Rep. Gus Bilirakis

R

Florida – District 12
representative

Leadership

Chairman Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade

119th Congress

News & Announcements

Aug 19, 2025
Press Release

ICYMI: Fox Business Feature: Republicans Call to Investigate Spain Wiretap Deal

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – In case you missed it, Fox Business recently published an article featuring a letter sent to the Secretary of Commerce from Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee, urging the Department of Commerce to investigate Spain's recent wiretap deal with the Chinese-owned Huwai and warning of the national security threats posed by the deal. In Case You Missed It: “ Republican leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are calling on the Department of Commerce to investigate Spain’s controversial decision to contract with Huawei — a company with bridging links to the Chinese Communist Party — to store judicial wiretap data.  “ They warn the agreement poses a serious threat to U.S. digital trade and national security. “ In a letter this week to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Subcommittee Chairs Reps. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., warned that Spain’s contracts with Huawei to manage and store sensitive data related to the country’s wiretapping services were ‘ deeply troubling. ’ “ They noted that ‘ Huawei and other Chinese firms maintain documented CCP ties, posing profound risks to national and economic security. ’ “ The lawmakers further warned that the decision ‘ underscores a regrettable trend in the European Union (EU): governments tacitly embrace Chinese technology and hold American digital trade exports to double standards, ’ resulting in ‘ significant uncertainty for American companies in every sector that engages in transatlantic commerce. ’   “ They urged Commerce to ‘ investigate the Spanish government’s decision, and similar actions by EU governments, that negatively impact U.S. digital trade, data security, and telecommunications interests, as well as the interests of American workers. ’ “ Last month, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior quietly awarded a €12.3 million contract to Huawei to manage and store judicially authorized wiretaps using its OceanStor6800 V5 enterprise-grade servers. “ The move prompted top lawmakers on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to call on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to review intelligence sharing with Spain to ensure that Beijing was not intercepting secrets. “ House Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford called Spain’s deal ‘ almost unimaginable ’ in a statement last month.  “ The European Commission issued a formal warning, stating that ‘ Huawei represents materially higher risks ’ and urged member states to exclude high-risk vendors from critical infrastructure.  “ Sources within the Spanish National Police and the Civil Guard told Spanish news outlet The Objective they were uneasy with the partnership.  “ We are being asked to secure sensitive operations using systems that are not trusted by most of our allies, ’ one law enforcement source reportedly said.  “ The People’s Republic of China (PRC) National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires PRC individuals and entities to support PRC intelligence services. “ Chinese hackers breached U.S. court wiretap systems last year, according to a Wall Street Journal report. “ According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, China ‘ remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks ’ and has targeted communications infrastructure specifically, recently through the hacking operation Salt Typhoon. ”

Aug 18, 2025
Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade

Chairmen Bilirakis and Hudson Encourage Investigation into Spain Wiretap Deal with CCP-Aligned Huawei

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, and Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, recently  sent a letter  to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick asking the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate the Spanish government’s decision to contract Huawei to manage and store sensitive data relating to the country’s wiretapping services. “I am deeply concerned by reports that Spain has contracted with Huawei to manage and store sensitive data related to the country’s wiretapping services. This decision is highly problematic, given Huawei’s well-documented ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the potential national security risks such involvement poses,” said Chairman Bilirakis. “Entrusting such critical infrastructure to an entity under significant influence from a foreign authoritarian government could jeopardize not only Spain’s internal security but also the integrity of allied intelligence sharing frameworks. This is a matter of national security, and we cannot afford to be complacent.” “Spain’s decision to hand Huawei access to sensitive law enforcement data is deeply troubling and a direct risk to our shared security,”   said Chairman Hudson. “Huawei’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party are well-documented, and this move undermines the trust and transparency that should define our alliances. The United States cannot accept double standards that block American digital trade while turning a blind eye to Chinese intrusion.” KEY EXCERPT: “It is deeply troubling when a treaty ally uses telecommunications equipment and services from an entity aligned with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As you are aware, Huawei and other Chinese firms maintain documented CCP ties, posing profound risks to national and economic security.”  […] “Spain’s decision underscores a regrettable trend in the European Union (EU): governments tacitly embrace Chinese technology and hold American digital trade exports to double standards.” BACKGROUND: In 2019, the Trump Administration prohibited Huawei from participating in U.S. telecommunications networks over their ties to the CCP. In 2020, President Trump signed the  Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act  to prohibit federal funds from being used to purchase untrustworthy equipment and help small providers remove and replace such equipment. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires PRC individuals and entities to support PRC intelligence services. The EU is the largest destination for American digital trade exports, and digital trade supports more than 3 million American jobs, which means Spain’s decision could directly impact U.S. businesses and individuals. CLICK HERE  to read  Fox Business  coverage of the letter. CLICK HERE  to read the full letter. ###

