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Republicans Advocate for American Energy on World Stage Energy and Commerce Committee Member August Pfluger (R-TX) led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Baku, Azerbaijan, for COP29. Members met with world leaders to discuss efforts to build a cleaner energy future. Throughout bilateral meetings and panel discussions on the international stage, E&C Members not only highlighted America's energy leadership but also underscored our commitment to environmental stewardship. Check out these top photos from the trip: At a press conference , Members highlighted how America has led the world in reducing emissions without sacrificing innovation, economic development, or national security. Our allies and partners benefit from America’s energy exports, technological leadership, and environmental stewardship. At a bipartisan panel moderated by Heather Reams, President of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), Members highlighted how a robust nuclear energy industry is critical for providing affordable clean energy to communities across the country and around the world. Members also underscored the significance of the ADVANCE Act, signed into law July 2024, which will modernize and improve licensing processes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).  Meeting with COP 29 President Minister of Ecology Mukhtar Babayev    and Lead Negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev Meeting with the President of Azerbaijan   Meeting with U.S. Ambassador Mark Libby Meeting with South Korean officials Meeting with Taiwanese officials

Americans deserve to have their sensitive health information protected. Energy and Commerce Republicans have been actively working since the February 21st cyberattack on Change Healthcare to understand how it happened, how it can be prevented in the future, and how to help Americans continue to access care.  THE PROBLEM Change Healthcare is one of the largest health payment processing companies in the world. It acts as a clearing house for 15 billion medical claims each year—accounting for nearly 40 percent of all claims. The cyberattack that occurred in February knocked Change Healthcare—a subsidiary of the behemoth global health company UnitedHealth—offline, which created a backlog of unpaid claims. This has left doctors’ offices and hospitals with serious cashflow problems—threatening patients’ access to care. It has since come to light that millions of Americans may have had their sensitive health information leaked onto the dark web, despite UnitedHealth paying a ransom to the cyber attackers. E&C ACTION From the outset, Members on Energy and Commerce have been working with the administration and Change Healthcare to help providers—particularly smaller and rural practices—maneuver through the new, complicated process of getting reimbursed, so they could keep their doors open and focus on caring for patients. Energy and Commerce Republicans were briefed by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Change Healthcare in the weeks following the attack. Following the briefings, bipartisan Energy and Commerce leaders wrote to UnitedHealth seeking answers about the attack. The Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing on May 17th to explore cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the health care sector and discuss possible solutions to address them. This week, the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee called UnitedHealth CEO Sir Andrew Witty to explain to the American people what happened in the lead up to and during the attack, how the company is responding, and how it plans to prevent such an attack from happening again. WHAT WE LEARNED 1. The attack occurred because UnitedHealth wasn’t using multifactor authentication [MFA], which is an industry standard practice, to secure one of their most critical systems.  Mr. Witty:   We're continuing to investigate as to exactly why MFA was not on that particular service. It clearly was not. I can tell you I'm as frustrated as you are about having discovered that and as we've gone back and figured out how this situation occurred.    Change Healthcare came into the organization toward the end of 2022 after the timing of the declarations you just described.    Change Healthcare was a relatively older company with older technologies, which we had been working to upgrade since the acquisition. For some reason, which we continue to investigate, this particular server did not have MFA on it.   2. It’s estimated that a third of Americans had their sensitive health information leaked to the dark web as a result of the attack.  Oversight Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith: "Substantial proportion of the American population." What does that mean? How much are we talking? 20 percent? We talking 50 percent? We're talking 70? Tell us.   Mt. Witty:   Chairman, we continue to investigate the amount of data involved here. We do think it's going to be substantial. Because we haven't completed the process, I'm hesitant to be overly precise on that and and be wrong in the future. I wouldn't like to mislead anybody in that regard.   Chair Griffith:   Well, and I wouldn't want you to mislead us either. But when you say "substantially," at least give me some kind of a range. You can be on the bottom to high. I don't mind giving you a range. Are we talking 20 to 50?   Mr. Witty:   I think maybe a third or somewhere of that level.   3. This might not be the end of the leaks. Despite UnitedHealth paying a ransom to the criminals, it cannot guarantee that more of Americans’ sensitive information will not be leaked.  Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers:   How were the hackers communicating with UnitedHealth to get the ransom? Did you communicate ever directly with the hackers?   Mt. Witty:   I did not. No. Chair Rodgers:   How much did you pay in ransom? And how was it paid it? In dollars? Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency?   Mr. Witty:   $22 million in Bitcoin.  Chair Rodgers:   What was the date that you paid the ransom?   Mr. Witty:   I'm sorry. I don't have that to mind. But I can certainly get back to you with that.   Chair Rodgers:   Can you affirmatively say that the hackers you paid did not make copies of protected or personal data and then, at a later date, uphold it onto the internet or the dark web.   