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Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) announced a Subcommittee legislative hearing titled “Evaluating FDA Human Foods and Tobacco Programs.”  "From the infant formula shortage, to lead poisoning in applesauce, to an onslaught of illegal Chinese vapes, Americans—and particularly children and teenagers—are at risk of consuming dangerous products, especially without safer alternatives and clear rules in place,” said Chairs Rodgers and Guthrie. “This hearing will give our Members a chance to hear from the head of the Human Foods Program as well as the head of the Tobacco Center to learn how the FDA is helping adult smokers quit, keeping illegal products away from kids, and ensuring a safe food supply.”  Subcommittee on Health Hearing titled “Evaluating FDA Human Foods and Tobacco Programs.”   WHAT: A Subcommittee legislative hearing to discuss the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) unified Human Foods Program and Center for Tobacco Products. DATE : Tuesday, September 10, 2024 TIME : 10:00 AM ET LOCATION : 2123 Rayburn House Office Building WITNESSES : Mr. James “Jim” Jones , Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dr. Brian King, Ph.D. , Director, Center for Tobacco Products, U.S. Food and Drug Administration LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS TO BE DISCUSSED: H.R. 1462 , Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday (DAIRY PRIDE) Act (Reps. Joyce, Kuster, and Craig) H.R. 1750 , Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act of 2023 (Reps. Franklin, Bilirakis, Cammack, Castor, and Soto) H.R. 1803 , Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions (CURD) Act (Reps. Steil and Craig) H.R. 2901 , Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2023 (Rep. Pallone) H.R. 4547 , Laws Ensuring Safe Shrimp Act (Reps. Graves and Castor) H.R. 4764 , The Honey Identification Verification and Enforcement (HIVE) Act (Rep. Armstrong) H.R. 6512 , Stephen Hacala Poppy Seed Safety Act (Rep. Womack) H.R. 6770 , Improving Newborns’ Food and Nutrition Testing Safety (INFANTS) Act of 2023 (Reps. Sykes, Pallone, Cardenas) H.R. 7563 , The Food Traceability Enhancement Act of 2024 (Rep. Franklin) H.R. 9425 , Tobacco User Fee Modernization Act of 2024 (Rep. McClellan) H.R. 9443 , Federal and State Food Safety Information Sharing Act of 2024 (Rep. Ross) This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/ . If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Emma Schultheis with the Committee staff at Emma.Schultheis@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Christopher Krepich at Christopher.Krepich@mail.house.gov .

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) issued the following statement regarding the Biden-Harris administration’s drug price-setting scheme:  “The Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act is already backfiring—leading to higher list prices for the prescription drugs that seniors rely upon to stay healthy. This scheme is also hampering the research and development of the next treatment or cure for Americans battling diseases, such as cancer. Furthermore, the IRA has driven up Medicare Part D premiums, which the administration is desperately trying to hide by giving away taxpayer dollars to big insurance companies. If this administration was serious about lowering the cost of care, it would support bipartisan solutions, like the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, which passed the House with overwhelming support.”  The Truth about the IRA :  Increased Premiums and List Prices for Drugs:  Launch prices for new drugs increased 35 percent after the passage of the IRA.  Part D premiums have skyrocketed, with a 179 percent increase in plan’s national average monthly bid. As a result, the administration is now spending $5 billion to hide the increased premiums from seniors just for 2025 alone, in addition to the billions already spent in the IRA to try to artificially suppress premium increases.  The number of standalone Medicare Part D plans available for seniors to choose from dropped by 11 percent from last year.  Fewer Treatments and Cures for Patients:  As predicted, the IRA is also costing us future cures, with 36 research programs and development of 21 drugs having been discontinued since the passage of the IRA.   Misguided Policy:  Many of these drugs are already steeply discounted through negotiations in the private marketplace, and there is no guarantee seniors will benefit from these prices as plans balance how to structure their formularies.  While the administration is touting savings numbers based on 2023 data, the actual savings this policy may produce in 2026 will likely be much lower as more competitors to these products come to market, and privately negotiated rebates for these products would likely have increased.  In fact, it is entirely possible the actualized savings from this batch of new set prices in 2026 would be less than the $5 billion of new spending in 2025 to hide the Part D premium increases caused by the IRA.  The White House is dishonestly using the products list prices in its savings calculations, which do not reflect what Medicare beneficiaries actually pay.  Increased Bureaucracy:  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has hired 91 new bureaucrats to set drug prices.  The IRA gave HHS three billion in taxpayer dollars to implement the new office in charge of setting prices. 

