Rep. Gus Bilirakis

R

Florida – District 12
representative

Leadership

Chairman Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade

119th Congress

News & Announcements

Sep 25, 2025
Letter

Chairmen Guthrie, Bilirakis, and Joyce Request Investigation into China-Backed Company Collecting Brain Wave Data on Elite American Athletes

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – 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 John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent letters to Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, urging the administration to investigate and address potential national security risks posed by BrainCo, a neural technology company allegedly funded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). KEY EXCERPTS: “The Committee on Energy and Commerce has long warned about the national and economic security risks of CCP-aligned entities accessing Americans’ personal and proprietary information. The use of American data by CCP-aligned entities, such as BrainCo, to develop and deploy AI underscores our concerns. […] The Committee urges swift action to investigate and address the potential national and economic security risks posed by BrainCo’s operations in the United States and its access to Americans’ personal information.” BACKGROUND: According to recent reporting , the company was started by MIT and Harvard scientists but has “been quietly backed by the Chinese government-linked entities for nearly a decade.”  BrainCo products reportedly harvest personalized brainwave data from users.  BrainCo is reportedly working with sanctioned PRC military contractors.  BrainCo products reportedly have been used by Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin, number two world tennis player, Jannik Sinner, U.S. Olympic teams, and many others.  Along with DeepSeek , BrainCo is considered one of China’s “Six Little Dragons” — meaning one of the CCP’s most promising young tech startups. The PRC’s National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires PRC individuals and entities to support PRC intelligence services. CLICK HERE to read exclusive coverage of the letter. CLICK HERE to read the Hunterbrook Media story on their investigation into BrainCo. CLICK HERE to listen to the corresponding Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast episode. CLICK HERE to read the letters to Attorney General Bondi, Chairman Ferguson, and Secretary Lutnick. ###

Sep 25, 2025
Communications & Technology

Chairmen Guthrie, Bilirakis, and Hudson Issue Statement Following Announcement of a Deal to Divest TikTok

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 Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, issued the following statement following President Trump’s announcement of a deal to separate TikTok from control of entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP): “We appreciate the extensive work done by President Trump and Vice President Vance to make progress toward a qualified divestiture of TikTok from ByteDance. As the details are finalized, we must ensure this deal protects American users from the influence and surveillance of CCP-aligned groups,” said Chairmen Guthrie, Bilirakis, and Hudson. “Limiting the influence and involvement of China remains a vital national security interest, and we look forward to seeing a deal that secures America’s interests on the global stage.” ###

Sep 17, 2025
Markups

Full Committee Markup Recap: E&C Advances Six Bills 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 six pieces of legislation to the full House of Representatives. Legislative Vote Summary: H.R. 2493 , Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2025, was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 49 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 3419 , To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs, was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 48 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 2846 , To amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries), was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 46 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 1262 , Give Kids a Chance Act of 2025, was reported to the full House, as amended, by a roll call vote of 47 yeas – 0 nays. NOTE: H.R. 1843, led by Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02), was included in H.R. 1262 as an amendment. H.R.3302 , Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2025, was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 49 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 979 , AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025, was reported to the full House, as amended, by a roll call vote of 50 yeas – 1 nay. Watch the full markup here . Below are key excerpts from today’s markup: Congressman Jay Obernolte (CA-23) on the bill To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs: “ Rural and frontier areas often struggle with shortages of health care providers, limited access to specialists, and long travel distances to the nearest clinic or hospital. That is certainly true in my rural district. It is true in Congressman Valadao's district as well, and I'm sure in many other districts across the country. The grant programs we are reauthorizing today help close those gaps by equipping providers with the resources, training, and technical support they need to deliver care through telehealth. Tens of thousands of patients across the country have already benefited from these initiatives. Patients who no longer need to drive several hours for an appointment, families who can more easily manage ongoing health needs, and providers who are able to serve more people effectively because of the support these programs provide. Already, tens of thousands of patients across the country have benefited.” Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) on the Give Kids a Chance Act: “The Give Kids a Chance Act is a comprehensive pediatric health care package, aimed at accelerating the development of pediatric cancer treatments and expanding access to life saving therapies for children with all types of rare diseases. Among many critical provisions, the bill reauthorizes the rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program at the FDA. Since its creation in 2012, the pediatric PRV program has resulted in the discovery and development of life saving therapies, leading to the approval of 53 new treatment options for 39 different rare pediatric diseases. The impact of this program is profound for patients. I'd like to take a moment to recognize the countless families in the rare disease community who have hope thanks to this provision in the bill. ” Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) on the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025: “From newspapers to television stations, AM radio keeps our content locally and hyper-locally focused. It is absolutely essential to my district. Stripping AM radios from automobiles would be a death blow to the AM radio industry. This legislation makes sure that every new vehicle sold in America continues to have that trusty AM radio as standard equipment, and it is essential. That means whether it's a farmer in the field, a trucker on the highway, or a family driving down a back road, they will still have access to the emergency information that they need in real time. But AM radio's value goes far beyond emergencies, it serves as the community's public square, a place where local voices are heard on local topics. Small town broadcasters stay connected with their neighbors, and diverse perspectives are shared.”

Letters

Sep 25, 2025
Letter

Chairmen Guthrie, Bilirakis, and Joyce Request Investigation into China-Backed Company Collecting Brain Wave Data on Elite American Athletes

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – 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 John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent letters to Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, and Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, urging the administration to investigate and address potential national security risks posed by BrainCo, a neural technology company allegedly funded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). KEY EXCERPTS: “The Committee on Energy and Commerce has long warned about the national and economic security risks of CCP-aligned entities accessing Americans’ personal and proprietary information. The use of American data by CCP-aligned entities, such as BrainCo, to develop and deploy AI underscores our concerns. […] The Committee urges swift action to investigate and address the potential national and economic security risks posed by BrainCo’s operations in the United States and its access to Americans’ personal information.” BACKGROUND: According to recent reporting , the company was started by MIT and Harvard scientists but has “been quietly backed by the Chinese government-linked entities for nearly a decade.”  BrainCo products reportedly harvest personalized brainwave data from users.  BrainCo is reportedly working with sanctioned PRC military contractors.  BrainCo products reportedly have been used by Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin, number two world tennis player, Jannik Sinner, U.S. Olympic teams, and many others.  Along with DeepSeek , BrainCo is considered one of China’s “Six Little Dragons” — meaning one of the CCP’s most promising young tech startups. The PRC’s National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires PRC individuals and entities to support PRC intelligence services. CLICK HERE to read exclusive coverage of the letter. CLICK HERE to read the Hunterbrook Media story on their investigation into BrainCo. CLICK HERE to listen to the corresponding Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast episode. CLICK HERE to read the letters to Attorney General Bondi, Chairman Ferguson, and Secretary Lutnick. ###

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. ###