Mr. Witty:   I cannot affirmatively say that. No. 4. UnitedHealth has resources to help individuals and providers.  Dr. Burgess:   Is there a generally available website or telephone number that a practice can call right now, if they're continuing to have a problem?  Mr. Witty: Yes. And thank you very much for the question. So [ https://support.changehealthcare.com/ ] is the best website for anybody to access, whether it being a provider or an individual.    But, also I would very much like to note the 1-800 number that's available for individuals to call if they have any questions at all about data or anything like that.    So, it's 1 (866) 262-5342. That service line is available and makes available very quickly is a very simple process. If anybody wants things like credit protection, identity theft protection, those services are all available to be enrolled on just through a simple phone call.   CLICK HERE to watch the full hearing. Check out some of the news coverage from the hearing: UnitedHealth’s handling of the situation will probably be “a case study in crisis mismanagement for decades to come,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  Witty fielded heated questions from Senators on the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the company's failure to prevent the breach and contain its fallout.  Pressed for details on the data compromised, Witty said "maybe a third" of Americans' protected health information and personally identifiable information was stolen.  Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked Witty why the nation's largest health care insurer did not have the basic cybersecurity safeguard in place before the attack. "Change Healthcare was a relatively older company with older technologies, which we had been working to upgrade since the acquisition," Witty said. "But for some reason, which we continue to investigate, this particular server did not have MFA on it."  Rep. Gary Palmer (R., Ala.), in an afternoon hearing held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, pressed Witty on how many government employees with security clearance were included in the breach. That kind of theft would be a national-security risk, he said.  Still, Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., railed against the company’s use of vertical integration, in which it has acquired physician practices, pharmacy benefit managers and other players in the health care system. “Let me assure you that I’m going to continue to work to bust this up,” Carter said.“This vertical integration that exists in health care in general has got to end.”  Several members also took the opportunity to chide United Healthcare’s use of prior authorization, which Witty said resumed for its Medicare Advantage plans April 15.   The company should “carefully review how that prior authorization” has affected patient outcomes, said Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa. 

At the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Energy and Commerce Republicans are launching an investigation of allegations of rampant bias at NPR, which is funded by U.S. taxpayers. Check out this exclusive coverage in Fox News:  FIRST ON FOX : The House Energy & Commerce Committee is summoning the head of NPR before Congress to answer accusations the outlet has a left-wing bias despite receiving federal funds. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., directed House Republican leaders to open the probe, he told Fox News Digital. "The Committee has concerns about the direction in which NPR may be headed under past and present leadership. As a taxpayer funded, public radio organization, NPR should focus on fair and objective news reporting that both considers and reflects the views of the larger U.S. population and not just a niche audience," Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., wrote to NPR CEO Katherine Maher. She led Morgan Griffith, R-Va., chair of the subcommittee on oversight, and Bob Latta, R-Ohio, chair of the subcommittee on communications and technology, in asking Maher to publicly testify before Griffith’s panel next week.  [...]  Johnson told Fox News Digital of the probe, "In light of the recent, disturbing revelations about National Public Radio (NPR) and its leadership, I’ve directed Chair McMorris Rodgers and the Energy and Commerce Committee to conduct an investigation of NPR and determine what actions should be taken to hold the organization accountable for its ideological bias and contempt for facts. The American people support the free press but will not be made to fund a left-leaning political agenda with taxpayer funds."  Conservatives have long accused NPR of reporting with a left-wing bias while some of its funding is provided through federal grants and other government-backed dollars.  Those concerns were recently magnified when former NPR editor Uri Berliner asserted in an op-ed that the outlet mishandled critical stories that stemmed from Hunter Biden’s laptop hard drive and COVID-19 lab leak theories, among others, and that registered Democrats were vastly overrepresented in the newsroom, 87-0. "We also find it disconcerting that NPR’s coverage of major news in recent years has been so polarized as to preclude any need to uncover the truth. These have included news stories on matters of national security and importance, such as the Mueller report, the Hunter Biden laptop, and the COVID-19 origins investigation. On each of these issues, NPR has been accused of approaching its news reporting with an extreme left-leaning lens," the lawmakers wrote. They also took issue with Maher’s own past statements, including a 2021 TED Talk in which she said, according to the letter, "Our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that’s getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done." "You yourself have stated that you view the First Amendment as ‘the number one challenge’ because speech protections make it ‘tricky’ to suppress ‘bad information’ and the ‘influence peddlers who have made a real market economy around it.’’ Ironically, both you and NPR have used the same First Amendment to protect your own views and statements," they wrote. CLICK HERE to read the full story on Foxnews.com. CLICK HERE to read the letter to Ms. Maher.