Committee Leaders request GAO review CMS Part D premium stabilization program Lawmakers are calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the Medicare Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration recently announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), noting its dubious legality and the danger it poses to health care affordability for seniors. The effort comes as part of a letter to GAO from House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO).  Through new taxpayer-financed policy adjustments, the demonstration seemingly intends to deflate seniors’ premiums that are otherwise slated to increase dramatically following the counterintuitive, haphazardly-written Inflation Reduction Act’s drug price provisions. However, the agency has not produced any budgetary analysis and appears to lack a clear statutory basis or credible research goals for the proposal. Rodgers, Crapo, and Smith request GAO review the demonstration’s legality under section 402 of the Social Security Amendments of 1967; what budgetary analysis CMS undertook in developing the demonstration; and the estimated budgetary impact of the demonstration. From the letter: “We write to request that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct an expedited review of the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration, as announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 29, 2024. In response to the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) problematic design features and rushed legislative process, the proposed demonstration employs arbitrary policy levers to achieve short-term objectives. The initiative lacks any budgetary analysis, clear statutory basis, or credible research goals. The integrity of the Medicare program and the taxpayer dollars that finance its benefits demand more than partisan aspirations to justify extra-statutory, eleventh-hour policy changes." [. . .] “[T]he policies advanced through the recently announced demonstration would simply shift costs from plan sponsors and enrollees to taxpayers, obscuring the law’s impacts without addressing their underlying drivers. Moreover, consideration of these types of programmatic changes should fall within the purview of the legislative branch. Instead, however, this agency action seeks to sidestep Congress, waiving statutory directives under the guise of a ‘demonstration project,’ with no meaningful research aims, budgetary assessments, or empirical rigor.” CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 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) press for information regarding antisemitic harassment and intimidation at UCSF and its associated medical centers under UCSF Health. The investigation comes as part of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) House-wide  effort  to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.  KEY EXCERPTS:   “As a recipient of federal funding—both through various U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants and Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements for health care services provided at UCSF Health medical centers—UCSF has an obligation to comply with federal law and to prevent and appropriately respond to discrimination and harassment.”  [...]  “The reports of antisemitic harassment and intimidation at UCSF and its associated medical centers coupled with the inadequate response by UCSF leadership is concerning to the Committee. Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe environment for all students, faculty, staff, and patients is a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as Chancellor of UCSF and UCSF Health." [...]  “Failing to comply with basic safety protections for members of the UCSF and UCSF Health communities or failure to respond appropriately to and prevent harassment and discrimination, no matter the cause, may be grounds to withhold federal funds from the university and its associated medical centers. Congress has an obligation to ensure compliance with Title VI. If Congress determines an institution of higher education is in violation, we may consider rescinding research and development funds previously appropriated. Similarly, if Congress determines a medical facility is in violation, we may consider rescinding the right to participate in federal health care programs.”  BACKGROUND :  An encampment in front of UCSF’s medical center has caused significant disruption to campus and health care operations, as well as great distress for members of the community, including health care professionals and patients.  Many Jewish health care professionals working at UCSF Health have also expressed concerns regarding their safety—including concerns of their private information being made public.  This fear is well founded, as there have been numerous antisemitic public statements by faculty, staff, and students at UCSF and/or UCSF Health, such as assertions that patients should fear Jewish doctors, false claims that Israel trains U.S. police to brutalize people of color, or statements that Israelis in the U.S., including students at U.S. universities and medical schools, who have served with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) should be tried for war crimes.  Hundreds of complaints of antisemitism and/or a hostile work environment have been made by employees and patients of UCSF and UCSF Health to the UCSF Office of Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD), with confidential sources reporting that most complainants receive a response that these actions and statements fall under free speech protections.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter. 

