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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, led a hearing titled,  Winter Storm Fern Lessons: Supplying Reliable Power to Meet Peak Demand.   “In spite of generous subsidies and favorable public policy choices, intermittent resources were nowhere to be found when New England needed power the most. Because limited gas pipeline capacity in the New England region restricts supply and raises prices, power plants had to opt for more expensive and less efficient fuel oil,”  said Chairman Latta.  “The lessons of Winter Storm Fern should illustrate that common sense must rule the day. American energy dominance and independence must be achieved so we can keep our communities safe at home.” Watch the full hearing  here . Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01):  “The lesson from Winter Storm Fern is that we’re asking more of the grid in every region and increasingly relying on emergency tools and extraordinary coordination to navigate conditions that are becoming more common, not rarer. At the same time, we’ve layered on emergency orders, special directives, and broad must-run orders that, in some regions, effectively over-procure generation and crash prices. Those tools helped us through Fern, but they’re not a sustainable business model for a grid that’s about to serve even larger loads. Data centers, advanced manufacturing, and electrification across many levels of our economy are driving demand up quickly. Yet building the infrastructure to serve that demand, modern gas plants, nuclear, storage, new pipelines, transmission lines, or any renewable source, which Iowa does have, takes years longer than it should. Not because the technology is unproven, but because our permitting pathways are slow, fragmented, and unpredictable.” Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07):  “Reliable energy is essential to every aspect of our modern life, especially to public health and welfare. Yet power outages cost the American people $44 billion each year. Winter Storm Fern highlighted the importance of grid reliability, leaving more than one million customers without power at its peak, including 70,000 in my home state of South Carolina. These disruptions make it clear that reliability must remain a top priority, particularly during severe weather events that place extraordinary strain on the electric system. Fern also demonstrated the critical importance of dispatchable energy sources. Peak coal generation rose by 25%, and peak natural gas generation rose by 47%. Across all impacted regions, dispatchable energy significantly outperformed wind and solar generation. The grid’s performance during severe weather depends not only on these baseload and dispatchable resources, but also on real-time coordination among grid operators, generators, transmission owners, marketers, and other market participants. Analyzing how the bulk power system performs during these events is essential to strengthening reliability and ensuring the continued delivery of electric power that Americans depend on every day.” Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL):  “I agree with you — it should be bipartisan. Mr. Robb, how are premature retirements of baseload resources such as natural gas and coal making matters worse when we have increased demand?”  Mr. Robb:  “Thanks for the question. It makes matters worse in a number of different ways. When you lose the energy production associated with those facilities—and we saw in Winter Storm Yuri that a number of facilities operating under 202(c) orders did perform and were required to keep the lights on—there’s no question about that. The second thing is that those facilities create the special sauce that keeps the grid operating. They create frequency, they create voltage, and they create the ability to control those within very tight parameters, which is what allows the high-voltage transmission system to operate. Without that kind of generation, we don’t have the ability to operate a transmission system of the scale that we have.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars: The Role of CMS in Combatting Medicare and Medicaid Fraud. Subcommittee Chairman Joyce’s opening statement as prepared for delivery: “Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s hearing titled, ‘Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars: The Role of CMS in Combatting Medicare and Medicaid Fraud.’ “Today, we are continuing the Subcommittee’s ongoing examination of Medicare and Medicaid fraud. “Kim Brandt from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is here today to discuss the very real, and very harmful issues that we know address both Medicare and Medicaid fraud that are occurring right now across the United States and what CMS is doing to address this widespread fraud. “In Medicare, sectors such as durable medical equipment, genetic testing, skin substitutes, home health, and hospice are all experiencing high rates of fraud. “In Medicaid, schemes are running rampant in a variety of programs, from non-emergency medical transportation to personal care services, autism therapy, and substance use disorder treatment. “These crimes are despicable, yet we are seeing them occur time and time again across the country. In Minnesota, it’s Medicaid ABA services. In California, it’s Medicare hospice services. In Florida, it’s Medicare durable medical equipment. Once caught, fraudsters might be stopped, but they are always looking for their next scheme. The tentacles of these criminal schemes are long, and they reach into many different areas of health care. “And many of these fraud schemes target vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, individuals with disabilities, the homeless, and people struggling with substance abuse disorders. Moreover, taxpayers are being defrauded of outrageously large amounts of money. Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro, during his time as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, stated at a 2020 press conference, ‘It’s possible, no, likely, that Pennsylvania is losing $3 billion a year to fraud.’ And that’s just one state, and that’s just in one year. “For too long, states have been permitted to run Medicaid programs with weak guardrails, making them easy targets for criminals to exploit. While states do have a duty to steward federal and state taxpayer dollars responsibly, it is federal oversight that is necessary to root out systemic fraud. “As President Trump made clear during his recent State of the Union address and executive order establishing the Anti-Fraud Task Force, he is serious about the ‘War on Fraud.’ Under the leadership of Vice President and “antifraud czar,” J.D. Vance, and under the leadership of Dr. Mehmet Oz, this administration is taking bold steps to stop this fraud—more than any other presidential administration before it. “It is critical that fraud in government health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid are addressed to ensure there are adequate funds to maintain these programs for those who are in need and not for fraudsters to steal. “As this Committee builds upon Medicaid program integrity efforts that we advanced last year in H.R. 1, it is important that we continue to identify ways to address fraud to secure the financial stability and longevity of these programs. “The elderly, individuals with disabilities, pregnant women, and children all rely on these programs to receive the health care that they need, and the health care they deserve. We owe it to them to protect and preserve these programs, rather than allowing them to serve as a gold mine for criminals. “I want to thank Deputy Administrator Brandt for being here today. We are looking forward to hearing about the important work that you and your team are already doing at CMS under the leadership of Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz to protect and preserve Medicare and Medicaid. “With that, I now recognize our Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Ms. Clarke, for her opening statement.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Winter Storm Fern Lessons: Supplying Reliable Power to Meet Peak Demand. Subcommittee Chairman Latta’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:  “Good morning and welcome to today’s hearing to examine the performance of our electric grid through the duration of Winter Storm Fern.    “Starting on January 23rd, a significant winter storm brought widespread snow, sleet, and freezing rain from New England to the Rockies and down to the Gulf of America.   “This storm was followed by an Arctic Front that kept stubbornly low temperatures across the country and additional snowstorms.   “As expected, American families bundled up, staying indoors to avoid the inclement weather and dangerous road conditions.   “When they were at home, they relied on our nation’s complex energy system to keep the lights on, their homes warmed, and fridges stocked.   “Just like any other day, families expected their lights to come on at the flip of a switch.  “While seemingly routine, an exhaustive amount of preparation, coordination, and real-time decision making occurred behind the scenes to make sure American communities had power.   “While some outages occurred, the grid held up because of the important work of some the witnesses we have before us.  “The Southwest Electric Power Company, or SWEPCO, is an electric utility across Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana.   “The Northeast Gas Association represents natural gas utilities across 11 northeastern states.   “Grid Strategies develops public policies that support a clean energy transition.  “And the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, is the regulatory authority that ensures reliability and security of our nation’s bulk power system.   “Together, these witnesses will provide critical insights into how the nation’s electric grid remained resilient through the duration of this significant weather event.   “While I’m looking forward to today’s opportunity to learn about the grid’s performance through the storm, one thing remains clear – baseload and dispatchable resources saved the day.  “Generation from coal, natural gas, and fuel oil skyrocketed while intermittent resource generation plummeted.   “Nuclear, as always, remained steady and reliable.  “Without access to these affordable and reliable supplies of baseload generation, the setting of this hearing would look much different.   “Power outages that occur in freezing temperatures cause billions in economic damage and, even more importantly, tragic deaths in our vulnerable communities.  “Our New England states illustrate an interesting example.   “Through the storm, the fuel mix in New England was carried by natural gas, fuel oil, and nuclear power.   “In spite of generous subsidies and favorable public policy choices, intermittent resources were nowhere to be found when New England needed power the most.   “Because limited gas pipeline capacity in the New England region restricts supply and raises prices, power plants had to opt for more expensive and less efficient fuel oil.   “It’s important to recognize fuel oil plants were the predominant source of generation 70 years ago.  “Importantly, outages across the country were limited – but the success of the grid through Winter Storm Fern should serve as a warning.   “That brings us to the present day – how should policy makers and regulators consider the operation of our future bulk power system.   “We stand on the precipice of tremendous growth in our nation’s electricity demand.  “The Energy and Commerce Committee has held several hearings and passed legislation to shore up the reliability crisis caused by the Biden Administration and to power next generation industries.   “Now, we are considering the implications of a generation resource mix that can appropriately meet the needs of households at all times of the year while simultaneously ensuring America leads in the future economy.  “The answer is clear – our nation needs dispatchable energy and a lot more of it.   “Given the military activity taking place in Iran and implications of energy markets through the Strait of Hormuz, now more than ever we need to utilize the bountiful resources we have here at home.  “The lessons of Winter Storm Fern should illustrate that common sense must rule the day.   “American energy dominance and independence must be achieved so we can keep our communities safe at home.”  ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, announced that Joel Miller has been named Deputy Staff Director, following the departure of Sophie Khanahmadi. Joel Miller—Deputy Staff Director Having served as the Committee’s Chief Counsel since the beginning of this Congress, Joel Miller will now serve as the Deputy Staff Director of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. As Chief Counsel, Joel has played a central role in executing the Committee’s legislative priorities in the 119 th Congress, including the Working Families Tax Cuts reconciliation package. A former FCC Senior Legal Advisor and Chief of Staff, Joel also served previously as Chairman Guthrie’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – This week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is holding four Subcommittee Hearings. Read more below.  SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING:  The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy is holding a hearing to discuss the lessons learned from Winter Storm Fern. DATE:  Tuesday, March 17, 2026   TIME:  10:00 AM ET  LOCATION:  2123 Rayburn House Office Building  SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING:  The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is holding a hearing on what the Trump Administration is doing to proactively tackle Medicare and Medicaid fraud, as well as continuing conversations surrounding common fraud schemes and programs that are vulnerable to fraud. DATE:  Tuesday, March 17, 2026  TIME:  2:00 PM ET  LOCATION:  2123 Rayburn House Office Building  SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING:  The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health is holding a hearing on the role that providers play in making health care more affordable for all Americans.   DATE:  Wednesday, March 18, 2026  TIME:  10:15 AM ET  LOCATION:  2123 Rayburn House Office Building   SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING:  The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is holding a hearing on the World Radiocommunication Conference.   DATE:  Wednesday, March 18, 2026  TIME:  2:00 PM ET  LOCATION:  2123 Rayburn House Office Building  ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued the following statement following Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Zeldin’s announcement that the agency proposed amending a Biden-Harris Administration regulation that weaponized air emissions standards to halt the production and use of ethylene oxide (EtO) to sterilize medical equipment. “Today’s EPA announcement is a victory for commonsense policies that safeguard patients and put an end to the overreach of the Biden-Harris Administration,” said Chairman Guthrie. “ The burdensome ethylene oxide rule threatened to shutter sterilization facilities and disrupt American medical supply chains that hospitals and providers rely on every day to safely treat patients. By proposing an amendment to this misguided regulation, EPA Administrator Zeldin is working under the authority that Congress provided under the Clean Air Act to help ensure the medical community maintains access to a safe and reliable domestic supply of sterilized medical devices used in millions of procedures each year, while continuing to protect human health and the environment.”   