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Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) and Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) today announced a field hearing in Moore County, North Carolina, titled “Enhancing America’s Grid Security and Resilience.”   “America's electrical grid keeps our hospitals, military bases, homes, and businesses powered. We must make sure it is secure to keep people safe and our economy moving. The recent substation attacks in North Carolina, as well as severe transformer shortages and cyber risks, raise concerns about the daily vulnerabilities our grid faces that can lead to outages and other service interruptions. We look forward to this hearing to discuss how we can harden our energy grid and enhance its resiliency to better protect it from attacks, equipment shortages, and other potential risks.”   Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security hearing titled: “ Enhancing America’s Grid Security and Resilience .”    WHAT: A field hearing on enhancing America’s grid security and reliability.   DATE: Friday, June 16, 2023     TIME: 10:00 A.M. ET  LOCATION: 395 Magnolia Rd, Pinehurst, NC 28374   WITNESSES: Witnesses will be announced and are by invitation only.    This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press, and will be livestreamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/ . If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Kaitlyn Peterson with the Committee staff at Kaitlyn.Peterson@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Sean Kelly at Sean.Kelly@mail.house.gov .   NOTE: in December 2022, two electric substations in Moore County, North Carolina, were assaulted, resulting in widespread power outages that affected 45,000 homes and businesses and lasted around five days.

Addressing the Opioid Crisis and Examining the SUPPORT Act Five Years Later Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA) today led Health Subcommittee members in a field hearing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Experts in the community highlighted why we must strengthen programs that help people manage addiction, find hope, and discover opportunities to live a full life. Below are excerpts and highlights of prepared witness testimony: Mr. Michael Straley: “My wife Robin and I were scheduled to have dinner with our daughter Leah Renee Straley on Thursday, March 1, 2018, at a Delray Beach, Florida, restaurant. Instead, we had her memorial service in Hagerstown, Maryland. Leah Renee Straley passed on Valentine’s Day 2018. Her cause of death: fentanyl poisoning. She is forever 26. Every day there is grief. “Leah’s addiction started when she was 14 years old—much of it attributed to peer pressure. It started with marijuana, in her case, the drug of choice, and the gateway drug that led to more potent drugs—cocaine, heroin, painkillers and ultimately fentanyl. We are a middle-class family. She was raised in church, had a loving family and friends whose parents were business and shop owners. Addiction doesn’t discriminate.” […] “ Grief isn’t the absence of love, it’s proof that love is still there. And it will be always there. My wife and I started Leah’s Legacy Foundation in 2019, a non-profit, committed to helping women in recovery. We provide Leah Legacy purple bags filled with over 40 essentials to women in sober living. We share Leah’s journey and ours as grieving parents.” […] “We have turned misery into a mission. Calamity into a cause. We want to live our life with a purpose and to honor our beloved Leah Renee Straley. Families are hurting. Families are grieving. In 2021, 29 families lost a loved one to an overdose in Franklin County. In 2022, that number rose to 32. On average, 14 people die EACH DAY of an overdose in Pennsylvania. Over the past decade, we have lost over a half million people to the overdose epidemic in this country.” CLICK HERE to read Mr. Straley’s full prepared testimony. Dr. Mitchell Crawford, D.O.: “The SUPPORT Act was an excellent start. But we have so much more work to do. In 2021, nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, 65% of whom died from fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances. “America’s addiction crisis cuts across all barriers: age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. It touches nearly every American in some way, including those of us in this room—including me. I lost my sister, who was a great person and whom I loved dearly, to an overdose in 2015. “I was in medical school at the time, and I remember the complicated emotions of watching her struggle while also, frankly, not knowing how best to help her. Ironically, despite addiction being such a deadly disease when untreated, there is still very limited training on the topic in our medical education systems even today.” […] “The stark reality is that the number of adults in Central Pennsylvania with behavioral health and/or substance use disorders is increasing and surpassing the capacity of behavioral health and primary care providers to treat them. It is critical that patients have continued access to care, including clinically appropriate controlled substances, especially in the face of a growing overdose and suicide epidemics exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are in the midst of an opioid and addiction epidemic and our friends and neighbors are dying in record numbers.” CLICK HERE to read Dr. Crawford’s full prepared testimony. Reading Township Police Department Chief William Ceravola: “None of these cases ever seemed to really affect me until one day I showed up [to the morgue] and there was a pregnant female there. I learned that day they also examine the fetus. I'll never forget that little boy that never had a chance at life. It turns out that his mother overdosed. “I know there is a stigma with overdose deaths that it was their own fault, and it happens to other people, or they've had a poor upbringing. It can't happen to smart, well-educated, wealthy people, right? Well, the female that day was a nurse that worked in hospital. Think about that for a second. How can that be? “Well, I've also seen police officers that get addicted too. I personally had to dismiss an officer that got addicted to pain killers from an off-duty injury. I wonder why he didn't just come to me and say he had a problem. Well, it's because no one wants to be labeled.” […] “I believe that educating the public and getting Narcan into the community has been a great success. I pray that we can build on this success and save more lives. I can attest that we're not just saving the users' lives. We are changing the lives of some that aren't even born yet. I still