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica Bertagnolli, 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) requested documents and transcribed interviews related to an approved MPVX experiment.  The letter comes after the Committee released an interim staff report on the experiment as well as an NIH reform framework . It notes that a failure to produce the requested documents by August 8, 2024, may lead to issuance of a subpoena to compel compliance. HHS and the NIH continue to withhold critical documents requested by the Committee last year.  KEY EXCERPT :  “For nearly a year and a half, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the NIH, and NIAID misled the Committee. Both HHS and the NIH told us a risky MPXV research proposal at the NIAID had not been “'formally proposed' or 'planned' when in fact this project was submitted and received approval before the NIH’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) on June 30, 2015, as documented in written meeting minutes. The misleading statements were included in the following communications to the Committee:  Letter from the HHS Assistant Secretary for Legislation dated April 26, 2023.  Letter from Dr. Bernard Moss to Chair Rodgers, dated June 30, 2023.  Written statements presented at the September 21, 2023, meeting between Committee staff and NIH/NIAID officials from Dr. Bernard Moss, Dr. Steven Holland, NIAID Director of the Division of Intramural Research, and Jeffery Potts, Chief of the Biorisk Management Branch within the NIH Division of Occupational Health and Safety.  “This deception is unacceptable and has led the Committee to conclude that NIAID cannot be trusted to oversee its own research of pathogens or determine whether an experiment poses enhanced risks of a potential pandemic or other serious public health outbreak.”  [...] “NIAID’s lack of candor to this point suggests that it cannot be trusted to oversee the research projects that it funds. Therefore, this Committee will explore policy options to address this inherent conflict of interest and lack of transparency.”  ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND :  A new strain of MPXV has recently emerged that increases the risk of this disease causing a major public health outbreak or a potential pandemic. Since January, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported more than 4,500 suspected mpox cases and nearly 300 deaths, numbers that have roughly tripled from the same period last year, according to the World Health Organization.  Congo recently declared the outbreak across the country a health emergency. An analysis of hospitalized patients suggests recent genetic mutations are the result of continued transmissions in humans.  CLICK HERE to read the letter.

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) requested information related to rescheduling of marijuana.  KEY LETTER EXCERPTS :  “We write to express our concerns with the recent notice of proposed rulemaking titled ‘Schedules of Controlled Substances: Rescheduling of Marijuana,’ to transfer marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The circumstances surrounding this proposed rule are unusual, and we are concerned by the process that led to this determination.”  [...]  “We support research into innovative therapies to improve patient outcomes, but we are concerned with how the normal process was circumvented to achieve a result for political purposes and we have a number of unanswered questions.”  BACKGROUND :  History:   Marijuana is a psychoactive substance that has been listed in Schedule I since the CSA was enacted in 1970.  All substances in Schedule I are classified as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.  This means that the manufacturing, possession, and distribution of marijuana is illegal at the federal level, except for certain research approved by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).  During the Obama administration in 2016, the DEA and HHS, acting through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), conducted a multi-year review of whether to transfer marijuana from Schedule I to a lesser schedule. Both the DEA and HHS agreed that marijuana continued to meet the criteria to be considered a Schedule I substance.  HHS concluded that “[…] marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision.”  President Biden made a public statement on October 6, 2022, issuing pardons for all simple possession federal offenses of marijuana, requesting all Governors do the same with state level offenses, and requiring HHS and DOJ to begin the administrative process to quickly review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.  While the administration has the authority to alter a substance’s scheduling status, it is bound by the CSA to consider factors, including whether a substance has a medical use and to determine its potential for abuse and dependence, prior to changing its scheduling status.  Process:   The DEA typically determines whether a substance has a medical use if it has been approved for marketing under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and by conducting a five-part test, which considers the following:  (1) there were adequate safety studies,  (2) the drug’s chemistry is known and reproducible,  (3) there are adequate and controlled studies,  (4) the drug is accepted by qualified experts, and  (5) there is widely available scientific evidence.  However, this proposed rule indicates that HHS notified the DEA that HHS disagreed with the existing process and decided to develop its own test to determine whether a substance has medical use under the CSA.  This test is comprised of two considerations:  (1) if there is widespread medical use of such a substance under the supervision of a licensed health care practitioner operating within a State-authorized program and,  (2) if so, there is credible scientific evidence to support medical use of such substance.  HHS analyzed marijuana by utilizing its own two-part test, determined it has a medical use, and therefore recommended to transfer marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the CSA.  