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WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, led a Full Committee Business Meeting to enact new subcommittee leadership and changes to subcommittee membership.   The following changes to Subcommittee leadership and rosters were enacted:  Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01) will leave the Chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Health to focus on other priorities.  Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09) has been appointed to Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.  Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) has been appointed to Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment.  Rep. John Joyce (PA-13) has been appointed to Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.  Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02) has been appointed to Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01) has been appointed to Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Health.  The new Subcommittee Rosters are as follows:  Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, & Trade:  Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman  Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Vice Chairman  Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)   Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)   Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23)   Rep. John James (MI-10)   Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-02)   Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09)   Rep. Russell Fry (SC-07)   Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)   Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07)    Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08)    Rep. Craig Goldman (TX-12)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Communications and Technology:  Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman  Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12), Vice Chairman  Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05)   Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09)  Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)   Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01)   Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)   Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01)   Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11)   Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)   Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23)   Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09)   Rep. Russell Fry (SC-07)   Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07)    Rep. Craig Goldman (TX-12)   Rep. Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Energy:  Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman  Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14), Vice Chairman  Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06)   Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12)   Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12)   Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11)   Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01)   Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)   Rep. John James (MI-10)   Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-02)   Rep. Russell Fry (SC-07)   Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)   Rep. Nick Langworthy (NY-23)   Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06)   Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08)   Rep. Craig Goldman (TX-12)   Rep. Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Environment:  Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman  Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Vice Chairman  Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05)    Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09)   Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01)   Rep. John Joyce (PA-13)   Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14)   Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11)   Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)   Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)   Rep. Nick Langworthy (NY-23)   Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08)   Rep. Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Health:  Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman  Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Vice Chair  Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)   Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01)   Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)    Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02)   Rep. John Joyce (PA-13)   Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12)   Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)   Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)   Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23)   Rep. John James (MI-10)   Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-02)   Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09)   Rep. Nick Langworthy (NY-23)   Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07)    Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations:  Rep. John Joyce (PA-13), Chairman  Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12), Vice Chairman  Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06)  Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02)  Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14)  Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12)  Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01)  Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01)  Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman-Designate of the Subcommittee on Environment, announced a hearing titled Beyond the Blue Bin: Forging a Federal Landscape for Recycling Innovation and Economic Growth .  “From addressing e-waste and microplastics to creating opportunities for advanced recycling technologies, the Subcommittee on Environment is working to find commonsense solutions that promote innovation while protecting our nation's soil, air, and water,” said Chairman Guthrie and Chairman-Designate Palmer. “This hearing will provide a platform to examine new opportunities in the field of recycling, the current state of our recycling infrastructure, and whether current law can support the AI industry here at home.”   