Highlights from the Energy Subcommittee Field Hearing on Biden’s De Facto LNG Export Ban The Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) led a field hearing in Port Arthur, Texas, this week. Local leaders celebrated the economic and public benefits of American energy production in the community—and the country as a whole—while also warning of the dangers of President Biden’s decision to halt American LNG exports. Check out these stories from the hearing: The impacts of President Joe Biden’s LNG export permit freeze has reverberated across the nation’s oil/gas industry. But nowhere are its impacts felt more acutely than in southeast Texas, where as many as 24 job-generating petrochemical infrastructure projects, including several already under way, are now in limbo. The uncertainty fostered by the Biden administration’s Jan. 26 implementation of a “temporary pause” in LNG export permits most notably threatens to derail economic development in Port Arthur and Beaumont, two port cities where billions in planned job-generating investments by private industries have been tailored to benefit local residents and redress long standing community environmental concerns. Local officials outlined how the LNG permit freeze has paralyzed economic development across southeast Texas during a 90-minute April 8 congressional field hearing at Lamar State College in Port Arthur. The administration’s “stopping or suspending LNG exports has an obvious and direct impact on maritime commerce and the jobs it supports” in the region, Port of Port Arthur Port Director/CEO Larry Kelley told the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Energy, Climate & Grid Security Subcommittee.   At a field hearing on Monday held at Lamar State College in Port Arthur Texas, members of the Congressional Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security listened to testimony from witnesses regarding the impact that the pause has had on the community.   The first witness who spoke was Thurman Bill Bartie, Mayor of Port Arthur. He called for both sides to reach a compromise but was firm in his stance that the pause will have a negative impact on the economy of Port Arthur.   “The rush to green concept that is being applied to the said LNG supplier will have a negative impact on the economic growth and stability of Port Arthur, Texas. The jobs Arthurans have during this construction phase will be compromised negatively if the permitting is continued to be disallowed,” said Bartie.   Dr Betty Reynard, President of Lamar State College testimony addressed the growth in scholarship opportunities that are being provided for students by the LNG industry. She also spoke of the growth in college programs for LNG related careers and internships from LNG companies.   The fight continues between Southeast Texas lawmakers and the Biden administration's halt on all future liquified natural gas (LNG) exports.   U.S. Representative Randy Weber joined the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security for a hearing to discuss the effects of the ban.   Weber says he refuses to give in and wants Southeast Texas to remain on the frontlines of energy exports.   "Joe Biden's ban directly jeopardizes Port Arthur's LNG which broke ground in construction last month," Weber said.   Weber continues to stand firm with other Southeast Texas leaders including Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie against the Biden administration's decision to halt permits on all major LNG exports. Energy Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) said , “Port Arthur and the folks here today are the backbone of the American energy industry. It is a major energy hub, home to many oil and gas facilities, including several LNG export terminals. “You all are who we have to thank when we turn our lights on, start our engines, and blast our AC in the hot summer months. You are who the Biden administration should have consulted with prior to his decision.”   Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) added , “Just a few miles away from here is the home of Port Arthur LNG and Golden Pass LNG, both of which provide THOUSANDS of direct jobs and BILLIONS of dollars back into our community.”  Prior to the field hearing, Members toured Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG Export facility.   From left to right: Reps. Randy Weber (R-TX), Morgan Griffith (R-VA),   Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX)  CLICK HERE to watch the hearing.  CLICK HERE to read Rep. Randy Weber’s (R-TX) op-ed on Biden’s LNG export ban.  CLICK HERE to distinguish LNG myths from fact.  CLICK HERE to read about the letter more than 150 House Republicans sent to President Biden demanding he end his LNG export ban.