DOJ received HHS’s recommendation and declared that this new two-part test is sufficient to establish medical use, which is an unusual deviation from the typical process.  It is notable that the proposed rule states, “DEA has not yet made a determination as to its views of the appropriate schedule for marijuana,” seeming to indicate that the DEA is not yet convinced of the merits of this review.  Additionally, most of the professional organizations listed in the HHS “Basis for the Recommendation to Reschedule Marijuana into Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act” have released position statements that either request more evidence or oppose using marijuana as medicine for their specialties.  Further Considerations:   To date, the FDA has not approved a New Drug Application (NDA) necessary to have satisfied the criteria required under the previous five-factor analysis, such as adequate and well-controlled studies proving safety and efficacy, for a drug product containing botanical marijuana to treat any medical condition(s); thus, it has remained a Schedule I drug without a currently accepted medical use.  This is misaligned from typical practice, as the presence of a marketing application approved to treat a certain condition or disease has been central to the FDA's determinations.  The Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency in marijuana is also continuing to increase.  According to the proposed rule, THC potency has spiked from about three percent in 1991 to 17 percent in 2017 and it notes, “[…] DEA anticipates that additional data on public safety risks, risks from acute and chronic marijuana use via oral and inhaled administration routes, and the impact of THC potency may be appropriate for consideration.”  The proposed rule also states, “the vast majority of professional organizations did not recommend the use of marijuana in their respective specialties; however, none specifically recommended against it, with the exception of the American Psychiatric Association, which states that marijuana is known to worsen certain psychiatric conditions.”  Further, HHS’s own report to Congress titled “Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids and Barriers to Research” states that “[m]ore research is needed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoids as a means of safely and effectively treating various indications […] it is also worth noting that the U.S. jurisdictions that have legalized the use of cannabis products for medicinal purposes have often done so with inadequate scientific research to support all allowable uses.”  CLICK HERE to read the letter.

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Vice Chair Larry Bucshon (R-IN) delivered the following opening remarks on behalf of Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) at today’s hearing titled “Are CDC's Priorities Restoring Public Trust and Improving the Health of the American People?”  “Today we are here to assess the effectiveness over the past several years of key centers within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “With an agency that receives nearly $20 billion in annual funding and plays a critical role in assisting our states and localities with preparedness and response efforts, it is essential for Congress to evaluate the job the CDC is doing to achieve its mission. “I still believe today the CDC is the preeminent organization in the world for the role they play. “The agency’s mission states that it’s designed to, 'Work 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the United States […] To accomplish our mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats and responds when they arise.’ “To know and fully understand the CDC’s mission is to realize the history of the agency. Originally established in 1946, the CDC was in effect an extension of the Department of Defense and created to help track malaria internationally. “Today the agency operates 23 different centers, institutes, and offices that all have different focuses.  We will hear from the directors of six of these centers today about their role in executing the CDC’s mission and their vision for the future.” COMBATTING OUR OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC “Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit our shores, Americans have experienced historic rises in drug overdoses fueled by a tragic rise in illicit fentanyl being trafficked across our Southern Border, from China and Mexico and into the United States. “Overdose prevention remains one of the CDC’s core responsibilities, but data show rising year-over-year overdose rates, indicating the overdose prevention efforts require some scrutiny. “This includes whether federal overdose prevention and response efforts can be streamlined across agencies to help better direct resources to communities most in need. “The nation now potentially faces a threat with the H5 Avian Influenza, which is impacting poultry and dairy farms, and has infected 10 farmworkers across the United States. “While the Avian Influenza does not currently present imminent harm to humans, my hope is the CDC learned some lessons from COVID-19 and will be adequately prepared to respond if needed.” RETURNING THE CDC TO ITS ORIGINAL MISSION “The CDC has received over $1 billion in directed funding for a 'Data Modernization Initiative' that has yet to bear fruit. There are many outstanding questions as to where this funding has gone, how much has been utilized, and for what purposes. “The agency continues to seek additional data authorities, despite operating over 100 surveillance programs and skepticism around the authorities they already have. We need strong answers to justify why these authorities are needed. “While I do give the agency credit for taking the step towards a much needed reform and reorganization, I do believe increased reflection is needed—particularly for an agency that technically remains unauthorized. “The American people deserve a CDC that is accountable to its core mission—preparedness and response to infectious diseases. Otherwise, we risk repeating past failures and placing millions of American lives at stake.”