Subcommittee on Environment hearing titled Beyond the Blue Bin: Forging a Federal Landscape for Recycling Innovation and Economic Growth   WHAT: Subcommittee on Environment Hearing to Discuss Advanced Recycling.  DATE: July 16, 2025  TIME: 10:15 AM ET  LOCATION: 2322 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 Calvin Huggins at Calvin.Huggins1@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, issued the following statement in response to a letter from Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01) announcing his resignation of the Chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Health.  "It’s been a pleasure working alongside Health Subcommittee Chairman Buddy Carter, who has been a long-time champion of increasing Americans’ access to care,” said Chairman Guthrie . “We thank you for your leadership on the Subcommittee on Health and your continued commitment to the health and wellbeing of Americans. I wish you well in your future endeavors and look forward to your continued work on the Health Subcommittee . ” As a result of this vacancy, Chairman Guthrie announced new Subcommittee leadership and changes to Subcommittee memberships.   The following changes to Subcommittee leadership and rosters will be enacted:   Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01) will leave the Chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Health to focus on other priorities.  Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09) has been appointed to Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.  Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) has been appointed to Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment.  Rep. John Joyce (PA-13) has been appointed to Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.  Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02) has been appointed to Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01) has been appointed to Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Health.  The new Subcommittee Rosters are as follows:   Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, & Trade:   Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman  Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Vice Chairman  Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)   Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)   Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23)   Rep. John James (MI-10)   Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-02)   Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09)   Rep. Russell Fry (SC-07)   Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)   Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07)    Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08)    Rep. Craig Goldman (TX-12)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Communications and Technology:   Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman  Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12), Vice Chairman  Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05)   Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09)  Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)   Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01)   Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)   Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01)   Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11)   Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)   Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23)   Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09)   Rep. Russell Fry (SC-07)   Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07)    Rep. Craig Goldman (TX-12)   Rep. Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Energy:   Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman  Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14), Vice Chairman  Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06)   Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12)   Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12)   Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11)   Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01)   Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)   Rep. John James (MI-10)   Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-02)   Rep. Russell Fry (SC-07)   Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)   Rep. Nick Langworthy (NY-23)   Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06)   Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08)   Rep. Craig Goldman (TX-12)   Rep. Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Environment:   Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman  Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Vice Chairman  Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05)    Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09)   Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01)   Rep. John Joyce (PA-13)   Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14)   Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11)   Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)   Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)   Rep. Nick Langworthy (NY-23)   Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08)   Rep. Julie Fedorchak (ND-AL)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Health:   Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman  Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Vice Chair  Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)   Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01)   Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)    Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02)   Rep. John Joyce (PA-13)   Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12)   Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01)   Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)   Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23)   Rep. John James (MI-10)   Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-02)   Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09)   Rep. Nick Langworthy (NY-23)   Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07)    Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations:   Rep. John Joyce (PA-13), Chairman  Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12), Vice