Innovation, Data, and Commerce

Washington, D.C. — Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) delivered opening re marks at today’s Subcommittee legislative hearing titled " Mapping America’s Supply Chains: Solutions to Unleash Innovation, Boost Economic Resilience, and Beat China ."  Prepared remarks below:  BOLSTERING AMERICA'S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP  "Good morning, everyone. Welcome to today’s hearing on legislation that will help bolster America’s global leadership and secure our nation’s economic and national security.  "Since this committee was created in 1795, it has had a clear purpose on how to promote interstate commerce domestically and conduct business abroad. Learning how our supply chains work and ensuring their integrity is an integral part of that work and historically has not been a partisan issue.  "More recently, this was on display in several emerging technology supply chain bills that formed Chair Rodger’s bipartisan American COMPETE Act legislation that became law in 2020."  NEED TO STRENGTHEN SUPPLE CHAINS AFTER PANDEMIC  "As we learned from the crippling effects of the pandemic on America’s supply chains in 2021, further efforts began in our Committee to examine how we can better map and monitor supply chains to ensure resiliency in the future.  "What started as a positive bipartisan process unfortunately went down a different path. To be clear, I don’t blame my Democratic colleagues on this Committee, as I know this was a top-down decision dictated by Speaker Pelosi. Instead of consensus legislating, the process led to multibillion-dollar spending programs that skipped regular order, which ironically the now minority party insists we preserve.  "The conclusion to that effort was failure, as even the Senate was unable to agree with the enormous price tag and government interventions into the private sector.  "I say this not to re-litigate the past but more to help us get a fresh start."  SOLUTIONS   "Today we have legislation from Dr. Bucshon that takes us back to our earlier consensus, identifying the special role that emerging technologies will have in our future economy. It is best to promote and deploy these technologies now with our values driving the process, rather than to spend billions to figure out how to reclaim them later if they are deployed and developed with an adversary’s values.  "I believe both sides of the aisle can appreciate this legislation on the docket in draft form to continue a dialogue that results in a bipartisan consensus.  "We have all been legislating long enough to know that America cannot simply throw taxpayer dollars at an issue to rectify concerns.  "The multibillion-dollar semiconductor program enacted last Congress has been hamstrung by issues we flagged during its consideration for not considering regulatory burdens like permitting.  BEATING CHINA  "The way we retain and grow our leadership is not to outspend China, but instead provide a stable regulatory framework that rewards innovators and entrepreneurs with results.  "To secure our future, we need to address problems our nation faces at the root cause.   That means mapping and monitoring supply chains and understanding why we are so reliant on adversaries like China for many critical minerals and components, essential for products our constituents use. We should understand how we can source in America or with allied nations.  "It means promoting the deployment of emerging technologies like blockchains to have greater transparency into a chain of custody, or autonomous vehicles to help deliver goods where we see voids.  "It means removing barriers that small businesses and startups face in their effort to enter markets and developing a plan to promote their growth and their workforce.  And specifically on that note, I also want to thank Representatives Bill Johnson and Dean Phillips for their continued leadership on H.R. 5398, the Advancing Tech Startups Act, and to Representatives Miller-Meeks, Bucshon, Johnson, Kuster, Schrier, and Spanberger for H.R. 5390, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act.  "I look forward to the discussion today and welcome any constructive and specific language we can review to get these bills passed and ultimately succeed in getting them to the Presidents’ desk.  "Thank you to our panelists for your testimony today, and I yield back." 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers delivered the following opening remarks at today’s  Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee legislative hearing  titled " Mapping America’s Supply Chains: Solutions to Unleash Innovation, Boost Economic Resilience, and Beat China. "  AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DEPENDS ON INNOVATION  "America’s economic leadership to beat China depends on our ability to innovate and maintain strong, reliable supply chains.   "The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how fragile our supply chains are.    "Hospitals were short on ventilators and personal protective equipment. People were unable to find basic necessities, like food, medicine, baby formula, and hand sanitizer.   "And manufacturers experienced shortages of critical semiconductor chips, which help power our cars and home appliances.   "We learned how easy it is to become over reliant on adversaries like China.   "We cannot make the same mistake when it comes to our supply chains for emerging technologies. Our national and economic security depends on American technological leadership."  SECURING AMERICAN TECH LEADERSHIP   "As last week’s Senate summit on artificial intelligence made clear, A.I. has become a top priority for lawmakers.   "A recent Commerce Department report—which was required by legislation from this Committee—stressed that, in order to lead in A.I. and other technologies, the U.S. needs a national data privacy and security framework.   "I agree that this is key, not just for A.I., but for American tech leadership more broadly, which is why we’ve been working on legislation to protect people’s information online and prevent China from surveilling and manipulating Americans.   "In order to make sure these technologies are developed here in the U.S., we also need to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship.   "That’s the American way.   "We'll never out-subsidize China, nor should we even attempt to. Trying to do so will waste taxpayer dollars, hurt small businesses and startups, and cede our leadership and technology future to the Chinese Communist Party.   "To grow the economy, boost American jobs, and ensure the U.S.—not China—is developing these technologies of the future.   "We need solutions that unleash innovation and spur investment in these key technologies."  COMPETE 2.0   "The bills we’re discussing today will help achieve this goal.   "Three years ago, Committee Republicans authored legislative proposals to secure American leadership in emerging technologies critical to our long-term global competitiveness, like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the ‘Internet of Things.’   "Several of these proposals became the bipartisan American COMPETE Act of 2020."  STRONG SUPPLY CHAINS ENSURE SAFETY  "If we fail to adequately secure our supply chains, the technologies we rely on every day will be vulnerable to malicious actors and adversaries like China who want to use these technologies to exploit and surveil Americans and their families.    "That includes our homes, cars, phones. Nearly every moment of every day could be accessible by China or other bad actors.   "A regime like the CCP, which suppresses free speech, surveils its own citizens to control them, and commits countless human rights abuses, should not control our tech future.   "We saw this when China-based Huawei infiltrated our communications networks.   "And we’re seeing how interested China is in testing their self-drive technologies on American roads.   "We must ensure the technologies of tomorrow are developed in an ecosystem that promotes America’s values and protects American data and our privacy.   "I look forward to today’s discussion and would like to yield the balance of my time to Dr. Bucshon to discuss his legislation on supply chain mapping and resiliency.” 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) today announced a hearing titled “Proposals to Enhance Product Safety and Transparency for Americans.”  “Energy and Commerce is leading to ensure the safety of our kids, protect Americans from harms, and strengthen U.S. technological leadership. We look forward to discussing several proposals next week aimed at improving people’s lives, increasing safety, and encouraging business practices that promote transparency for the costs of items, like concert tickets, and hidden fees.” Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce legislative hearing titled Proposals to Enhance Product Safety and Transparency for Americans.”   WHAT: Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee legislative hearing on proposals to enhance product safety and transparency.  DATE: Wednesday, September 27, 2023  TIME: 10:30 AM ET  LOCATION: 2322 Rayburn House Office Building  This notice is at the direction the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at www.energycommerce.house.gov . If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Jessica Herron at Jessica.Herron@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Sean Kelly at Sean.Kelly@mail.house.gov .  The following draft legislation will be discussed:  H.R. 2964 , The Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act (Reps. McClain and Peltola)   H.R. 3950 , The Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act (Reps. Bilirakis and Schakowsky)   H.R. 3660, The Better Oversight of Stub Sales and Strengthening Well Informed and Fair Transactions for Audiences of Concert Ticketing (BOSS and SWIFT) Act of 2023 (Reps. Pascrell, Pallone, Brownley, and Del. Holmes Norton)   H.R. 5202 , The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Reauthorization Act (Reps. Wasserman Schultz, Burgess, Carter, Allred, Castor, Williams, Garcia, Flood, Ross, Bacon, and Gottheimer)  H.R. 4310, The Youth Poisoning Protection Act (Reps. Trahan, Carey, Porter, and Stewart)   H.R. 4814, The Consumer Safety Technology Act (Reps. Soto, Burgess, Trahan, and Guthrie)   H.R. 5556 , The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act (Rep. Curtis)   H.R. ___, The No Hidden Fees on Extra Expenses for Stays Act (Rep. Kim)   H.R. ___ , The Online Dating Safety Act of 2023 (Rep. Valadao)   H.R. ___ , To amend the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act to establish a Federal standard relating to ingredient disclosure in cleaning products, and for other purposes (Rep. Bucshon)  H.R. 1797, The Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act (Reps. Torres, Garbarino, Clarke, Ryan, Bowman, D'Esposito, Espaillat, and Goldman)  H.R._906, The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act (REPAIR) Act (Reps. Dunn, Boyle, Davidson, and Gluesenkamp Perez)  H.R. ___ , The Consumer Product Safety Commission Awning Safety Discussion Draft  H.R. ____ , The Speculative Ticketing Ban Discussion Draft 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Full Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) wrote