wonder what that little boy would be today if someone in the hospital had found his mother and saved them.” CLICK HERE to read Chief Ceravola’s full prepared testimony. Highlights from Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Members: Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY): “The overdose crisis continues to tragically claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. In 2022, the U.S. sadly reached a historic high of 107,000 overdose deaths. “For context, more than 33,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdose in 2015. This means in less than a decade, there was shocking 224% growth in drug overdose deaths.” […] “This Committee has acted on a number of occasions, in a bipartisan fashion, to address the overdose crisis. This includes passing the 21st Century Cures Act, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-being Act, the HALT Fentanyl Act, and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. The SUPPORT Act is why we are here today. We are working to examine the programs within SUPPORT Act, which expires this year.”  Congressman John Joyce (R-PA): “We are going back to Washington with the great information you have provided us for today to discuss how that should be reauthorized, how it might be altered, how it could be improved.” […] “In 2022 alone, the DEA seized almost 379 million doses of fentanyl, which is enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States. And that’s just what was seized, what we were able to capture. That’s not what came through and ended up on the streets throughout the United States.” Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA): “I have a large rural district in Appalachia, and in part of my district there’s a number of suboxone clinics. What they have found is that it has become a street drug and that some of the patients who are there will take some of their dosage and they will sell some of their dosage.” More from Rep. Griffith. Congressman Larry Bucshon (R-IN): “On fentanyl, it’s coming from China, to Mexico, through cartels, to the United States of America, and killing our citizens. That’s not my opinion, that’s what’s happening.” […] “The scientists in China, primarily China, will literally change one little molecule on the fentanyl. Then, it technically may not be illegal in the United States, and they can bring it into the United States legally, unless we have fentanyl analogs scheduled as a Schedule 1.” NOTE: To address this crisis, the House passed the HALT Fentanyl Act in May with a bipartisan vote of 289-133. The HALT Fentanyl Act will make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent and give law enforcement the tools they need to keep Americans safe. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-CA): “This has been an incredibly poignant hearing for me. I represent an extremely rural section of California... in the last 18 months, my district has experienced an over 600% increase in the number of fentanyl related deaths. “My most difficult day in nineteen years of public office was last fall when I had a constituent lose both of her sons in the same afternoon to the same fentanyl poisoning incident.” […] “I wish we would stop using the word overdose. The vast majority of these incidents when someone dies from fentanyl, is not an overdose, it is a poisoning.” CLICK HERE to watch the full field hearing.

Washington, D.C. — On behalf of members on the Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee, House Energy and Commerce Chair Committee Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson (R-OH), sent a letter today to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan requesting information regarding how their rush-to-green methane regulations will discourage American energy production. These regulations extend beyond the agency’s congressionally mandated authority and will increase energy costs for Americans.  Excerpts and highlights from the letter:  “We write regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposals for new methane regulations under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the agency’s implementation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program under Section 60113 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). The EPA’s regulatory proposal for methane creates substantial legal and regulatory uncertainty, which discourages energy production and increases energy prices. The EPA is also planning to add to the regulatory burden with a new tax on methane emissions. As the Congressional Budget Office determined, a tax on methane emissions will increase operational costs, reduce energy production, and increase the price of natural gas.   “On November 2, 2021, EPA proposed three separate actions to regulate methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas well sites, compressor stations, processing plants, and transmission and storage facilities. This proposal would dramatically expand EPA’s regulatory reach, and it would undercut rules issued under the prior administration that removed regulatory duplication and would have saved millions of dollars each year. The EPA’s proposal violates statutory requirements under CAA Section 111 that require, as a predicate to establishing regulations for new sources, a finding that methane emissions from a source significantly contributes to air pollution that endangers public health or welfare. The EPA’s proposal also imposes improper requirements on States to issue additional methane regulations for existing sources under CAA Section 111(d).           “Energy facilities subject to EPA’s aggressive regulatory proposals must also plan for compliance with EPA’s new Methane Emissions Reduction Program, under which EPA will impose and collect a tax on the reported metric tons of methane emissions that exceed certain thresholds, based on the type of facility, and the amount of natural gas sent to sale. There are several aspects of the methane tax that are undefined in statute, and since there was no hearing, committee report, or debate in Congress, there are significant questions about how the methane taxes and regulations will interact with each other.     “While the CAA contains exemptions for regulatory compliance, and when there is a lack of pipeline infrastructure available, it is unclear how EPA will calculate the tax and which operators will be forced to comply. There are also questions about how emissions are reported, whether EPA is coordinating with States, and when EPA will enforce compliance with new taxes and regulations.”        CLICK HERE to read the full letter and questions that Rodgers and Johnson asked the EPA to respond to by June 23, 2023. 