Chairman  Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06)  Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02)  Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14)  Rep. Rick Allen (GA-12)  Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01)  Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01)  Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06)  Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Ex-Officio  ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Reps. Palmer (AL-06), Carter (GA-01), Bilirakis (FL-12), and Obernolte (CA-23), penned a letter to the Executive Director of Covered California (CoveredCA), Jessica Altman, to request further information related to the potentially unauthorized transmission of sensitive personal health information involving Covered California’s website. Key Letter Excerpt: “According to public reports and agency statements, tracking technology was embedded on Covered California's website beginning in February 2024, as part of a broader digital advertising effort, and in direct contravention of the tracking platform’s user agreement, which prohibits the use of such tools on pages that collect sensitive health information. Although the tags were reportedly removed in April 2025, following external scrutiny and a vendor transition, the extended period of data exposure raises serious questions about the adequacy of safeguards that Covered California had in place. Forensic testing by investigative reporters identified the trackers in operation and confirmed that user-entered health information was being transmitted to third parties without consent. These circumstances warrant examination of Covered California’s actions under federal privacy standards.” “Ensuring the confidentiality of health information is a foundational obligation for entities operating within the health insurance ecosystem. Federal privacy protections, particularly the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), establish expectations for how covered organizations handle sensitive data. Recent reports and public filings raised questions about whether those expectations were met in this case, and whether existing oversight mechanisms are sufficient to detect and prevent improper disclosures.” Background: Forensic testing shows Covered California —the State of California’s official health insurance marketplace—has been sending sensitive user health data to third-party websites through several online data trackers. Prior to removal of the trackers, CoveredCA had more than 60 trackers active on its website; the average number of trackers on a government website is three. Some types of information sent to such websites include: Searches for doctors in network with specific plans/specializations Demographic information, including gender, ethnicity, and marital status Length of treatment a patent received by a provider Frequency of doctor visits If the user indicated they were blind, pregnant, a victim of domestic abuse, or used prescription medications. The State of California independently operates CoveredCA. As the state’s official ACA marketplace, CoveredCA falls under the purview of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The disclosure of information such as pregnancy or prescription drug use without proper consent—even for “marketing purposes”—may violate HIPAA. This Congress, the Committee has sent letters to 23andMe and DeepSeek over potential data privacy concerns: The Committee also held a hearing last Congress on the Change Healthcare hack, where personal health information was also jeopardized. CLICK HERE to read Fox News coverage of the letter. CLICK HERE to view the full letter. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led a hearing titled Stopping Illegal Robocalls And Robotexts: Progress, Challenges, And Next Steps. “Spam and scam calls make consumers feel threatened, fearful, and distrustful of legitimate callers. That’s why, in 2019, the bipartisan Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence—or TRACED Act—was enacted to help reduce the flood of illegal robocalls,” said Chairman Palmer. “While many robocalls and robotexts are used for legitimate purposes by U.S. businesses and public entities, we must continue finding ways to combat the illegal communications seeking to defraud Americans across the country.” Watch the full hearing here . Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09) : “I’ve gotten a number of [scam texts], and I click ‘report as junk and delete’. Does that do any good?" Ms. Leggin: “It certainly does. That is one of the key tools that the wireless industry and our partners on the device side have made available for consumers to delete and report junk. You can also forward your scam text to 7726, which spells spam, and both of those are key inputs for [...] making our algorithms [...] more sophisticated.” Congressman John Joyce (PA-13): “Scammers have even learned how to incorporate AI into intimidating loved ones to convince them to turn over personal information. Credit card numbers, bank numbers. Too many of my constituents are risking their retirement savings and subsequently, they lose faith in the system that we have set in place to protect them. We need to do better. We need to both educate consumers, and anticipate the next angle of attack that these scammers will take, particularly with the assistance of our partners in law enforcement and the DOJ.” Congressman Michael Rulli (OH-06): “When I was young, I used to listen to a lot of talk radio in the 80s and the 90s, and it was a subject then and it's just a subject as much right now. [Seniors] want to enjoy their peace and their tranquility and these robocalls just keep ruining it.