to Meta and other online marketplaces today requesting information regarding efforts to end the sale of banned and recalled hazardous products on their platforms. KEY EXCERPTS FROM THE LETTER TO META: “The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is tasked with keeping the public safe from consumer products that pose an unreasonable risk of injury or death. In addition to its own work, the CPSC relies on online marketplaces, like Meta, to keep consumers safe by preventing the posting for sale of products that are known to be dangerous. It is our understanding that Meta has been falling short on this mission.” […] “Meta’s failure to prevent recalled products from being posted for sale on its platform has resulted in your users and their children being placed at risk of purchasing and using a product that CPSC has found to pose a serious risk of injury and potential death.” BACKGROUND: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) relies on online marketplaces to keep people safe by proactively preventing the sale of products that are known to be dangerous.  Recent reports suggest that at least one platform, Meta, has fallen short of that responsibility, despite numerous takedown requests from CPSC. CPSC has issued takedown requests to various platforms, including several takedown requests for recalled products related to infant deaths. CPSC has formally issued an approximately one thousand take down requests a month for these products. To date, the volume of takedown requests has not slowed, and CPSC staff is unaware of any proactive measures by the platform in question  to prevent these postings in the future. This lapse has resulted in thousands of users and their children being put at risk of using a product that has been found to pose serious risk of injury and potential death. The Chairs and Ranking members asked companies to provide answers to the following questions by August 31, 2023: What systems do you have in place to ensure recalled products that the CPSC has determined pose a serious risk of injury and potential death are not able to be posted to your marketplace? Do you have a compliance staff dedicated to consumer product safety issues? If so, how many full and or part time staff are on that team? What actions do you take to monitor CPSC recalls? What actions will you take to ensure that the Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play, Boppy Newborn Lounger, and similarly designed and/or other recalled products are not available on your platform moving forward? Are there statutory issues that are creating a gray area where it is unclear what the platform’s responsibilities are? Will you commit to working with the Committee to find a solution to this, to ensure that CPSC’s resources are not wasted on sending thousands of takedown requests for products that pose a known hazard and are for sale on your marketplace? CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Meta. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Amazon. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Walmart. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Target. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Bikelist. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Ebay. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Etsy. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Goldin. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Kidizen. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Mercari. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to OfferUp. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Poshmark. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Reverb. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to TikTok. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Pinduoduo. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Alibaba. CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Shein.

Washington, D.C. — Following announcements this week from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding new vehicle fuel economy standards and penalties on automakers, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) urged the administration to ease the burden for millions of Americans and stop its regulatory assault that’s handing the keys to America’s automotive industry over to China.   “At a time when prices for new vehicles are at all-time highs, NHTSA’s new fuel economy standards will add even more to the price tag, depriving people of safe, affordable vehicles. These new penalties put an additional burden on manufacturers as well, which will ultimately be passed along to the hardworking people of this county. This is another part of President Biden's full regulatory assault to force Americans to buy unaffordable electric vehicles and cede our automotive future to China.  “Increasing costs, limiting people’s choices, and decimating our energy independence is not a solution to beat China. If the Biden Administration is serious about road safety, affordability, and beating China, it should work to secure our supply chains, reduce regulatory burdens, and unleash American energy.”  NOTE: On Thursday, the Committee held a full markup of several solutions to end the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) assault on the U.S. automotive industry and ensure Americans continue to have the ability to choose the vehicles and fuels that best serve their needs.  NOTE: Earlier this week, the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce held a bipartisan hearing on the future for self-driving vehicles, which NHTSA declined to testify at.  