America is less secure today because of President Biden’s open-border agenda The Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing to expose the far-reaching consequences of President Biden’s Border Crisis. As Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Members highlighted in the hearing, the Biden administration’s open-border agenda has created a public health, national security, economic, and humanitarian crisis.  Don’t miss these top hearing moments: O&I Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) outlined how the Office of Refugee Resettlement does not properly vet sponsors or keep track of unaccompanied minors: Griffith: “What happens when an unaccompanied minor crosses the border how border patrol hands the child off to HHS or the Office of Refugee Resettlement?”  Ammon Blair, Former Border Patrol Agent : “Unfortunately, it’s an everyday occurrence, and it happens all the time all across the border. Typically, the child automatically has either an address of where they’re going to or a name. That name may be associated to them as someone in their family... but it could also someone that’s a trafficker... we really don’t know.”   Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) exposed how cartels are easily avoiding law enforcement at the border and smuggling fentanyl that is poisoning Americans across the country: Armstrong: “So, the fentanyl that somebody is overdosing on in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is made by who?” Ammon Blair, Former Border Patrol Agent : “The Mexican Cartels." Armstrong: “And it’s made where?” Blair: “In Mexico.” Armstrong: “And it’s getting across the border... Our lack of operational security at the southern border is helping effectuate that whether you’re in New York, Grand Forks, Minnesota, Chicago.” Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) discussed the human trafficking crisis occurring at our southern border: Ammon Blair, Former Border Patrol Agent : “Mexican cartels have complete operational control of the southern border... Anyone who comes north of the border, they are somewhat indentured servants to the Mexican cartels, and they have to pay what is known as a PESO, and they have to work off that debt.”  Joyce: “How many years does it take to work off that debt for individuals?”  Blair: “It all depends on the jobs they do.”  Joyce: “What kind of jobs do they do?”  Blair: “They mule.”  Joyce: “When you say mule... what do they do?”  Blair: “The Mexican cartels unfortunately force illegal aliens to mule up narcotics... whether that will be marijuana, cocaine, fentanyl, between the ports of entry while all of our resources are tied to dealing with the mass amounts of illegal aliens.” Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) shared how President Biden’s border crisis has made every town a border town: “This Washington Post article [outlines] the explosion of fentanyl from Mexico in southern Utah... the article is a narrative of how a Mexican cartel got a foothold in southern Utah bringing fentanyl, cocaine, [and] meth like a pizza delivery.”  “Since [this] started this, fentanyl overdose deaths have increased 300% in just a three-year period.” Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA) discussed the impact of the Border Crisis on local health systems:  Allen: “When migrants cross our borders illegally, often times they come without any vaccinations, can be carrying an illness, or are uninsured... Councilwoman, can you speak to your observations in your community the effects of a massive influx of uninsured, undocumented migrants can have on our health care system?  Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, New York City : “Just to bring up some examples... New York City Health and Hospitals, which is the public hospital system in New York City, provided medical services to 85,000 undocumented migrants since May 2023.” CLICK HERE to watch the full hearing.

