubled solar, you're still at zero percent during a winter storm. These are not reliable sources when you need them the most.

“And let's be honest about the environmental reality: burning archaic fuel oil, wood, and garbage for power is far worse for the environment than modern natural gas or nuclear energy.
That's not the example we want to follow in Michigan, but that's exactly the path that Lansing's net-zero mandates are pushing us toward. They are forcing reliable thermal generation off the grid while flooding the interconnection queue with intermittent wind and solar that clearly don't perform during peak demand.”

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Congressman Craig Goldman (TX-12): “Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for being here. Let's talk about affordability. My friends across the aisle like to talk about gas prices, but more importantly, gas taxes. Every state is not equal, is it?”

** Secretary Wright:** “No, and the differences are pretty dramatic. We've made maps on this, and they look like political maps. You want to know where gasoline is expensive, where electricity is expensive — look in the blue states. There are political choices across this country in blue states to make electricity expensive and to make gasoline expensive.”



Apr 16, 2026
Energy

Chairman Latta Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on the Department of Energy FY2027 Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing on the Department of Energy’s FY2027 Budget.

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

“Welcome to today’s hearing on the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget and welcome back, Secretary Chris Wright, to the Energy Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Almost 14 months ago, you inherited a department that was not serving the strategic energy needs of the nation.

“The previous Administration lacked a realistic national energy security strategy. They wasted billions of taxpayer dollars reducing reliable energy and making our energy systems ill-prepared to meet this historic moment of the next generation economy.

“After more than a year at the helm of our Energy Department, things look very different.

“Under your leadership, our nation’s energy strategy prioritizes core responsibilities of energy and national security, reliable power, affordability, and economic growth.

“You’ve charted a path to ensure U.S. leadership in future technologies that are reshaping the global order.

“Finite taxpayer resources have been shifted to focus on abundant, reliable energy expansion. You’ve harnessed DOE’s computing power to put AI to use for societal benefit.

“You’ve accelerated work on nuclear technologies, increased collaboration to secure the grid during emergencies, and increased resources on our nuclear deterrent.

“You’ve also refocused the Department’s loan program on energy expansion and reliability.

“Most of these actions are reflected in DOE’s proposed budget.

“These efforts couldn’t come at a more important time.

“International conflicts and decisive military actions by the Trump Administration to protect our country have put increased pressure on ensuring a secure and reliable energy system.
While DOE has diligently worked to focus on essential energy and security priorities, more work remains.

“Affordability continues to be a key concern facing American families.

“We’d like to get your perspective on the impacts on oil prices from the conflict with Iran, and what the prospects for more stable supplies would mean.

“And we should also unpack the forces behind higher energy costs.

“Average utility bills rose by 11 percent in 2025 after increasing by 29 percent in the four years prior, and substantially higher across our nation’s bluest states.

“In fact, recent reports from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab confirm far-left policies are driving price increases that are burdening households and businesses.

“We should examine how misguided policies leave our communities vulnerable when they need electricity the most, and what DOE is doing about that.

“Recent weather events during Winter Storm Fern exposed the risks of overreliance on weather dependent energy.

“DOE’s decisive 202(c) orders and effective emergency planning were critical to protect against blackouts, ultimately saving lives and preventing billions of dollars in economic damage.

“While mismanaged public policies disrupt our power sector, historic projections of demand growth from data centers and reshoring manufacturing continue to climb.

“Data centers alone could consume up to 17 percent of total electricity, which is also 60 percent higher than estimates projected in 2024.

“Importantly, DOE has taken several steps to ensure data centers can connect to the grid in a way that drives prices down and does not burden ratepayers with additional costs.

“This subcommittee has spent considerable time examining this historic load growth and what type of energy system is needed to fuel data center demand.

“Without fail, experts across the field have testified that the answer is dispatchable, reliable, and affordable supplies of baseload power.

“In recognition of these needs, the Department has prioritized dispatchable resources that can power next-generation technologies and keep the lights on when we need it most.

