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Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing titled “Oversight of President Biden’s Broadband Takeover.” “I’d like to echo my colleagues’ congratulations to Commissioner Gomez on your confirmation, and also to Commissioners Carr and Starks on your reconfirmations.  “I look forward to working with you.”  HEAVY-HANDED REGULATION THROUGH NET NEUTRALITY   “A top priority for Energy and Commerce is closing the digital divide, and the FCC plays a key role in that effort.   “In 2020, Congress passed the Broadband DATA Act, which directed the FCC to update the agency’s broadband maps to provide a more accurate perspective on which parts of the country are served and unserved.  “More than $42 billion in federal funding has been allocated to deploying broadband in unserved areas to ensure all Americans are connected. This is in addition to the funding already provided by the FCC through various programs.  “This Committee also passed legislation to lift broadband permitting burdens to make sure every dollar provided by Congress goes toward serving Americans.   “However, recent actions taken by the FCC threaten the success of these federal funding programs.   “The Biden FCC, under Chairwoman Rosenworcel, is once again attempting to regulate broadband as a public utility under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934.   “This heavy-handed regulatory approach was designed to regulate monopolies, but today’s competitive broadband market is far from a monopoly.  “This is apparent, as the Chair’s Order plans to forebear from twenty-seven provisions in Title II and more than 700 regulations.  “The last time we had this debate during the Trump Administration, Democrats claimed that the Internet as we knew it would end, that we would get the Internet one-word-at-a-time, and that repealing net neutrality would hasten the death of the Internet.   “Since the repeal of the Democrats’ last broadband takeover effort in 2017, investment in broadband networks is up, speeds are up, and prices are down.   “Our broadband networks withstood the ultimate stress test during the COVID-19 pandemic, enduring increased usage without needing government intervention.  “We must maintain the current light-touch regulatory approach that has allowed our networks to adapt and thrive.”  BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MICROMANAGING THE INTERNET   “To further expand the federal government’s role in this industry, earlier this month, the FCC approved new rules on digital discrimination.    “These new regulations will put burdensome requirements on our nation's broadband providers, leading to government bureaucrats micromanaging Americans' Internet access.   “Rather than focusing on intentional discrimination against historically marginalized groups, as Congress intended, the Biden administration is once again unilaterally expanding the power of unelected bureaucrats under the guise of equity.  “The FCC’s expansive standard for what constitutes discrimination will lead to over-enforcement and regulatory uncertainty for American businesses and job creators.   “Under President Biden’s broadband takeover, ordinary business decisions, like whether to deploy broadband infrastructure, what rates to charge customers, and even how to market services to communities, could trigger FCC scrutiny.   “This is a significant power grab for Federal government bureaucrats.   “The reality is, burdensome regulations like these will discourage deployment and innovation, harm our efforts to close the digital divide, and cede our leadership in next-generation technology to China.” ENDING THE FCC’S PARTISAN AGENDA   “That is why we recently sent a letter to Chair Rosenworcel cautioning against refreshing the record to apply outdated, decades old regulations to an evolving media marketplace.  “Since I have not received a response, I will reiterate my concern, and my firm view that changes to the laws that govern the media marketplace need to be done by Congress, not by the FCC.  “Since operating with a full Commission, this FCC has moved full speed ahead to expand its authority and ignore Congressional intent or direction.   “That needs to end.  “Instead of pursuing a partisan agenda that leads to more federal control over Americans’ broadband services, the Chairwoman and the other Commissioners have a responsibility to work with this Committee to carry out the many responsibilities that demand full attention, especially when so many critical issues remain unresolved.   “For instance, the FCC has still not completed its work to modernize and streamline the satellite licensing process, illegal robocalls continue to defraud Americans, and while Congress works to reauthorize spectrum auction authority, no spectrum has been identified to make available for commercial use.   “These should be demanding the Commission’s full attention.” 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing titled “Unmasking Challenges CDC Faces in Rebuilding Public Trust Amid Respiratory Illness Season.” “Today’s hearing is the first opportunity for Congress to hear testimony from Dr. Mandy Cohen since she was appointed the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Director in July.   “Dr. Cohen, congratulations on your appointment. You are taking the reins of the CDC at a critical time in the agency’s history and you have a heavy task ahead.   “As I said at our June oversight hearing, 'the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that we did not have the CDC we thought we had.' I am looking forward to hearing about how you plan to change that.” RESPONSE TO RISE IN RSV CASES   “This hearing is also an opportunity for us to hear first-hand about how CDC is responding to the ongoing respiratory virus season.  “I am particularly interested in hearing about how CDC is helping to mitigate the shortage of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, immunization for all infants.  “We have already heard reports that RSV cases are rising sharply in certain areas of the country and that some hospitals are in 'surge' mode.   “With unprecedented demand for the RSV immunizations this year leading to supply constraints, I hope we will hear what the CDC plans to do to ensure we have a sufficient supply of products for the seasons to come. “It’s great that we have a safe, effective RSV immunization to protect children, but it does us little good if we don’t do a better job at preventing supply constraints.”   REBUILDING PUBLIC TRUST IN THE CDC   “Questions remain.  “How is the CDC planning to rebuild public trust in the agency?   “Has the CDC learned from the mistakes it made during the COVID-19 pandemic?   “Is the CDC committed to making the hard and deep reforms needed to avoid repeating those same mistakes?  “While I’m looking forward to hearing your testimony on these points, I candidly haven’t seen much outward evidence yet that the CDC has taken the failings of the COVID-19 pandemic to heart.  “Another area I have grave concerns about is the detrimental effect extended school closures have had on kids learning.   “According to a report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the average testing scores for US 13-year-olds has hit the lowest level in decades.    “According to a New York Times report from earlier this month, school closures led to 50 million children, including my own, being out of the classroom, causing these students to miss an extremely crucial time in their lives since they were forced to attempt to learn from home.    “And let me assure you, learning from home for school aged children is not as effective as being in the classroom.   “In this same report, the Times claims this 'may prove to be the most damaging disruption in the history of American education.’  “The damage wrought by school closures was enormous and our children will be living with its consequences for decades.”   FAILURES OF THE FEDERAL SELECT AGENT PROGRAM   “As I’ve said before, for better or worse, CDC recommendations and guidance carry great weight. They were used to justify not only school closures, but prohibiting nursing home visitations, and vaccine mandates that would have resulted in millions of Americans losing their jobs. In addition, businesses, fitness centers and worst of all churches were closed.  “Further, the discovery of an illegal biolab in Reedley California exposed more problems with the CDC.  CDC’s management of the Federal Select Agent Program has been subject to criticism in the past for inadequate investigations in response to biosecurity incidents, including investigations from this subcommittee.   “Reading the China Select Committee’s report showed how inadequate CDC’s approach to the Select Agent Program is.    “CDC initially refused to even investigate the lab and only did so once they were contacted by Democratic Representative Jim Costa from California.   “The CDC even refused to test any of the thousands of pathogen samples that could have contained unknown and dangerous pathogens.    “The agency also failed to take meaningful action regarding a refrigerator that was labeled 'Ebola' during their so-called 'investigation.'  “CDC’s response was totally inadequate and failed to provide any support for the local government and put the public at risk through its indifference.  “This is not acceptable, and the CDC must do better.”  CHANGE OF DIRECTION IS NEEDED   “As we look to the future, it’s clear that the CDC needs more than a reset. There needs to be a seismic shift.     “The Agency announced in April 2022 that they were going to undergo a reform by starting to review their processes and structures in place. Since, they have made a handful of changes, but more is needed. “I know that you have not been there long enough to implement a seismic shift, but I hope we can start to see CDC guidance driven by the latest science and robust evidence.     “In closing, I hope your tenure as Director will start that process and reinvigorate the agency.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing titled “Unmasking Challenges CDC Faces in Rebuilding Public Trust Amid Respiratory Illness Season.” “I want to welcome and congratulate, Dr. Cohen, on her appointment as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We must have a transparent and honest conversation about the future of the CDC—an agency that has never been, but needs to be, authorized by Congress.   “Director Cohen, you might be the last appointed CDC Director without a Senate confirmation. Your actions and decisions can help return the CDC back to its fundamental mission or your actions could allow the CDC to drift further away and worsen public trust.”  THE CDC BROKE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’S TRUST   “We want to hear from you today about the CDC’s preparedness for the current wave of seasonal viruses, such as the flu, RSV, and COVID-19. At the same time, we want to examine the CDC’s past decisions and guidance to understand how you’re taking lessons learned from COVID-19, mpox, and other recent public health threats to improve our current and future public health strategies.  “This is a chance to restore transparency and public trust in our health institutions and ensure that the CDC’s issued guidance is clear, practical, and consistently relevant and up to date with the latest science. Sometimes, this may include telling the American people what the CDC does and doesn’t know.  “To put this bluntly, your predecessors took bad advice. They acted on bad advice due to political pressure and misled the American people. The institution you now run influenced schools to remain closed by listening to non-scientific stakeholders, namely Teachers’ Unions. And because of the guidance to keep schools closed for an extended period, our children—the very future of our country—now suffer generational learning loss and devastating mental health conditions.   “The gravity of the situation is clear. If we fail to restore trust in public health institutions and correct past missteps, the consequences for our children and country could be dire.”  LONG LASTING EFFECTS OF BAD CDC POLICY   “It is in this context of urgency that we must consider the substantial investments made during the pandemic. Congress provided schools with $190 billion to combat COVID, allocating an estimated 20 percent to mitigate learning loss.   “And despite these efforts, students in grades three through eight are lagging behind months—if not years—in Reading and Math abilities.   “Nationwide, our children’s academic performance has suffered an historic decline, with reading and math scores plummeting to the lowest levels in 30 years. Further, school attendance is down, and students are dealing with a crisis of loneliness.   “These facts are not merely statistics; they are our children, our nieces and nephews, our neighbors’ children. They are the next generation. And right now, this is a stark indication of the broader fall out from actions taken during the COVID-19 response that we are only beginning to uncover.  “As we reflect on the events that led us to this point, we must acknowledge the weight of responsibility that comes with being the Director of the CDC.   “The agency's guidance has far-reaching implications, affecting not just public health, but our day-to-day lives and the overall well-being of our children.”   RESTORING THE CDC’S MISSION   “It is imperative that we see a commitment to cooperating with Congress. Too many of our inquiries to your predecessor went inadequately answered or wholly ignored. I think we all agree that being transparent with us—and the Americans we represent—is foundational to restoring trust.  “I know this is your first time testifying before Congress as Director of the CDC, but this hearing is more than a procedural formality; it is a pivotal moment for accountability and reassessment.   “The insights shared today will not only shed light on past decisions but also take a step toward rebuilding trust. This hearing is an opportunity to share how you will apply lessons learned to the current respiratory illness season as well as future decisions by the CDC.   “Director Cohen, you have an opportunity today to inform the committee—and the American people—how you plan to lead as Director.   “We look forward to your testimony and hearing about how you will lead the CDC moving forward and restore public trust.” 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing titled “Oversight of President Biden’s Broadband Takeover.” “Good morning, and welcome to today’s oversight hearing of the Federal Communications Commission. Commissioner Gomez, congratulations on your confirmation and welcome to your first oversight hearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee.   “Commissioners Carr and Starks, congratulations on your reconfirmations.”   PRESIDENT BIDEN’S BROADBAND TAKEOVER   “Five months ago, the FCC came before this Committee and much has changed since then.   “The Commission finally has a full slate of Commissioners and moved aggressively to advance partisan initiatives despite calls from this Committee to continue down a bipartisan path.   “Since September, Chair Rosenworcel has pursued a federal government takeover of the internet.   “First, the FCC plans to reclassify broadband as a common carrier under Title II of the Communications Act. This effort is unnecessary and simply defies logic.   “The Obama administration’s FCC attempted to impose these same regulations and made false claims that without them, the internet would be ruined.   “However, all those statements were unsubstantiated and broadband networks continued to thrive under the current light-touch regulatory framework.    “In fact, our networks have performed remarkably well.   “They withstood the increased usage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and, unlike Europe, our regulators did not have to ask sites to throttle or degrade their service.   “Providers were able to respond quickly to the demand.   “Turning away from this success and adding additional regulations will make deployment more difficult. This simply makes no sense.”  OVERREACH AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS     “Second, the FCC approved final rules on digital discrimination.   “Congress directed the FCC to adopt rules to ‘facilitate equal access to broadband internet service.’ However, the rules adopted by the FCC go far beyond Congress’ intent.   “Among other provisions, the rules adopt a ‘disparate impact’ standard for determining violations rather than focusing on intentional discrimination.   “The FCC’s new rules permit the FCC to micromanage the broadband industry and dictate to providers where to build, how much to charge, and what kind of services to offer.    “Burdensome and expansive regulations like these will only discourage broadband buildout at a time when Americans need it most.”  CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE   “I urge the FCC to reconsider these rules and adopt more narrow rules that are consistent with Congressional intent.    “The FCC is most successful when it pursues bipartisan priorities.   “For example, the FCC recently voted to refresh the record on the 5G Fund, which will help support deployment of 5G in rural areas.   “5G is critical for connectivity and use cases like precision agriculture; we need to make sure every American has access to broadband at home and on the go.   “The broadband landscape has changed significantly since the FCC first adopted rules for the 5G Fund in 2020, so I appreciate that the FCC is revisiting these rules, in light of recent events.  “And finally, I will end on a note of caution. The recent partisan actions taken by this Commission give me grave concern.   “At a time when the government is preparing to provide over $42 billion for broadband deployment, imposing burdensome federal regulations risks this money going to waste.  “We should strive every single day to be good stewards of American’s hard-earned tax dollars.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee hearing titled “America Leads the Way: Our History as the Global Leader at Reducing Emissions.” “Today’s hearing is an opportunity to celebrate American energy and environmental leadership. “We are going to explore our legacy as technological innovators to solve tough problems around energy and environmental protection, without sacrificing our economic development or national security. “This is the message that Energy and Commerce plans to celebrate on the world stage at COP28.” AMERICA’S ENERGY AND CLIMATE LEADERSHIP  “For decades, America has led the way. “We’ve harnessed the power of nuclear energy, electrified millions of rural American’s homes with clean hydropower, and ushered in the Shale Revolution, which continues to create millions of new jobs, bring manufacturing back to the U.S., and revitalize communities across the country. “America is more energy secure today than ever before thanks to this legacy, which was built on the foundation of free markets, entrepreneurship, and giving people the opportunity to choose which energy sources best suit their needs. “Today, we are the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. “We’ve become a top exporter, which is helping to shift markets and bolster our security against countries like Russia and Iran. “This Shale Revolution and the affordable and reliable natural gas that American workers are now producing has also enabled America to reduce emissions more than any other nation, and we have the capacity to continue helping countries reduce their emissions even further.”  CHINA IS THE WORLD’S BIGGEST POLLUTER “American energy leadership is critical to ensuring we are not reliant on China, a country that maintains some the worst environmental and labor standards in the world. “It is clear by their actions that China does not share our concerns about the climate nor our value of environmental stewardship. “For instance, China’s energy-related emissions of CO2 increased by almost 80 percent between 2005 and 2021. “They are responsible for 28 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions—making them the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases by far. “This is more than the GHG emissions of the entire developed world combined. “In the U.S., on the other hand, CO2 emissions from the energy sector have declined by 14.5 percent since 2007. “Since 2005, U.S. CO2 emissions from the electric sector alone have declined by more than 28 percent. “Between 1970 and 2020, the U.S. reduced emissions for criteria air pollutants by 78 percent. “And since 2000, fine particulate matter—or PM2.5—air quality has improved 44 percent. “All told, U.S. air quality is the best in the world, and it’s getting cleaner. “Furthermore, China’s supply chains—which rely upon slave labor—control the vast majority of critical minerals processing, and refining for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels. “Moving to 100 percent wind, solar, and battery powered energy—as some have proposed—will cede our energy future to China and could have the perverse effect of increasing emissions.” EMBRACING AMERICAN VALUES TO WIN THE FUTURE “We should instead be working to build on our remarkable legacy, which has transformed the human condition, helped lift people out of poverty, and raised the standard of living. “The best way to do that is with a strong energy mix that takes advantage of the resources we have here at home, lowers costs for Americans, and prevents us from becoming reliant on China for our energy needs. “Intermittent renewable sources, like wind and solar, have a place in this mix, but they need dispatchable energy — like clean natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower — to back them up. “By standing up for American values of free market competition, innovation, and environmental stewardship, we can continue building on this legacy, which will drive down emissions, while making energy affordable and reliable. “These are achievable, bipartisan goals that will help us beat China and our foreign adversaries. “This is the best path, rather than the market distorting subsidies and grants for ‘green’ technologies, which some have suggested, or the punitive environmental restrictions that forces mining and manufacturing out of the U.S. while banning people from using gas-powered cars and natural gas appliances. “This forced transition will leave our economy dangerously dependent on supply chains from China, and make energy less affordable and less reliable for Americans. “With the right policies in place, however, America can lead the way to an energy expansion and transform our energy mix. “Our economy, our national security, the stability of global markets, and the environment will only benefit from continued American leadership.”