Energy and Commerce Republicans are exposing how the Chinese Communist Party withheld critical information from the world in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Committee’s investigation revealed that China had a SARS-CoV-2 sequence for weeks before sharing with the global community.  WASHINGTON — Chinese researchers isolated and mapped the virus that causes Covid-19 in late December 2019, at least two weeks before Beijing revealed details of the deadly virus to the world, congressional investigators said, raising questions anew about what China knew in the pandemic’s crucial early days.  When Beijing shared the SARS-CoV-2 sequence with the World Health Organization on January 11, 2020, two full weeks had elapsed since the virus was sequenced by a researcher at the Institute of Pathogen Biology in Beijing, an arm of the state-affiliated Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and People’s Liberation Army.  The documents, obtained from the US Department of Health and Human Services by House Republicans and first reported by the Wall Street Journal, show virologist Dr. Lili Ren uploaded nearly the entire sequence of COVID-19’s structure to a US government-run database on Dec. 28, 2019.  Her work was nearly identical to what Beijing eventually presented to the World Health Organization on January 11, 2020, when the virus had already spread across the world, according to the documents obtained by Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  The committee noted that Ren is a subgrantee of the EcoHealth Alliance nonprofit, the organization that previously awarded NIH grants to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and came under scrutiny during the pandemic.  The earlier posting doesn't change the virus' origin story - whether it was sparked by a live animal market or leaked from a scientific laboratory. But it does renew questions about how much China knew about the virus and when. It suggests that vaccine development could have started sooner. And it raises new questions about how much the U.S. government knew or should have known about the virus in those early days. Public health experts who reviewed the documents said the episode illustrated a missed opportunity to learn more about the virus at the beginning of the global health emergency. The failure to publish the genetic sequence submitted by Ren is "retroactively painful," said Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. Bloom noted that researchers were depending on genetic sequences to begin developing medical interventions to combat the coronavirus and argued that earlier access to the information would have expedited new test and vaccines. "That two weeks would have made a tangible difference in quite a few people's lives," Bloom said. China has been widely criticized for its initial response to the emergence of COVID in Wuhan in late 2019. Western officials have also called on Beijing to be more cooperative in the search for the virus's origins. It "underscores how cautious we have to be about the accuracy of the information that the Chinese government has released," Jesse Bloom, a virologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center who has seen the documents and the gene sequence, told the WSJ. "It's important to keep in mind how little we know." HHS withheld the sequencing information from the committee for seven months, only releasing the documents after threats of subpoena. The Energy and Commerce Committee press release said that the process for "monitoring GenBank submissions is insufficient as the United States had an early SARS-CoV-2 sequence in our possession and apparently had no idea. Don’t Miss :  "This significant discovery further underscores why we cannot trust any of the so-called ‘facts’ or data provided by the CCP and calls into serious question the legitimacy of any scientific theories based on such information. The American people deserve to know the truth about the origins of SARS-CoV-2, and our investigation has uncovered numerous causes for concern, including how taxpayers’ dollars are spent, how our government’s public health agencies operate, and the need for more oversight into research grants to foreign scientists. In addition to equipping us to better prepare for the next pandemic, this investigation’s findings will help us as policymakers as we work to strengthen America’s biosafety practices and bolster oversight of research grants,” said Chairs Rodgers, Guthrie, and Griffith.   READ MORE: E&C Investigation Uncovers Earliest Known SARS-CoV-2 Sequence Released Outside of China  

House Republicans are fulfilling our Commitment to America to address the most pressing issues facing our nation. This month, Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are back home in their districts talking about Republican solutions to lower the cost of living, improve people’s quality of life, boost our energy security, create jobs, cut China out of our supply chains, and reduce emissions. Check out these updates: Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) , Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) , and Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) participated in the West Texas Legislative Summit to discuss how, to win the future, America must lead in energy production and innovation. Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) hosted a roundtable discussion with America’s Coal Association. Unlike the Biden administration’s radical rush-to-green energy agenda that threatens our energy security and makes us more reliant on China, House Republicans are leading on an all-of-the-above energy approach to restore American energy dominance. For example, Energy and Commerce Republicans are pushing back on harmful EPA regulatory proposals, like the Clean Power Plan 2.0, which threatens the reliability of our grid. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) met with Orion Engineered Carbons to talk about their innovative, specialty chemicals that are used for lithium-ion batteries. Right now, China produces around 75 percent of all lithium-ion batteries and is dominating the electric vehicles market. E&C Republicans are leading on solutions to ensure America—not China—is in the driver’s seat of our automotive future. Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA) spent time with the Jefferson Energy Cooperative to talk about the need for affordable, reliable energy, which is foundational for a strong economy. When the price of energy goes up, everything else costs more. H.R 1 is projected to lower energy bills by $795 per year for American   families. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) visited the Guernsey Power Station, a critical natural gas-fired energy facility, to learn how their operations are helping deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy to millions of Americans. Republicans are leading to stop President Biden’s war on natural gas, including by repealing his natural gas tax and de facto ban on natural gas cooking appliances. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) joined J&J Gas Service, a local and family-owned business, to hear about the challenges they are facing as a result of President Biden’s war on American energy production. Under the Biden administration, gas prices have increased nearly 62% and natural gas prices are up more than 40% . Energy Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) wrote an op-ed in The Washington Times about the future of clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear power. E&C Republicans are leading solutions for efficient, predictable licensing and deployment which will allow for the expansion of nuclear energy.  Don’t miss: Chair Rodgers is leading on H.R. 1042, the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, to ban fuel imports from Russia and send a strong signal to the market that will help restore American nuclear leadership. Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) met with a local car dealership to talk about H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, a bill he is leading to prevent the Biden administration from banning the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles. Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-ID) had similar conversations with the Idaho Automobile Dealers Association about preserving people’s freedom to buy reliable, affordable vehicles. Unlike the Biden administration, Republicans are leading on solutions to increase—not limit—people's choices and access to vehicles. Click here to watch our June 22, 2023, Environment Subcommittee hearing with the EPA on the impacts of Biden’s rush-to-green agenda on transportation affordability. Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) wrote an op-ed for The Washington Times highlighting why, instead of regulating the choice out of Americans’ lives, we should trust that Americans will make the best choices for themselves. As Rep. Latta said, “with the average cost at $64,000, most American families cannot afford to make the quick transition to an electric vehicle.” 