“Alongside these efforts, the Department has focused on ushering in a nuclear renaissance.

“This ranges from your work to accelerate the development of American nuclear fuel infrastructure and of reprocessing used fuel to your work to demonstrate more new reactor designs.

“We should examine how your work will dovetail with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission commercial licensing to provide a robust safety process for nuclear expansion.

“While the previous Administration sought to end the use of fossil fuels, your Department has unleashed American energy, like liquefied natural gas, and reversed unnecessary regulations that attack fossil fuel use.

“I look forward to a discussion on how your energy and technology priorities will benefit the American people.

“I yield back the balance of my time.”



Apr 15, 2026
Health

Chairman Griffith Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Legislative Hearing Discussing Solutions to Improve Public Health of Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Healthier America: Legislative Proposals to Improve Public Health.

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

“Today we will examine policy proposals to improve public health.

“Public health initiatives are essential to improving health outcomes, lowering long-term costs, and moving toward a healthier nation.

“Investments in initiatives such as disease surveillance, community-based programs, and health education enable more effective responses to both everyday health challenges and emerging threats.

“Early detection saves lives. By prioritizing prevention, we can help individuals make informed choices and empower them to act sooner.

“Over time, these efforts also help reduce strain on our health care system by decreasing avoidable hospitalizations and emergency care.

“Today we will be discussing ten bills that address the public health and wellness of our country.

“One of these bills is H.R. 4348, led by Representative Chris Smith from New Jersey and Representative Doggett of Texas. This bill would reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, which developed a national strategy to address vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease, improve surveillance, and coordinate federal programs.

“Representative Smith has been a Lyme champion for decades, as New Jersey is one of the states most impacted by the disease.

“The bill is named after Senator Kay Hagan, who passed away from complications of a tick-borne virus.

“Tick-borne illnesses are spreading quickly in our country.

“There are many tick-borne illnesses, and we have only scratched the surface in understanding these diseases that continue to have devastating impacts on our communities.

“Virginia consistently reports some of the highest annual rates of Lyme disease in the United States, with my district of Southwest Virginia having some of the highest rates of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses.

“Virginia Tech in my district is doing research on of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in our communities.

“We will also be discussing H.R. 8205, the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS Act led by Representative Ken Calvert from California and Representative Quigley from Illinois, which would reauthorize the ACT for ALS program that supports initiatives to accelerate research and expand access to investigational treatments for people living with ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

“Although progress has been made, there is still no cure for ALS.

“A swimming friend of mine in Roanoke Valley, Rob Lawson, died from his battle with ALS in 2022.

“Former Virginia House of Delegates Republican Raymond R. Robrecht, who was one of my mentors, died from ALS in 1994.

“Eric Dane, best known as Dr. Sloan, also known as 'McSteamy,' in the show Grey’s Anatomy, came to many of our offices last year to advocate for ALS and share his experience. Unfortunately, he lost his battle with the disease earlier this year.

“We hear these heartbreaking stories too often in our communities, as this is regrettably the reality for many who are diagnosed with rare diseases and neurodegenerative diseases.

“I trust reauthorizing this bill can help bring hope to those families afflicted by it.

“Another bill is H.R. 3747, the Accelerating Access to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Provider Training (AADAPT) Act led by Representative Balderson from Ohio and Representative Barragan from California.

“This legislation would reauthorize a program that helps increase access to specialty care services in rural and underserved areas by training clinicians through Project ECHO models, of which there are multiple in Virginia.

“Even though the language of some of the community health center bills are still being negotiated, I would be remiss not to mention their critical role that community health centers play in supporting our nation’s health.

“Many of the other bills we will examine place a strong emphasis on prevention, physical activity and nutrition education, research and innovation, workforce development, and other initiatives to uplift our nation’s public health.

“I am eager to hear from our witnesses about how we can work to improve health outcomes across the country.”