Gettysburg, PA — Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie's (R-KY) and Congressman John Joyce's, M.D. (R-PA) opening remarks today at the Health Subcommittee Field Hearing in Gettysburg, PA, on “ Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Examining the SUPPORT Act Five Years Later .” Subcommittee Chair Guthrie's remarks as prepared for delivery: THE OPIOID CRISIS AFFECTS ALL AMERICANS “Thanks to everyone for being here today to address such a significant issue facing every single American household. “The overdose crisis continues to tragically claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. In 2022, the U.S. sadly reached a historic high of 107,000 overdose deaths. “For context, more than 33,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdose in 2015. “This means in less than a decade, there was shocking 224% growth in drug overdose deaths. “In Kentucky, we saw 14% growth in overdose rates between 2020 and 2021, and illicit fentanyl contributed to over 70% of those overdoses in both years. “Overdose rates promisingly declined last year by 5%, a sign that what we are doing is working, but far more needs to be done. “This Committee has acted on a number of occasions, in a bipartisan fashion, to address the overdose crisis. “This includes passing the 21st Century Cures Act, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-being Act, the HALT Fentanyl Act, and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.” REAUTHORIZING THE SUPPORT ACT PROGRAMS “The SUPPORT Act is why we are here today. We are working to examine the programs within SUPPORT Act, which expires this year. “This landmark legislation is known as the single largest Congressional effort to tackle a drug epidemic in our nation’s history and overwhelmingly passed in House in 2018 and was signed into law by President Trump. “The law is responsible for improving access to alternative pain management therapies for seniors, greater access to medication assisted treatment for vulnerable populations, and comprehensive wrap-around treatment and recovery support resources for those seeking to overcome their substance use disorders. “The SUPPORT Act also included my Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act, a program that focuses on delivering targeted services to communities hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. “I’ve introduced legislation to reauthorize this important program and look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to ensure Americans continue to have access to these services. “Over the next few weeks and months, we will dive further into the policies of the SUPPORT Act to better understand what is working and what isn’t. “In closing, I want to personally thank Dr. Joyce for hosting us here today. He’s worked tirelessly during his time in Congress to address the ongoing overdose crisis, and I know his work won’t stop until this crisis ends.” --- Remarks as prepared for delivery from Rep. Joyce, whose district includes Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: COMBATTING THE SCOURGE OF ADDICTION “Thank you for yielding Chairman Guthrie, and I would like to also thank Chair Rodgers and the Committee for coming to Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District for this hearing on such an important topic. “We are meeting together today at one of the most important historical sites in our Nation’s history. “As we approach the 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, we recognize the 7,058 Americans who lost their lives at this site and remember their sacrifice today as we meet on another issue devastating our community here and across the nation today. “That is the scourge of addiction and drug overdoses which in recent years have erased over 100,000 American annually leaving behind devastated families, loved ones and friends. “As we look as a committee and as a Congress to address these matters, we must look to the communities outside of Washington for answers and real time feedback to better inform federal policy. “So far this year we have made progress by passing the Halt Fentanyl Act which will permanently schedule fentanyl analogues that have been flooding our communities with a deadly substance leaving death and tragedy in their wake. “In 2022 alone, DEA seized almost 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl which is more than enough to kill every single man, woman and child in the United States. And this was just what was seized. “While I am hopefully this bill will pass the Senate and be signed into law, there is much more we need to be doing in supporting our local law enforcement, health care providers and patients who are facing these issues every day.” FIGHTING THE INCREASE IN OVERDOSE DEATHS “In 2018, President Trump signed the SUPPORT Act into law which was a comprehensive measure aimed at combating addiction and helping treatment for those facing this disease. “Despite these efforts, and exacerbated by the response to COVID-19, we are still seeing an increase in deaths and we must examine what more can be done. “For example, the number of adolescent overdose deaths in the United States has been steadily rising from 492 in 2019 to 952 in 2020 and, in the most recent available data, 1,146 in 2021. “Experts estimate prescription and synthetic opioids account for 77% of overdose deaths. “Opioid overdose deaths could be avoided by the timely administration of naloxone, a safe and effective opioid reversal agent. “And today I hope we are able to hear from our witnesses about the use and availability of naloxone.” ENSURING ACCESS TO CRISIS AND RECOVERY SERVICES “We must also be examining what