Jul 23, 2025
Press Release

Full Committee Markup Recap: E&C Advances the SCORE Act and OMUFA Reauthorization to the Full House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, led by Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), reported two pieces of legislation to the full House of Representatives. Chairman Guthrie issued the following statement after the conclusion of the markup.  “Today , the Committee voted in favor of both the SCORE Act and OMUFA reauthorization, reporting both favorably to the full House of Representatives,” said Chairman Guthrie. “These bills both have bipartisan support, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass them both through the full House, so we can protect college athletes and protect patients' access to safe over-the-counter drugs . ”  Legislative Vote Summary:   H.R. 4312 , Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 30 yeas – 23 nays. H.R. 4273 , Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments, was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 51 yeas – 0 nays. Watch the full markup here . Below are key excerpts from today’s markup: Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) on the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act: “So far this year, we’ve had two subcommittee hearings, convened multiple bipartisan roundtables, and received input from hundreds of voices across the college sports ecosystem. This has been a multi-year endeavor, which has culminated with this [bill]. This bill has a wide range of support from stakeholders across the landscape of college sports.” Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) on the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act: “The bill needs strong preemption, because a patchwork of state laws is unsustainable and leads to competitive disadvantages between schools. Without preemption, athletes in different schools will face unequal opportunities, confusing standards, and enforcement gaps, undermining both competition and athlete protections.” Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05) on the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments: “The Over-the-Counter (OTC) Monograph Drug User Fee Program (OMUFA) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives consumers access to manage their own care in a safe and affordable manner. The changes in this amendment help to facilitate wider and additional stakeholder engagement through the OMUFA process.”  ###

Letters

Jun 18, 2025
Press Release

Chairman Guthrie Requests More Information on Improperly Shared User Data by California’s Health Insurance Marketplace Website

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. ###

Apr 17, 2025
Press Release

Chairmen Guthrie, Bilirakis, and Palmer Launch Investigation into 23andMe and its Handling of Americans’ Sensitive Medical and Genetic Information

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent a letter to 23andMe regarding the handling of Americans' sensitive data following the company's decision to file for bankruptcy. KEY EXCERPT: “According to 23andMe’s privacy statement, in a bankruptcy, customers’ ‘Personal Information may be accessed, sold or transferred as part of that transaction and this Privacy Statement will apply to [customer] Personal Information as transferred to the new entity.’ Additionally, a judge recently ruled 23andMe has the right to sell the sensitive medical and genetic information of its 15 million customers, which is considered to be the company’s most valuable asset. With the lack of a federal comprehensive data privacy and security law, we write to express our great concern about the safety of Americans’ most sensitive personal information.” Background: On March 23, 2025, 23andMe initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, which could have ramifications for the highly sensitive information of millions of Americans. While Americans’ personal health information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), these protections only apply if the information is collected by a HIPAA covered entity. Generally, direct-to-consumer companies, like 23andMe, are not covered by HIPAA. Customers have reported issues accessing and deleting their data from their 23andMe accounts. The Chairmen have requested answers to the following questions: If 23andMe were to sell the personal information of its customers either as a standalone asset or as part of a broader sale of the company, what post-sale data privacy and security protections would be in place for its customers’ personal information? Please describe how the representations made in 23andMe’s privacy statement will continue to apply—and be enforced—if the personal information of 23andMe’s customers is sold to a third party. Please include in this response information about what, if anything, would hold a third-party buyer to 23andMe’s privacy statement or prevent it from subsequently using, transferring, or otherwise selling, such information in the future. Does 23andMe plan to change its privacy statement at any time prior to selling any customers’ personal information? If so, please explain the change 23andMe plans to implement and when those changes will go into effect. Does 23andMe intend to vet prospective buyers to which it may sell its customers’ personal information? If so, please detail the vetting process and whether it will include the prospective buyer’s history of implementing data security protections and compliance with sectoral, state, or any other data privacy and security laws. If not, please explain why. Please detail the categories of customer information 23andMe has, and of that what 23andMe is considering selling. Has 23andMe notified its customers of the company’s bankruptcy announcement? If so, please attach the customer notification. If not, please explain why. Has 23andMe provided its customers with a guide for how to delete, or request to delete any information currently in 23andMe’s possession? If so, please provide a copy of that guide and specify when it was provided to customers. If not, please explain why, and explain whether 23andMe will contact each of its customers and provide an opportunity to delete their personal information prior to a potential sale of the company or personal information maintained by the company. Please detail the number of requests 23andMe received from its customers to delete their personal information between when 23andMe filed for bankruptcy and the date of the response to this letter. Of those requests, please provide a breakdown of how many requests were made by customers through their 23andMe online accounts and how many were made via customer service calls because customers were unable to successfully delete their information through their online accounts. Of those requests, please detail the number of fulfilled requests. Will 23andMe offer for sale any information in which a customer has requested the deletion of such information? If so, does 23andMe’s privacy policy consider selling information a legitimate purpose for retaining information past a customer's request to delete their information? Will 23andMe deidentify its customers’ personal information prior to selling it or the company? If so, please detail which information will be deidentified. If not, please explain why the company is electing not to deidentify information. CLICK HERE to read the full letter. CLICK HERE to read the story from CNBC. ###