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Gus Bilirakis today sent letters to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, and Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya with questions regarding recently released communications between left-wing progressive groups and FTC officials. The communications appear to show these progressive groups seeking to influence FTC policy through coercion and threats. To better determine the extent to which these progressive groups and the White House are influencing FTC policy, Chair Rodgers and Subcommittee Chair Bilirakis specifically asked Chair Khan if she coordinated with these groups to pressure Commissioner Bedoya or other commission officials.  BACKGROUND: On Friday, June 16, 2023, Commissioner Bedoya, submitted to the Secretary of the FTC several ex-parte communications directed to him in May 2023, including text messages and in-person communications between him, his personal staff, and left-wing activists. The harassing communications from activists were in response to Bedoya issuing a statement in which he indicated disagreement with action taken by Chair Khan, action the Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board characterized as a “power grab.” The communications that ensued between Commissioner Bedoya, his office, and individuals affiliated with progressive groups appear to show a coordinated pressure campaign of FTC officials.  Excerpts from the text messages sent to Commissioner Bedoya by Mr. Dan Geldon, an antitrust reform consultant and former chief of staff to Senator Elizabeth Warren, are included below. Commissioner Bedoya did not respond to these messages.   Mr. Geldon followed up after the initial message stating:  Mr. Geldon then texted a staffer of the Commissioner, who explained in the green text that there is now a prohibition on communicating regarding an active administrative proceeding.  WHY IT MATTERS: In response to these troubling interactions, Chair Rodgers and Subcommittee Chair Bilirakis are asking the FTC to be more transparent about how left-wing radical activists appear to be dictating the commission’s policy decisions. These harassing messages raise serious questions related to how the FTC, an independent agency, could be influenced by the White House through left-wing activist groups that self-identify as advising on personnel decisions in the Biden administration.  The members asked Chair Khan the following questions to determine her involvement in this brazen campaign of intimidation:  Did you direct the individuals, or groups associated with the individuals, mentioned in Commissioner Bedoya’s production, to treat Commissioner Bedoya in this manner?  Were you made aware that Commissioner Bedoya would be threatened and did you tell AELP not to invite Commissioner Bedoya to their summit?   In addition, the members asked the Chair and the Commissioners:  Has behavior by progressive activists, like what was detailed in Commissioner Bedoya’s ex parte notice, contributed to low staff morale and the departures of long-time staff of the Commission?  Has Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign approached you about hiring anyone from his organization’s list of “400 recommended names for positions,” in the Biden Administration? If so, did you hire any of these individuals? Did you recommend that any of these individuals be appointed to career positions at the FTC because of all the vacancies created by low morale under your leadership of the Commission?  Can you provide all communications (including but not limited to notes, text messages, emails and attachments, call logs, or memos to file after an in-person interaction) that you or your staff have had with Dan Geldon, Adam Green, and those who work at their organizations?  Can you provide dates and attendees at any meetings attended by you or your staff, FTC career staff, and Dan Geldon, Adam Green, and those who work at their organizations, and a summary of what was discussed?  Can you provide any information, or communications--including but not limited to notes, text messages, emails and attachments, call logs, or memos to file after an in-person interaction—your offices have had related to coordination with the White House and outside groups on matters related to the “summer strategy of amplifying some of the FTC’s bold moves?” What are the “bold moves” referred to in this exchange? Information related to all interactions and communications—including but not limited to notes, text messages, emails and attachments, call logs, or memos to file after an in-person interaction—that career, non-political, staff have had with the individuals and organizations associated with Dan Geldon, Adam Green, and those who work at their organizations?  CLICK HERE to read the full letter.