policies need to be addressed to ensure all patients have access to crisis and recovery services and the ability to receive the treatment they need. “Some of these barriers include looking at the impact of the IMD Exclusion which has restricted access to residential and inpatient care and whether this can be modernized to ensure the availability of treatment for all patients. “The SUPPORT Act also recognizes that to ultimately be successful in combating the opioid misuse crisis, we must do a better job helping the 50 million Americans suffering from chronic pain. “Pain is a serious and growing disease which is more prevalent in older adults, women, veterans, blue collar workers and people living in rural areas like Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District. “The SUPPORT Act contains numerous pain related provisions directing the federal government to promote patient awareness of and access to non-opioid therapies.”

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) issued the following statement today on the ongoing forest fires in Canada and the importance of proactive forest management to reduce the risks of forest fires.   “The wildfire smoke blanketing the East Coast of the United States is an unfortunate reminder of what we have dealt with in Eastern Washington — every single summer — for decades. With this issue getting more national attention, it is a call to work together on solutions like supporting proactive and collaborative forest management, which I've led on for years, to prevent catastrophic wildfires in the United States. Ensuring our forests are healthy is the key to keeping our communities safe and helping shield everyone from the harms of poor air quality.”    

Washington, D.C. —  Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing titled “ Looking Back Before Moving Forward: Assessing CDC's Failures in Fulfilling its Mission .” Excerpts and highlights below: HOLDING THE CDC ACCOUNTABLE “Today’s hearing will focus on understanding the scope of what is wrong at the CDC so that we can begin to fix it. “This is not about villainizing the CDC, it’s about accountability. “Accountability for children kept out of school, who are dealing with mental, social, and emotional health issues, small business owners who watched their life’s work dry up, for people who lost their jobs because of vaccine mandates. “The CDC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in confidence in the agency. “The pandemic made it overwhelmingly clear that the CDC has serious, foundational problems and the roots, in many cases, span multiple administrations.” RECKONING WITH THE SCOPE OF CDC’S COVID-19 FAILURES “From the start of the pandemic, it was clear how challenging the novel coronavirus would be to contain, which was made even more difficult because of how underprepared CDC was to respond to the emerging threat. “No doubt that a virus as transmissible as SARS-CoV-2 was always going to be difficult. But in the earliest days of the pandemic, the CDC’s faulty test kits set us back. “Without testing we could not effectively slow the spread of the virus when cases amounted to just a few embers. “People also counted on the CDC to provide timely and clear guidance based on the best available science to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. “Yet, time and again CDC’s guidance failed to meet this expectation and instead consistently issued guidance that lacked clarity and the best available science. “More consequentially, CDC’s guidance reflected the agency’s preferred policy outcomes or political considerations. “At its worst, CDC released guidance that was influenced by teachers’ unions and was a significant signal to states that they weren’t fully confident in schools’ ability to return to school safely, despite earlier versions of the guidance suggesting otherwise. “Our children are paying a terrible price academically, physically, and emotionally for the CDC’s shortcomings. “Bad science in CDC guidance, when used to justify mandates, destroyed lives. “CDC public communications on COVID-19 vaccines were just as bad. Simply put, CDC overpromised when it should have known better. “CDC leadership told the public that vaccines prevented transmission while the agency was receiving reports of breakthrough infections among the vaccinated. “CDC downplayed the existence of adverse events while it was receiving reports of post-vaccination myocarditis in young men. “The CDC’s decades of experience running mass vaccination programs should have prepared it to manage the administration of COVID-19 vaccines. “The CDC knows only 30 to 40% of people get an annual flu shot—that vaccine hesitancy did not just begin with the COVID-19 vaccine.” THE PATH FORWARD FOR THE CDC “It is going to be a long road to rebuild this trust—and the agency cannot go it alone. “Many of the CDC’s COVID-19 failures have their roots in longstanding problems at the agency. “The CDC needs to address its failures with openness and, frankly, humility. “I am deeply worried that CDC’s insular, academic culture will prevent it from learning the right lessons. “Outgoing Director Walensky launched a reorganization of the CDC. Whether it survives her departure is unclear. “Whether the reorganization would address CDC’s foundational problems is also unclear. “This committee intends on conducting oversight to ensure the agency gets back on track. “The CDC still hasn’t provided this Committee with the information needed to independently assess the reorganization. “As Chairman Griffith noted, a conclusory letter sent to us the night before a hearing isn’t sufficient, but I do look forward to obtaining more details from