BACKGROUND: Ethylene oxide (EtO) is used to sterilize approximately half of all medical devices sold in the United States, including surgical instruments, syringes, and implants. For many heat- and moisture-sensitive devices, there is currently no viable alternative sterilization method. The emission standards put in place by the Biden-Harris Administration threatens the ability for facilities to fully and safely sterilize essential medical equipment. In 2023, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, & Critical Materials held a hearing on the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed rulemaking, where witnesses testified to how the proposal would significantly disrupt patient access to emergency care and threaten patient safety from hospital-born infections.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, announced a hearing titled Winter Storm Fern Lessons: Supplying Reliable Power to Meet Peak Demand . “As Winter Storm Fern swept across the country and energy needs were at their highest, it was baseload, dispatchable power sources like coal, nuclear power, and natural gas that kept the lights on for millions of American families,”  said Chairmen Guthrie and Latta.  “As we look to expand our grid to meet the moment for the AI race and reshoring manufacturing, this hearing will provide an opportunity to examine lessons learned from the storm that will support the reliable supply of power to the grid, especially during peak demand.” WHAT:  Subcommittee on Energy hearing to discuss the lessons learned from Winter Storm Fern.  DATE:  Tuesday, March 17, 2026   TIME:  10:00 AM ET   LOCATION:  2123 Rayburn House Office Building This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at energycommerce.house.gov . If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Seth Ricketts with the Committee staff at  Seth.Ricketts@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Ben Mullany at Ben.Mullany@mail.house.gov .  ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, announced a hearing titled Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the U.S. Provider Landscape.   “The third hearing in the Committee’s health care affordability series will examine the role that providers and hospitals play in shaping the cost of care for Americans,” said Chairman Guthrie.  “Hospitals, physicians, and health care practitioners play a vital role in delivering health care services to patients. This hearing will explore how payment policies, competition, transparency, and other incentives shape patient access and the cost of care. We look forward to hearing from the panelists on potential solutions as the Committee continues working to make health care more affordable for the American people.”   “From consolidation in the insurance marketplace to predatory practices in the pharmaceutical drug supply chain, the Health Subcommittee continues to examine all angles in our push to lower health care costs for American patients,” said Chairman Griffith. “Accordingly, our next hearing will address the role of hospital providers to better understand what can be done to make health care more affordable for all Americans.”   Subcommittee on Health hearing titled  Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the U.S. Provider Landscape .   WHAT:  Subcommittee on Health hearing on the role that providers play in making health care more affordable for all Americans.  DATE:  Wednesday, March 18, 2026   TIME:  10:15 AM ET  LOCATION:  2123 Rayburn House Office Building   This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. This hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed at  energycommerce.house.gov . If you have any questions about this hearing, please contact Annabelle Huffman with the Committee staff at  Annabelle.Huffman@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Katie West at  Katie.West@mail.house.gov .  ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, announced a hearing titled Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars: The Role of CMS in Combatting Medicare and Medicaid Fraud. “Last month, the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing where we heard from experts about common fraud schemes in Medicare and Medicaid and discussed programs that are particularly vulnerable to fraud. At the start of this month, the Committee expanded our ongoing investigation into Medicaid fraud by sending ten additional letters to states across the country to better understand how states are safeguarding Medicaid programs,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Joyc e. “This hearing will continue our work to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid. We look forward to hearing from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services about its efforts toward that shared goal.” Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing titled Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars: The Role of CMS in Combatting Medicare and Medicaid Fraud. WHAT: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on what the Trump Administration is doing to proactively tackle Medicare and Medicaid fraud, as well as continuing conversations surrounding common fraud schemes and programs that are vulnerable to fraud. DATE: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 TIME: 2:00 PM ET LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at energycommerce.house.gov . If you have any questions concerning this hearing, please contact Annabelle Huffman with the Committee Staff at Annabelle.Huffman@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Katie West at Katie.West@mail.house.gov . ###