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Understanding How AI is Changing Health Care.” “I would like to thank our witnesses for being here today. This hearing could not be timelier, as our Committee and the Congress as a whole look at issues regarding artificial intelligence, it’s important that we shine a light specifically on the role that AI could play in solving some of our most significant health care problems. “These emerging technologies are already changing the way in which clinicians care for their patients and how researchers conduct clinical trials. “As AI continues to drive innovation in health care, it is essential that Congress examine the meaningful benefits and any potential unintended consequences that these technologies could have. “The potential benefits from artificial intelligence are seemingly without limit. Future technologies could help our health care system save lives by better predicting potential diagnoses and could help us reduce redundancies in our system. “We have already seen this play out in real time over the past several years and have watched unimaginable advances in health care as a result of generative AI.” REAL WORLD AI SUCCESS IN HEALTH CARE   “For example, there are already numerous success stories in using AI for pharmaceutical research and development to get treatments to market sooner. This was the case in the AI-assisted research by MIT scientists that found that the drug Halicin could be used as an effective antibiotic. “We now have multicancer screening diagnostic tools that use AI to help detect early-stage cancers, and AI is even being used in operating rooms to augment existing processes to improve patient outcomes. “However, this is not to say that we should let the use of these technologies go without guardrails. “Over the next several months and years policymakers and those in the health industry will need to answer some fundamental questions regarding the role AI will play in our health care system, including:  “Are the technologies trained with supervised AI using human-generated inputs to drive outcomes? “Are these technologies trained with unsupervised AI that’s generating outcomes based off human behavior to ease everyday decision-making for health care consumers? “Or are these technologies trained with reinforced AI in which humans are rewarding the systems for the outputs generated?   “Those are very complex and difficult things we need to explore as we move forward. “In each of these use cases, it is important to remember that every decision comes with a cost—both human and financial. Wearable devices that are constantly monitoring someone’s heart rate, calorie intake and out-take, and sleep patterns in addition to other metrics that can help lead to healthier lifestyles, and in some cases, to predicting extreme cardiac events or even strokes.”  ENSURING APPROPRIATE GUARDRAILS TO DEPLOY AI SAFETY AND EFFECTIVELY   “In the event of using user data to predict better lifestyle habits, how are we ensuring this user data is secure and ensuring that consumers have full control over this information and not being used or sold without their consent? “In the event of predicting a major health event, are there protocols that should be considered to ensure individuals aren’t taking unnecessary trips to the Emergency Room and potentially incurring significant health care debt as a result? “In closing, I support the real possibilities AI can bring to our health care system, and most importantly, to patients. “We should give the technology the license to coexist alongside clinicians, patients, and innovators as well as regulators while also remaining vigilant of how this technology is being used. “I look forward to the discussion today.” 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Understanding How AI is Changing Health Care.” A NATIONAL DATA PRIVACY STANDARD   “This is now the fourth hearing that the Energy and Commerce Committee has held across our subcommittees on the subject of artificial intelligence.   “Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform every aspect of our lives—for better or for worse.  “It’s critical that America—not China—is the one addressing AI’s challenges and leading in this technology’s development and deployment.   “The best way to start is by laying the groundwork to protect people’s information with a national data privacy standard.   “This is a foundational first step towards a safe and prosperous AI future, in health care and beyond.  “I look forward to continuing to discuss how we can improve privacy protections for Americans as we incorporate AI tools into our lives, and I’m proud of each of our subcommittee chairs for leading on this important issue.” OPPORTUNITIES FOR AI IN HEALTH CARE “AI has a unique role to play in the future of health care.  “AI could help find the next breakthrough cure or improve our ability to catch deadly diseases earlier.    “We are already seeing that artificial intelligence can be used to aid in the assessment of medical imaging, which one of our witnesses will discuss in detail.  “Additionally, AI is reducing administrative burdens on health care providers.  “We have all heard from the providers in our districts about the burden of necessary but cumbersome paperwork, how this often leads to burnout for our doctors and nurses, and how it eats up time that they could spend providing actual patient care.   “For just about my entire tenure in Congress, one of the top issues that we’ve struggled with has been finding ways to cut paperwork and redundancies in our health care system so that we can let doctors do what doctors do best: treat their patients.  “For years, we’ve nibbled around the edges of this issue, but the future of AI could be transformative and will hopefully let doctors be doctors instead of administrative staff. We’ll hear more from Dr. Schlosser from HCA on how this is being tested out in their hospitals.”  CONCERNS WITH AI IN HEALTH CARE “To be clear, AI will not solve all the problems with the American health care system.  “One concern that we have frequently heard is the potential for human biases to be implicitly baked into AI technologies.  “The first piece of health care legislation that this Committee advanced this year was my bill to ban the usage of Quality Adjusted Life Years—or QALYs—which are discriminatory measures that are used by federal payers to deny health care services to people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.   “If AI is reliant on QALYs or other similar measures when assisting in clinical decision making, our most vulnerable will be left behind.  “No one here wants to advocate for discrimination, and we need to be conscious of how federal programs and AI technologies incorporate these types of biases and what we should be thinking about in this area.” WINNING THE FUTURE “I’ll close by saying that I’m optimistic about the promise of many of these technologies.   “I think these technologies can make a difference in the lives of patients, and this Committee needs to lead the way in supporting innovation.  “For American to lead, we must strike the right balance with AI, one that gives businesses the flexibility to remain agile as they develop these cutting-edge technologies, while also ensuring its responsible use.   “A national standard for the collection and handling of data will provide businesses, health care providers, and every American with clear and understandable protections wherever they are.  “Today’s hearing will hopefully shed more light on the current landscape of AI in health care and hopefully provide us with further insight on next steps that we should take to continue supporting patients.”

Letter comes ahead of Director Cohen’s testimony before Oversight Subcommittee 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, today wrote to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen, who is slated to testify before the Oversight Subcommittee tommorrow, November 30. KEY LETTER EXCERPTS :  “ The Centers for Disease Control and Protection’s (CDC) failure to communicate accurate information in real-time during the COVID-19 pandemic has undermined public trust in the agency. If the CDC is to regain credibility with the American people, it must be transparent and forthcoming with the information it has on public health threats facing our nation. “It is widely known that China thwarted international efforts, including efforts by the CDC, to respond to the burgeoning COVID-19 crisis as it began to unfold in China. Even the World Health Organization (WHO), which has long been criticized for being overly accommodating to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has called China’s decision to withhold information from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic ‘simply inexcusable.’ “The WHO has now called on China to provide epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results, on the reported pneumonia clusters among children, in addition to information on recent trends of known pathogen circulation. It would be an abdication of the CDC’s duty to the American people if it allows China to repeat its misdeeds from the COVID-19 pandemic. The American people should not have to rely on the unaccountable and untrustworthy WHO to communicate information about Chinese public health threats. Further, we cannot allow the CCP to block the CDC from accessing the information it needs to protect Americans and assist in appropriate public health response efforts.”  The Chairs requested bi-weekly briefings and answers to the following questions by December 13, 2023:  Has the CDC engaged with or interacted with its Chinese counterparts with respect to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia?  If yes, when did the CDC and its Chinese counterparts first interact with respect to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia? Who initiated this interaction?  At any point did the CDC’s Chinese counterparts withhold information or fail to respond to the CDC in a timely manner with respect to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia? Please detail each instance and the topic of inquiry that prompted such failure to respond in a timely manner. What specific information, if any, has the CDC sought from China with respect to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia? What specific information, if any, has the CDC received from China with respect to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia? Please detail the length of time it took China to respond to each inquiry for information. What specific response efforts, if any, has the CDC offered to take part in with respect to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia?  What specific response efforts, if any, has the CDC taken part in, is actively taking part in, or plans to take part in with respect to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia?  Has specific information on the outbreak been communicated to relevant federal agencies and/or key stakeholders, including:  The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR);  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA);  The National Institutes of Health (NIH); The Surgeon General; Department of Defense; Other Federal entities; and/or  State and local public health officials CLICK HERE to read the letter.