House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans, led by Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) today held a press conference on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra’s failure to lawfully reappoint key National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci. Below are highlights of the press conference:  CHAIR RODGERS:    “We're here today because HHS Secretary Becerra has failed to follow the Constitution and the law. There's been a complete breakdown of accountability at the agency that has lost the trust of the American people, especially during COVID-19.   “14 NIH officials, including Dr. Fauci, held unlawful positions and exercised authority that they didn't have, which included approving $26 billion in grants.  “This is unprecedented, and it calls into question the validity of every decision that these officials have made since December 2021 to June 2023, including Dr. Fauci awarding a new grant to EcoHealth Alliance. But what is even more egregious has been Health and Human Services’ cover up.  “For more than a year, the administration has misled our committee throughout this investigation, and our question has been a pretty simple one: Can you show us the documents that prove Secretary Becerra followed the Constitution and the law in reappointing these 14 senior officials who exercise immense power and authority?”   […]  “There needs to be accountability. No one is above the law. Americans need to know that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly, effectively, and lawfully and that the people making these decisions are lawfully authorized to make them.”  OVERSIGHT SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR GRIFFITH:   “The idea was let's take a look at various bureaucrats and make sure that they're being reappointed---not reappointed as a matter of course and not reappointed by somebody below the Secretary... And we didn't see any evidence of [proper reappointments].  “So, we wrote a letter 16 months ago and said, …"These [NIH officials] don't appear to have been reappointed.’ And [HHS] basically played a shell game since then until a couple of weeks ago saying ‘oh, it's all right. Everything's okay. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. It's all fine.’  “And then suddenly, eventually they must have gotten around to realizing they were in violation of the law, and so they tried to do it retroactively.”   […]   “ It could have been two and a half months of fixing the problem … Instead, we have a year a half.”  HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR GUTHRIE:    “For more than a year, Dr. Fauci, a highly paid public employee at the time, served unlawfully and without proper appointment. It was during this period he awarded a new grant to EcoHealth Alliance and served as the chief medical adviser to President Biden's COVID-19 Response Team.   “In this role as top COVID advisor, he used his position to recommend mandates.   “It is unfair to the American people that, while he held this position unlawfully, he used his platform to be the voice of science and shame those with alternative point of views in addition to pushing for questionable public health guidance policies.   “This is a complete breakdown of accountability at an agency that has lost the American people's trust, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. This also calls into question every decision each one of these 14 individuals made during the time.  “Greater accountability is needed.”    CLICK HERE to read Constitutional Law Professor Jonathan Turley’s analysis of the Committee’s investigation.  CLICK HERE to read more about the Committee’s investigation.  CLICK HERE to watch the full press conference. 

Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) and Congressman Richard Hudson (R-NC) led subcommittee members in a field hearing last week in Moore County, North Carolina, on enhancing America’s grid security and protecting the grid from vulnerabilities, including cyberattacks. Before the hearing, E&C Republicans toured the Duke Energy power substation that was attacked in December—leaving 45,000 homes and businesses without power for five days. America's electrical grid keeps our hospitals, military bases, homes, and businesses powered. We MUST make sure the grid is secure to keep people safe and our economy moving. The North State Journal : Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce came to Moore County for a Congressional field hearing about securing the nation’s energy grid on Friday, June 16. […] Rep. Richard Hudson, a member of the committee and resident of Southern Pines, called the field hearing essential and the start of a conversation. “This is a day we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Testimony we hear today will set up a national discussion on grid vulnerability,” Hudson said in his opening statement. WNCN : Congressional leaders listened to testimony from a Duke Energy leader about the December power grid attack in Moore County. The attack crippled the electric grid for days and impacted 45,000 customers in the county. “This is a challenging thing for our whole industry,” Jeff Brooks, spokesperson for Duke Energy said. Brooks said the power company is making changes as grid attackers become more sophisticated. “Ways we can get essential equipment closer to the areas that we need it, to use mobile technology where we can. Plus, any deterrent measures we can in place,” Brooks said. Republican Congressman Richard Hudson lives in Moore County and was part of the hearing. He said adding cameras and walls to substations and bringing grids back online faster are just some solutions. “But that’s not enough,” Hudson said. Fox News’ Special Report with Brett Baier : “Tonight, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for answers after a major cyber intrusion on several government agencies. “Tonight, Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are calling on the Biden administration to brief them on the major cyberattack that hit multiple federal agencies including the Department of Energy, saying saving people's lives and livelihoods are counting on the committee's work to protect critical infrastructure.” […] “The attack happened as the committee headed to North Carolina for a field hearing on securing the nation's power grid. Last December, someone shot up to power substations in Moore County, knocking out power to 45,000 people for days. According to the Energy Department, attacks on the power grid were up 77% nationwide from 2021 to 2022. Lawmakers say private utility companies need to do more to prevent attacks.” […] “Lawmakers are also deeply concerned about the supply chain right now. It could take up to two years to get a replacement transformer.” […] “Republican Congressman Richard Hudson introduced a bill this week that would prohibit the energy secretary from changing energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers for the next five years.” Highlights from Energy and Commerce Committee Members: Subcommittee Chair Duncan : “There have been several grid security incidents that have occurred recently that we are examining as part of our oversight responsibilities. “Within the last year, we have seen electrical transmission substations attacked in Tacoma, WA and here in Moore County. Both of these attacks resulted in blackouts that affected tens of thousands of people for multiple days. “Prior to these incidents, we saw one of the nation’s most critical pipelines, the Colonial Pipeline, suffer a cyberattack that created fuel shortages and price spikes that lasted weeks.” […] “We are also gathering the perspectives of the electric industry and state partners, to learn how we can harden our grid, improve situational awareness, and support response efforts. […] “I look forward to learning more about the substation attack that occurred here in Moore County so I can share lessons learned with the electric utilities and state officials in my home state of South Carolina and with my colleagues back in Washington, D.C.” Rep. Hudson: “Earlier this morning, we toured the Duke Energy West End substation, one of two substations in Moore County that was intentionally attacked on the evening of December 3rd, leaving my house and 45,000 of my neighbors without power for up to ten days. “In the aftermath of the attack, our hospital was impacted, threatening medical treatments, schools were shutdown, businesses were affected, stoplights were dark, gas stations were closed, cell signal was impacted, and water couldn’t be heated. “Our region suffered millions of dollars in damage—and just before the Christmas holiday.” […] “Since this attack occurred, I have been in listening mode. I have heard from constituents, grid operators, community developers, and business owners who have concerns with our grid’s security and resilience—all against the backdrop of historic energy costs. I share these concerns. “That’s why, as I promised in the days following the attack, I have brought Washington to North Carolina today. “I want to show my colleagues not just the numbers and facts of grid security and resilience, but the people personally affected and their experiences.” Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) : “By forcing states to adopt strict and specific spending targets... the funding is not as effective as it can be. One thing that we worry about is that one size fits coming out of Washington. What you do here in North Carolina might not work in Ohio.” […] “We need to hear from people in the states as they make these things work.” […] “My concern is – if we have a coordinated, massive attack, do we have the supply chain out there... because we have a vulnerability out there.” Rep. Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN): “In recent years, we’ve all been confronted with just how vulnerable the grid is. Physical, cybersecurity threats, weather events, and a laze of maintenance all contribute to the uncertainty for providers and rate payers.” […] “It’s critically important that private companies work with governmental agencies, including law enforcement.” […] “We’re going to have to reassess critical infrastructure... and make sure there is good coordination to prevent these attacks that could affect not only a large portion of the American people, but our national security.” Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL): “Depending on the time of year, when you knock out a system for a couple weeks, or longer, it’s not just about loss of business opportunities, it’s talking about loss of life.” CLICK HERE to watch the full field hearing. ICYMI: House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Member Frank Pallone requested briefings from the Biden administration last week following a major global cyberattack that affected several federal agencies, including the Department of Energy.