the agency about this restructuring plan in the coming weeks.” THE NEED TO AUTHORIZE THE CDC “I’ll close by noting that Congress is not without blame for the current state of the CDC. “The CDC has never been authorized, Congress has never—in a single voice—told the CDC what its mission is and is not. That must be fixed. “This Committee’s majority is committed to working on CDC reform. “Today’s hearing, Dr. Miller-Meeks’ RFI, and our ongoing oversight of CDC’s reorganization are the first steps towards getting the agency back on track. “In addition to this work, I look forward to our health legislative hearing next week to reauthorize immediate preparedness and response programs. “It is critical we come together to assure the American people the federal government is equipped for the immediate response for all types of public health hazards—such as a pandemic, or a chemical, nuclear, radiological, biological or cyber-attack.”

Washington, D.C. —  House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered opening remarks at today’s Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee hearing titled “ Building Blockchains: Exploring Web3 and Other Applications for Distributed Ledger Technologies .” Excerpts and highlights below: ADVANCING AMERICAN TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP “This committee plays a vital role in advancing American competitiveness and global technological leadership with our values as you stated, Mr. Chairman, freedom, human rights, and human dignity. “Blockchains, web3, and other applications of distributed ledger technologies represent a new technological shift comparable to the breakthrough of the internet. “We need to ensure that America—not China or Europe—is charting our path to lead in the deployment and standard setting of these technologies. “Our mission on Energy and Commerce is to help foster and promote innovation and American technological leadership. “We led on passing the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which was foundational to the evolution of the internet. “The innovation and entrepreneurship that followed represented some of the greatest accomplishments in American history, and the world. “We must ensure we can lead the next era of American innovation and entrepreneurship with a regulatory environment that keeps pace with the constantly evolving tech sector. “That’s especially true with blockchains.” E&C CONTINUES TO LEAD IN BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES “For this reason, in 2016, the Energy and Commerce Committee held one of the first Congressional hearings on blockchains. “In the years since, the technology has continued to advance as entrepreneurs have found new and exciting applications. “Additionally, at the end of 2020, my legislation, the American COMPETE Act, was signed into law which required the Department of Commerce to study ways the U.S. can advance several emerging technologies. “Part of the legislation in the package, led by Representatives Guthrie and Soto requires a study on blockchains and ways the Federal government could promote American leadership and adoption. “We continue to wait for this forthcoming report from the Biden administration to provide the Committee with pro-innovation recommendations. “Unfortunately, the report is now far beyond its statutory deadline, as well as the requested extension we allowed.” LOSING GROUND TO OUR ADVERSARIES “As with any new technology, we must move quickly. “While the U.S. led in the creation of the internet, we could easily fall behind with web3, the next generation of the internet. “According to public filing data, less than 40 percent of blockchain companies are headquartered in the U.S., and that number continues to decline. “As we saw with Huawei and 5G, when we don’t lead, our adversaries fill the void.” STRENGTHENING PRIVACY PROTECTIONS “It is critical that America leads, especially given the implications of these new technologies. “Big Tech has developed tools that interact to track Americans both online and offline. “Technologies like distributed ledgers can align with the goals of comprehensive data privacy legislation, by enabling people to reclaim control over their personal online data and limiting any one company’s ability to control and collect the information that we share online.” PROTECTING SMALL BUSINESSES “As these technologies are deployed, and the U.S. develops standards to regulate them, we also have a responsibility to ensure entrepreneurs and small businesses can continue to thrive. We’ve often celebrated they’re the engine of our economy. “While larger companies can navigate complicated regulations, like GDPR in Europe or a patchwork of state laws, smaller businesses cannot afford the high compliance costs. “Embracing innovation, entrepreneurship, and free markets is what’s made America a global technological leader, not overly prescriptive regulations. “While securities and commodities are just one of the many use cases of blockchain technologies, there is a reason the Gramm Leach Bliley Act doesn’t regulate, nor should it, the use of Americans’ personal information outside of the financial sector. “Congress needs to have a conversation about what blockchains are, and are not, to ensure the heavy hand of government regulation doesn’t force blockchain startups to re-evaluate if America is the best location to begin their business. “When this committee worked on the Telecom Act, we never could have predicted the power of the Internet. “Now, as then, we do not know how powerful blockchain technologies will be, but we do know America should lead the way. “I look forward to an informative discussion today.”