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson (R-OH) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing titled “America Leads the Way: Our History as the Global Leader at Reducing Emissions.” CELEBRATING U.S. LEGACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP   “I am excited for this opportunity to highlight America’s global leadership and success in both emission reductions and energy production.  “I also look forward to discussing how we can build off this success to expand our leadership around the world.   “The United States is the country it is today not because of heavy handed regulatory policies that have driven industries out of business and manufacturing overseas, but because of the nation’s long-standing entrepreneurial culture that has provided the freedom and flexibility for businesses to deploy innovative technologies across our energy and industrial economy.   “As our economy continues to grow and our energy demand and use increases, our environmental stewardship continues to improve.   “In fact, the EPA has air quality data showing that, as of 2022, the total emissions of the six major air pollutants have dropped by 73 percent since 1980.  “During this same period, gross domestic product increased 196 percent, vehicle miles traveled increased 108 percent, energy consumption increased 29 percent, and U.S. population grew by 47 percent.   “Why is this important? It shows that becoming more prosperous and secure as a nation is possible, while also decreasing emissions. We’ve done it!   “We don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. In fact, during this time, America has flexed its muscles as a global energy production superpower.”  AMERICAN INNOVATION & PROSPERITY   “The American Shale revolution is a prime example of this entrepreneurial spirit.  “Pro-growth energy policies have taken US energy dominance to new levels. Innovation in the energy sector has increased the standard of living for many Americans by boosting productivity, reducing energy prices, and cutting emissions.    “It is estimated that the shale revolution saved U.S. consumers $203 billion annually, breaking down to $2,500 per family of four. It also lowered energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 527 metric tons per year.  “I saw the benefits of the shale revolution firsthand. My district sits on top of the Utica and Marcellus shale. Eastern and Southeastern Ohio have helped the United States become the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas.   “The Shale Revolution not only made America energy dominant, but it also provided America with geopolitical advantages and the ability to export clean energy to our allies across the globe—what we could call, ‘the U.S. LNG revolution.’”   BUILDING ON AMERICA’S ENERGY LEADERSHIP   “H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act , has passed twice on the House floor now, because it recognizes the successes of the past and further built on those successes to unleash American energy. My bill, which was included as part of H.R. 1 lifted all restrictions on the import and export of natural gas.   “It is a proven fact that American LNG exports reduce carbon emissions by replacing huge quantities of dirtier fuels harvested overseas. Despite this fact, the Biden administration and the environmental left aren’t interested.   “Why? Because increasing LNG exports, which we can do easily with our vast quantities of natural gas, would NOT, and I repeat would NOT require a radical re-ordering of American society and a reduced standard of living. Because that’s the true goal of this radical climate agenda.   “It’s a missed opportunity not to exploit America’s vast reserves of cleaner energy resources.   “The Biden administration’s 'whole-of-government' climate agenda, forcing rapid vehicle electrification and renewable energy, will only serve to move our energy industry, and other American industries, overseas strengthening adversaries, like Russia, China and Iran.  “To conclude, I want to address quickly the upcoming COP28 climate meeting in Dubai. A number of us here on Energy & Commerce will be attending, and I hope that this conversation today will present an informative starting point.  “Now, to be clear, and I will make it clear at COP 28 as well, that John Kerry, and the Biden administration’s radical negotiators at this conference do not, and I repeat, do not speak for the American people, nor do they speak for all American policymakers.    “The message that I and my Republican colleagues will carry is that more American energy production means a cleaner, safer, and more secure world.    “Friends, we should not apologize for America’s prosperity. Instead, let’s recognize the progress we as a nation have made in both environmental stewardship and energy leadership.”