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 “Are CDC's Priorities Restoring Public Trust and Improving the Health of the American People?”  “For decades, America enjoyed its status of having one of the pre-eminent public health infrastructures in the world. “Federal agencies conducted cutting edge research and facilitated private sector efforts to advance science and keep our citizens safe. “Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck.” MISSION CREEP & MISPLACED PRIORITIES “The CDC was established to assist states and localities in controlling infectious disease outbreaks. “COVID-19 should have been the agency’s moment to shine. “Unfortunately, on almost every level—the CDC fell flat. “From egregious flaws in testing, confusing—and, at times, blatantly misleading—communication mishaps, and one-size-fits-all guidance and mandates, the CDC failed at its primary job of helping states and localities detect, respond to, and control a disease outbreak. “These failures beg the question, why did the CDC fail to execute its principal mission at the time of most need? “Was it because the agency’s focus has strayed too far from its core mission? “Is the agency spread too thin across competing and misguided priorities, and how do we refocus the agency to most effectively meet the needs of the American people? “It is notable that between fiscal years 2013 and 2014, non-communicable disease funding increased by 150 percent. “Over the same time period, there have been consistent increases in the rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. “There is clearly a disconnect here—Congress has a responsibility to understand what the return on that investment has been. “As the Committee responsible for overseeing the CDC, we must question the effectiveness of these programs, understand who at CDC is responsible for evaluating these programs, and whether these investments would be better directed elsewhere.” BROKEN PUBLIC TRUST “The unfortunate truth is that Americans have lost faith in our public health agencies—particularly in the CDC. “The agency’s many failures rightfully led people to question whether the guidance being released was actually grounded in science, reason, or even common sense. “As our Committee helped to uncovered, the six-foot social distancing rule 'just kind of appeared,' as Dr. Fauci put it. “More recently, Dr. Fauci attributed the decision to mandate the six-foot social distancing rule entirely to CDC. “And yet the CDC has failed to explain how it was coming to its conclusions during that time, who was making these decisions, why it was issuing such guidance, and how that guidance would keep people safe. “The CDC failed to explain how our understanding of the science evolved and changed over time. “And the CDC failed to offer any kind of nuance as to who was vulnerable and who wasn’t. “These failures led to massive learning loss for our children that set them decades behind, a mental health crisis, and economic hardship.” RESTORING PUBLIC TRUST “We need the CDC to be successful and credible for the health and future of our nation—but there is a lot of work that needs to be done to restore people’s trust. “Late last year, we held a hearing with the Director of the CDC, Dr. Cohen. At that hearing we heard updates on the CDC-wide 'Moving Forward' initiative. “We likely have differing opinions on how productive and effective that initiative has been and the outcomes it has generated. “However, I think that initiative does show that we can all agree that work must be done to rebuild public trust in the CDC and our public health institutions. “That work will only be successful if the CDC’s leadership and your Centers and Offices are truly committed to reform and are willing to show you can make the hard decisions that need to be made. “This means admitting where inefficiencies exist and taking accountability for mistakes. “It means being honest about what you know and do not know, and when you know it.  “It means making honest attempts to streamline and—perhaps in some cases—eliminate programs that are no longer working for the American people. “And it means showing the American people you value their judgment, their individual perspectives, and that you are committed to regaining their trust. “My hope is that we can work together to achieve this, starting with today’s conversation.” 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) announced a Subcommittee hearing titled “Are CDC's Priorities Restoring Public Trust and Improving the Health of the American People?” “Of all the government agencies that have broken the public’s trust, the CDC is at the top the list. Unfortunately, the agency’s current priorities—like climate change and social determinants of health—do not instill confidence that the agency is focused on its core mission of improving public health and preventing the spread of diseases,” said Chairs Rodgers and Guthrie. “This hearing will give our Members an opportunity to hear directly from CDC officials on what steps the agency is taking to regain public trust and protect the health and wellbeing of the American people.”  Subcommittee on Health hearing titled "Are CDC's Priorities Restoring Public Trust and Improving the Health of the American People?"   WHAT : A hearing to discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) priorities to ensure it is working to regain public trust and protect the health and wellbeing of the American people.  DATE : Tuesday, July 23, 2024  TIME : 10:30 AM ET  LOCATION : 2322 Rayburn House Office Building  WITNESSES :  Dr. Karen Hacker, M.D., M.P.H. , Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   Dr. Allison Arwady, M.D., M.P.H. , Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   Dr. Daniel Jernigan, M.D., M.P.H. , Director, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, M.D., M.P.H. , Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   Dr. Henry Walke, M.D., M.P.H. , Director, Office of Readiness and Response, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   Dr. Jennifer Layden, M.D., Ph.D. , Director, Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/ . If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Emma Schultheis with the Committee staff at Emma.Schultheis@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Christopher Krepich at Christopher.Krepich@mail.house.gov .