Washington, D.C. —  Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) delivered the following opening remarks during today’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing titled “ Looking Back Before Moving Forward: Assessing CDC's Failures in Fulfilling its Mission .” Excerpts and highlights below: THE CDC FAILED TO MEET ITS EXPECTATIONS “Welcome to today’s hearing to look back and take stock of the recent performance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC. “I speak for many of my colleagues when I say that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that we did not have the CDC we thought we had. “Before I continue my remarks, I want to be clear: the COVID-19 pandemic was an immense challenge for public health agencies, healthcare providers, every level of government, and the American People. “There were always going to be mistakes made and we need to avoid the distortions of hindsight. “I also believe that there are many hardworking, talented doctors and public health experts working at the CDC who want to do their part to keep Americans safe. “One of my biggest frustrations, however, with the CDC is that when you look at all of the talent, all of the scientific knowledge, technical resources, and immense funding we have put into the agency, the end product is somehow less than the sum of its parts. “It's reasonable for the American people to expect CDC to use the best available science when preparing guidance and recommendations.” THE CDC APPEARED TO WORK BACKWARDS “All too often during the pandemic, the CDC appeared to work backwards. “The agency seemed to first decide its preferred policy outcome, whether that was universal masking, vaccine mandates, shutting down businesses, or school closures. “Once the policy was decided, the agency sought out data supporting that policy. “Data that could undermine CDC’s preferred outcome was ignored or discounted, particularly if the data came from outside the CDC. “As we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC’s recommendations carry great weight. “There is perhaps no better example of this than the process creating CDC’s school reopening guidance. The damage wrought by school closures has been enormous and well documented. “I do not believe my kids' education has recovered yet from these closures, even as we speak. “The single biggest factor determining whether schools were in-person or remote was the political power of public-school teachers' unions. “At a time when parents and school systems were desperate for accurate public health guidance, the CDC allowed the group most opposed to reopening to directly edit its finalized guidance. “CDC Director Dr. Walensky was even forced to state on national television that her school reopening statements, many took as a CDC position, she made were given ‘in a personal capacity.’ “As best I can tell this was the only time she spoke ‘in a personal capacity’ on an issue related to CDC guidance while agency Director.” THE CDC IGNORED VACCINE EFFICACY EVIDENCE “In addition, when the Department of Labor issued its nationwide vaccine mandate for companies with 100 or more employees in November 2021, it cited CDC science and guidance more than 80 times to justify the mandate. “At the time the mandate was issued, there was a growing body of evidence, largely ignored by the CDC, indicating that the vaccines did not stop transmission. “Thankfully, the Supreme Court struck down this mandate after only two months, ruling it as unconstitutional. “The CMS vaccine mandate for healthcare providers, which only ended on May 1st of this year, also relied heavily on the CDC, citing to the agency over 50 times. “Thousands of healthcare workers, who were heralded as heroes during the early months of the pandemic, lost their jobs in part because of CDC’s reluctance to admit that the limitations of the COVID-19 vaccines and failure to acknowledge that natural immunity can confer adequate protection. “The problems at the CDC that led to the failures we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic are not new. The CDC made mistakes during its response to Ebola and Zika and other smaller, localized events. “What differentiates the mistakes made during COVID-19 was the scale of the emergency and the impact of those failures on the American people.” THE NEED FOR A REVIEW AND TRANSPARENCY “It is appropriate that the CDC’s failures during COVID-19 prompted the agency to conduct an internal review. “The first step is admitting you have a problem. This review has now led to a reorganization that appears, on its face, to be extensive. But there’s no way for us to tell without more information from CDC. “As part of the reorganization, CDC has asked Congress for extensive legal authorities that would require state and local governments, pharmacies, hospitals, and other healthcare providers to report to the CDC health-related information. “This also had huge implications for privacy and data security. “In May, this Committee wrote to Director Walensky, requesting information and documents related to the review and reorganization. “Congress needs this information to understand and independently assess CDC’s reorganization. “Congress is constitutionally entitled to this information. “We did, however, receive a four-page letter last night that mostly reflects what is already posted on their website. “I hope that CDC will provide the complete documentation requested in our letter that they did not provide last night. “In closing, until we get full cooperation, the CDC’s request for new legal authorities cannot move forward. “In today’s hearing, we will hear from witnesses who will help us explore what reforms are appropriate and necessary at the CDC.”