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled  Stopping Illegal Robocalls and Robotexts: Progress, Challenges, and Next Steps. Subcommittee Chairman Palmer's opening statement as prepared for delivery: “Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing entitled 'Stopping Illegal Robocalls and Robotexts: Progress, Challenges, and Next Steps.' All of us have personal experiences with unwanted robocalls and robotexts. Some are merely annoying, but others have devastating consequences. For example, in March, the FCC warned consumers about scam robocalls targeting older Americans, and DOJ announced that it charged 25 individuals for participating in the same scam that defrauded Americans out of more than $21 million in more than 40 states. The scammers made phone calls pretending to be an individual’s grandchild who needed money for 'bail' after being 'arrested,' or pretended to be the grandchild’s “attorney,” and were told they could not speak to anyone about the “arrest.” This is one of the many heartbreaking examples of scams perpetrated on Americans by illegal robocallers and bad actors. “According to recent estimates, in April 2025, nearly 2,000 robocalls were placed to U.S. consumers every second. Spam and scam calls make consumers feel threatened, fearful, and distrustful of legitimate callers. As more and more Americans ignore calls from unknown numbers, they miss important calls. Moreover, fraud perpetuated against Americans by illegal robocalls costs an average of $25 billion annually, primarily affecting those who cannot afford such losses. “We are also seeing a lot of unwanted and scam robotexts, and AI generated phone calls and text messages, including voice clones and deepfakes. According to the FCC, consumer complaints about unwanted text messages increased 500-fold between 2015 and 2022. Americans are frustrated and understandably so. “In 2019, the bipartisan Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence—or TRACED Act—was enacted to help reduce the flood of illegal robocalls. The TRACED Act allowed the FCC and law enforcement to impose stricter penalties for intentional violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA; improved adoption of technical solutions, like the STIR/SHAKEN call authentication framework; and established a federal interagency working group to combat illegal robocalls. “As a result, U.S. telecommunications carriers have made progress implementing STIR/SHAKEN into their networks. This framework authenticates that phone calls are coming from legitimate phone numbers, which helps reduce the number of spoofed and illegal robocalls. Generally, to operate within the U.S., voice service providers must now implement robocall mitigation programs and file these plans and their STIR/SHAKEN compliance certifications in the Robocall Mitigation Database overseen by the FCC. Moreover, in July 2020, the FCC recognized the U.S. Telecom Industry Traceback Group (ITG) as the single registered consortium to conduct private-led traceback efforts that identify the source of an illegal robocall. “The FCC has also taken measures to address the growing burden of unwanted and scam robotexts and abused AI technologies. Specifically, in March 2023, the agency adopted regulations targeting scam robotexts. In addition, industry actors have partnered with federal agencies to launch new programs, such as robotext tracing. Lastly, in August, the FCC proposed rules to protect consumers from AI-generated robocalls and robotexts. These are steps in the right direction, and I applaud the coordination we’ve seen thus far. “While the TCPA has provided many useful tools, the TCPA’s private right of action has given rise to class-action lawsuits focused on minor infractions, rather than the bad actors responsible for placing illegal robocalls and it has not reduced the number of illegal robocalls or improved consumer protection. “In addition, STIR/SHAKEN implementation among smaller carriers has been delayed and bad actors have exploited these providers’ reliance on legacy infrastructure. Moreover, a majority of illegal robocalls and robotexts originate overseas making them hard to trace. Because these bad actors are outside the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement, they are challenging to combat. “Finally, the FCC must grapple with emerging technologies and navigate the best way to create appropriate guardrails for these technologies while simultaneously continuing to support innovation. “We will always have robocalls and robotexts because not all of them are illegal. Many are used for legitimate purposes by U.S. businesses and public entities, but we must continue finding ways to combat these unwanted communications. “I want to thank our panel of witnesses for joining us. I look forward to a robust discussion to understand the current landscape of illegal robocalls and robotexts plaguing U.S. consumers and businesses so we can work together to identify and address remaining challenges. “I now recognize the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Ms. Clarke, for her opening statement.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, announced a hearing titled  Stopping Illegal Robocalls and Robotexts: Progress, Challenges, and Next Steps . “Illegal, predatory robocalls and robotexts have defrauded Americans of billions of dollars and undermined the public’s faith in the communications they receive. Despite Congressional and agency enforcement actions, rapid technological development has made it increasingly difficult to stop this scourge,”  said Chairmen Guthrie and Palmer.   “We look forward to examining ongoing efforts to target these fraudsters and ways to protect Americans from illegal robocalls and robotexts that are meant to harass and deceive.” Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing titled  Stopping Illegal Robocalls and Robotexts: Progress, Challenges, and Next Steps WHAT:  Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on stopping abusive and predatory robocalls and robotexts. DATE:  Wednesday, June 4, 2025 TIME:  10:15 AM ET LOCATION:  2322 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 Noah Jackson at  Noah.Jackson@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Daniel Kelly at  Daniel.Kelly@mail.house.gov . ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Examining Ways to Enhance Our Critical Mineral Supply Chains . Subcommittee Chairman Palmer's opening statement as prepared for delivery: “Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing entitled 'Examining Ways to Enhance Our Domestic Mineral Supply Chains.' “Today’s hearing addresses the crucial challenge that the U.S. is facing—how to decouple and derisk ourselves from China and other foreign adversaries and build critical mineral supply chains within the U.S. Our country has been blessed with abundant natural resources and the world-changing technology needed to harness those resources. Unfortunately, however, we have become over reliant on other nations to supply and process critical minerals. Today’s hearing is an opportunity to examine how to increase capacity and resilience in American critical mineral supply chains again. “Critical minerals are used in items we use every day like smart phones, computer hard drives, televisions, batteries, and lightbulbs. They are also used in elements of our electrical grid and have defense applications. “The U.S. used to be the leading producer and refiner of many critical minerals, including rare earth elements. By the late 1990s, however, most of this industry dissolved and moved overseas. According to a review in the United States Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024, the U.S. was 100 percent import reliant for 12 of the 50 critical minerals on the 2022 critical minerals list and more than 50 percent import reliant for an additional 29. “This predicament we find ourselves in is not a new problem, but a problem that has been many years in the making. So how did we get here? It is a combination of things—including burdensome permitting and other regulations, uncertainty in commodity pricing, market manipulation, and an increasingly litigious society. This has made our domestic environment unattractive to investors and companies as a result. For example, getting domestic processing and refining facilities up and running is an extremely long process—it can take 10 to 20 years for new processing plants and smelters to become operational. That is in addition to the lengthy mine development process in the U.S., which is the second-longest mine development timeline in the world. Because of this burdensome red tape, companies are not incentivized to invest domestically, so instead they invest abroad. “Moreover, even when U.S. companies operate mines in the U.S., the hesitancy to invest in domestic processing and refining facilities has put us in a position where our foreign adversaries monopolize other parts of the supply chain. For example, in 2019, one rare earth mine in the U.S. sent 98 percent of its raw materials to China because the U.S. lacked the capacity to process those minerals domestically. As a result, we must import our own product back from China after it is processed, but China’s recent export bans on several rare earth elements critical to the U.S. make this nearly impossible. “I cannot convey the seriousness of this issue enough. This is an economic issue and an issue of national security. We as a nation must ensure that we have access to these materials and the ability to process them without reliance on foreign adversaries, including China. “I want to applaud President Trump for declaring a national energy emergency on day one of his presidency, emphasizing that the U.S.’s identification, production, and refining of critical minerals are inadequate to meet domestic needs. Since then, President Trump has signed several executive orders related to critical minerals—including ordering immediate measures to increase American mineral production. We look forward to working with the Trump Administration on the mission to increase the capacity and resilience of domestic critical mineral supply chains. “I also want to thank our witnesses for joining us today to share their expertise and guide our discussion about the challenges in building domestic critical mineral supply chains and the opportunities we have to improve our domestic supply chains moving forward.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led a hearing titled Examining Ways to Enhance Our Critical Mineral Supply Chains . “Producing critical minerals here at home is essential for our economic and national security. We cannot allow the supply chains for critical minerals used in products like AI chips, cell phones, missiles, and fighter jets to be controlled by China, particularly the processing and refining phases of the supply chains,” said Chairman Palmer. “In today’s hearing, our witnesses were clear that Congress must take steps to build an environment enticing for domestic investment—including streamlining the permitting process—to help ensure that critical minerals can be mined, processed, and refined domestically.”  Watch the full hearing here .   Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12): “The US has the second longest timeline for a mine to be approved, and we’ve heard anecdotes of projects waiting decades for approval to break ground or begin operations. Why is it that approvals of projects in the U.S., whether it be a mine or a processing, refining, or recycling facility for critical minerals take so long in the U.S?” Mr. Herrgott: “One of the main reasons is lack of coordination amongst the various agencies that are involved in the permitting process. Most mining projects will require a variety of permits. We’ve had member companies that have had mines that require over 90 permits.” Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02): “Critical Minerals are the backbone of a modern economy and a modern military, from semiconductors to advanced weapons systems. Today, the U.S. imports between 50 percent and 82 percent of the critical minerals we need. So where are they coming from? It’s been mentioned plenty of times here – they’re coming from China. That’s not good. Our national security, our national industrial base, our economic future is dependent on supply chains we don’t control and from regimes we cannot trust. And why? Well, mostly because our laws and regulations have made it virtually impossible to open up new mines in this country, and even, even when we do mine, we still have to ship the raw materials overseas just to get them refined because we’ve offshored our processing capabilities.” Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14): “The U.S. once led the world in producing and refining rare earth elements but ceded that position to China in the 1980s. Today, China controls roughly 90 percent of global rare earth processing and has already demonstrated a willingness to restrict exports and thus, as one of you mentioned, affect the market. This leaves the U.S. dangerously exposed. If China were to halt exports entirely, think of that scenario. Where would we turn to secure the materials vital to our energy infrastructure and national security?” Ms. Hunter: “So, a total export ban would be devastating to the U.S. economy. We would need to rely on domestic sources if we can get them online, and then have them be processed into the final products that need to be qualified by manufacturers, and turn to allies as much as possible, countries with which we share national security priorities.” ###