Dec 19, 2024
Press Release

E&C Republicans Request HHS Watchdog Investigate Promotion of Gender Transition Procedures for Children

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General Christi Grimm, House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans requested an investigation into the strength, quality, and types of evidence-based scientific and pediatric medical literature relied on by the department to promote gender transition procedures for children.  KEY LETTER EXCERPT:  “As the agency responsible for safeguarding the health and well-being of Americans, all of HHS’s medical treatment recommendations, especially medical treatment recommendations for children, should be based on rigorous and well-established research, such as randomized controlled trials, that have definitively illustrated the long-term benefits of gender affirming care treatments.”  BACKGROUND:  Under the Biden administration, HHS has advocated for sex reassignment procedures on minors, including the use of serum puberty blockers, which have historically been used to treat children with precocious puberty (i.e., early onset puberty affecting about one percent of U.S. children) and sex offenders.   Puberty blockers, however, are known to stunt normal childhood development in children unaffected by precocious puberty.  HHS officials contend that sex reassignment procedures on minors are an unanimously accepted medical practice.  HHS Secretary Becerra testified before Congress that “every major medical association,” “medical journals,” and “scientific and medical evidence” has demonstrated the benefits of transitioning children’s biological sex.  When asked, via a Freedom of Information Act request, for the underlying scientific or medical basis for its position, HHS was only able to produce a two-page brochure that was already publicly available.  In contrast to HHS, a growing body of literature from medical experts and authorities around the world, including those in Europe, caution against performing such procedures on minors.   Courts and government health agencies responsible for determining child welfare have sought to limit child sex reassignment procedures.   Other countries have banned these interventions and surgeries on minors altogether.  An article published in the British Journal of Medicine found “there is great uncertainty about the effects of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries in young people.”   A court in the United Kingdom noted the obvious about administering puberty blocking chemicals onto children: “[i]t is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers. It is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.”  In April 2024, the Cass Review , an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, commissioned by the National Health Service England, found “[w]hile a considerable amount of research has been published in this field, systematic evidence reviews demonstrated the poor quality of the published studies, meaning there is not a reliable evidence base upon which to make clinical decisions, or for children and their families to make informed choices.”   The Cass Review also found that “[t]he rationale for early puberty suppression remains unclear, with weak evidence regarding the impact on gender dysphoria, mental or psychosocial health,” as well as unknown effects on cognitive and psychosexual development.  In August 2024, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) became the first major U.S. medical association to express caution on the use of gender surgery for gender dysphoria in adolescents. In its formal statement, the association stated: “ASPS currently understands that there is considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria, and the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty. This patient population requires specific considerations.”   The letter was signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL), Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL).  CLICK HERE to read the letter.