Washington, D.C. —  Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) delivered opening remarks at today’s Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee hearing titled “ Building Blockchains: Exploring Web3 and Other Applications for Distributed Ledger Technologies .” Excerpts and highlights below: THE IMPORTANCE OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES “Cryptocurrencies and certain financial aspects of blockchains have hijacked the public’s attention when it comes to this emerging technology. “Today’s hearing will highlight that blockchains are not just impacting Wall Street but are also changing Silicon Valley, and the internet as a whole. “It is essential that Congress accurately understand what it is regulating before it does so. “This is a complicated topic, which is why I’m looking forward to the superb panel of experts educating us here today. “The core issue is about how data is organized, preserved, and protected, which is the jurisdiction of this subcommittee. “As I understand it, a blockchain is a linked list, or ledger, of transactions stored on a network of computers. “Blockchains are composed of building blocks of data chained together cryptographically. “We will walk through these technical components today and discuss what it means for blockchains to be decentralized, immutable, and open. “But to step back from these terms, what we are really discussing here is a new, foundational technology that can provide individuals and businesses new ways to access, record, and validate digital activity online.” BLOCKCHAINS PROVIDE NEW OPPORTUNITIES “Web 1.0, the original World Wide Web, lasted from roughly 1993 to 2004, and was characterized by dial up and AOL. “It was replaced by Web 2, which is the current internet we know well, and has been characterized by smartphones and Big Tech platforms. “Web3, which encompasses nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and other use cases, is the emerging internet built on top of blockchains and is characterized by increased user control, decentralization, and transparency. “Using these technologies, developers are building new decentralized social media, new messaging apps, new ways to stream music, and new privacy enhancing technologies just to name a few. “Blockchains are not a crypto casino. In fact, according to one report, despite crypto prices falling roughly $2 trillion—a 70 percent decline—blockchain developers have only declined 10 percent. “There are respected developers who aren’t trying to make a fast buck, but rather they’re building a new evolution of the internet. “But this technology goes beyond just Silicon Valley. Blockchains, Web3, and other distributed ledger technologies are just tools. “Like the internet, blockchains will impact many areas of our jurisdiction and can help address challenges with our current internet ecosystem, bolster supply chains, verify information, and increase efficiency for businesses.” THE FTC SHOULD LEAD AGAINST BAD ACTORS “However, we shouldn’t treat this technology as a cure-all. “There are still technical challenges such as scaling, data availability, and cybersecurity. There are also human challenges such as fraudsters and compliance with law enforcement. “As with any new technology, scams do exist in the blockchain ecosystem. “As this committee knows well, the number one federal regulator of scams and fraud is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and that’s where we want its focus. “Instead of diverting resources to fight legal battles over possible competition theories, the FTC should focus on protecting Americans from fraudsters, as these bad actors migrate from older technologies to these new technologies. “Last Congress, my bill the RANSOMWARE Act was signed into law. This legislation requires the FTC to increase cooperation with foreign law enforcement and report on Ransomware and other cyber-security-related attacks. “When international hackers target Americans using blockchains, the FTC should take a lead role in ensuring they are made whole. “Blockchains present an incredible opportunity, but also come with unique challenges. “Regardless, the United States must lead on the international stage so our adversaries do not have an opportunity to set the rules of the road. “We must lead with our values for freedom, human rights, and human dignity. “I look forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle to ensure these technologies are anchored here in the U.S. and we are central to that discussion.”