Rep. Buddy Carter

R

Georgia – District 1
representative

Leadership

Chairman Health

119th Congress

News & Announcements

Jun 24, 2025
Press Release

Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing on HHS Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, led a hearing titled The Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget. “America needs a new prescription — a clear, bold vision for the future. We can no longer afford to simply throw more money at this problem and hope for change,” said Chairman Carter . “It is time to break from the old ways and embrace innovative, courageous ideas that will truly Make America Healthy Again.” Watch the full hearing here . Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-09): “One important tool in promoting drug development is the FDA's Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and Priority Review Voucher Program, which has led to the approval of over 50 treatments for 39 different rare, pediatric diseases - 36 of which had no FDA approval treatments before the program began. I was very pleased to see the president's FDA budget allocate funding for this priority review voucher program, and I have bipartisan legislation that would fully reauthorize the program for years to come.” Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02): “I was just wondering if you can explain how HHS will be investing in rural America and specifically rural Iowa to ensure that Americans still have access to vital health care services.” Secretary Kennedy: “ We have a number of programs for expanding healthcare in rural areas. One of those that I'm most excited about are these innovations in telemedicine and AI nursing. That is going to deal with some of the treatment [and] the diagnosis issues. I've seen the systems in action, and they're extraordinary.” Congresswoman Kat Cammack: (FL-03): “Under the previous administration of Joe Biden, maternal health deserts expanded significantly, leaving over 2.5 million women without access to any sort of maternal health care. In fact, I believe it was 1 in 25 maternal health clinics [that] closed under the previous administration. And you've pointed out that there are more than 40 different maternal health programs scattered across HHS. From where I sit, that sounds like a lot of bureaucracy, and I want us to focus on patient outcomes and improving those, like you do.” ###

Jun 24, 2025
Press Release

Chairman Carter Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled  The Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee Chairman Carter's opening statement as prepared for delivery: “It is my pleasure to begin today’s hearing by welcoming the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health.  “Thank you, Secretary Kennedy, for coming before the Committee to discuss the Fiscal Year 2026 budget for the U.S. Department of Health an d Human Services.  “ In 2023, our nation spent an estimated $4.9 trillion on health care. That’s nearly 20 percent of our Gross Domestic Product. And when it comes to per-person health care spending, the United States far surpasses every other nation in the world.  “ And yet, America’s health outcomes still lag behind our peers. Life expectancy in the U.S. is lower than in other developed economies, and rates of infant and maternal mortality, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are higher. At the same time, public trust in government health agencies has eroded.  “ The results of our record-breaking spending speak for themselves — and they’re unacceptable.   “ The system isn’t just expensive — it’s failing the very people it’s meant to serve.  “ Currently, in the United States, three in four adults experience one or more chronic conditions. In 2013, no state had adult obesity prevalence at or above 35 percent. Fast forward to 2023, 23 states had 35 percent or higher adult obesity rates. According to the CDC, in my home state of Georgia, 35 percent of adults are obese, and one in ten adults are living with three or more chronic conditions.    “ During my time as a pharmacist, I saw first-hand the toll that diet-related chronic diseases can have on individuals and families, due to rising health care premiums, out-of-pocket-costs, and missed work. The financial impact is astronomical – not to mention how taxing the physical, emotional, and mental burdens can be.   “ Just looking at the impact of diabetes, the United States spends more than $327 billion each year combatting the disease–with $237 billion spent on medical costs and another $90 billion in productivity losses.  “ America needs a new prescription — a clear, bold vision for the future. We can no longer afford to simply throw more money at this problem and hope for change. It is time to break from the old ways and embrace innovative, courageous ideas that will truly Make America Healthy Again.  “ I am looking forward to hearing more about how HHS is working to improve health care access for American patients and reduce provider burnout by leading on necessary changes to fix the broken health insurance prior authorization process.  “ I am also looking forward to hearing more about your agency’s plan to reduce unnecessary animal testing. So many of us here today are committed to a more efficient drug development process, and I am encouraged by the FDA’s Roadmap to reduce animal testing in preclinical safety studies through the use of innovative 21st-century science. “ As a supporter of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and the lead author of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, I am excited to see that, under your leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services is building off of these proposals and leading the charge for the development of safe, effective treatments and therapies without unnecessary animal suffering. “ I look forward to hearing additional details of the Secretary’s proposal, and to continuing the dialogue between HHS and the Energy and Commerce Committee as we begin the budget process in earnest.  “ Again, I appreciate you being here today. I look forward to hearing how the proposed HHS budget will advance President Trump’s mission of Making America Healthy Again." ###

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 martial 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. ###

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 martial 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. ###

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.

Oct 7, 2024
Letter

Chair Rodgers Leads House GOP in Demanding Answers Over FCC Fast-Tracking Democrat Mega-Donor’s Media Takeover Weeks Before Election

Soros-linked fund to acquire more than 200 local radio stations weeks before election Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) led 40 of her Republican colleagues in demanding answers from the Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding her recent decision to fast-track a media deal allowing the Fund for Policy Reform, a group aligned with Democratic mega-donor George Soros, to buy over 200 radio stations just weeks before the 2024 election. With a party line vote of 3-2, the decision at the Commission level by the Democratic members of the FCC to temporarily waive the required national security review and allow excessive foreign ownership of American radio stations is deeply disturbing. KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “It is highly concerning that the FCC did not follow regular order for a transaction of this magnitude. Licensees and investors need certainty that the FCC will follow its rules and procedures when approving transactions so that the broadcast industry can have the resources it needs to continue serving the public.”  BACKGROUND: Audacy, Inc., a radio broadcasting group, which owns more than 200 radio-station licenses, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.  Audacy’s filings revealed that a George Soros-backed group known as the Fund for Policy Reform had acquired at least 40 percent of Audacy’s debt.   Audacy estimated that, upon emerging from bankruptcy, 25 percent or more of its stock would be indirectly foreign owned, which triggers FCC review.   This review process requires national security agencies to review the transaction and offer any policy or national security concerns.   On September 30, 2024, the FCC released an Order granting a temporary waiver of this review process, delaying a national security review until after the bankruptcy process is complete and allowing foreign control of a significant number of radio stations across the entire United States, weeks before a national election. CLICK HERE to read Breitbart's exclusive coverage. CLICK HERE to read the full letter.