Rep. Buddy Carter

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2432 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-5831

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Georgia – 1st District

Georgia – District 1

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11 Updates

Health

9 Updates

Environment

10 Updates

Communications & Technology

Biography

Earl L. “Buddy” Carter is an experienced businessman, health care professional and faithful public servant. For over 32 years Buddy owned Carter’s Pharmacy, Inc. where South Georgians trusted him with their most valuable assets: their health, lives and families. While running his business, he learned how to balance a budget and create jobs. He also saw firsthand the devastating impacts of government overregulation which drives his commitment to ensuring that the federal government creates policies to empower business instead of increasing burdens on America’s job creators.

A committed public servant, Buddy previously served as the Mayor of Pooler, Georgia and in the Georgia General Assembly where he used his business experience to make government more efficient and responsive to the people. Buddy is serving his fifth term in the United States House of Representatives and is a member of the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee and the House Budget Committee. He proudly serves as Chairman of the E&C Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials, where he prioritizes beating China, reducing emissions, unleashing American energy, and creating a pro-growth business environment. As a pharmacist serving in Congress, Buddy is dedicated to working towards a health care system that provides more choices, less costs and better services.

A lifelong resident of the First District, Buddy was born and raised in Port Wentworth, Georgia and is a proud graduate of Young Harris College and the University of Georgia where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Buddy married his college sweetheart, Amy. Buddy and Amy have three sons, three daughters-in-law and six grandchildren.

Georgia – District 1

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News & Announcements

Mar 26, 2026

Communications & Technology

C&T Subcommittee Holds Hearing to Review the 1996 Telecom Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, led a hearing titled The Telecommunications Act of 1996: 30 Years Later . “The world of 1996 looks nothing like the world of today, and it’s time we update our laws to reflect that,” said Chairman Hudson. “Congress needs to consider how we should modernize our communications policy framework to reflect the technologies of today in a way that will also work for the technologies of tomorrow.” Watch the full hearing here . Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05): “Can we maintain a light-touch regulatory approach to ensure we maintain that lead globally when we talk about telecommunications in the United States?” Mr. Pickering: “Yes, I believe we can take a light-touch approach, building on the lessons from the ’96 Act. That approach now applies to both energy and telecommunications, including broadband—the critical infrastructure for AI that converges at the data center. You’re in a great position as Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, working with Chairman Hudson, to advance permitting reform this session. We’re in a race against China, and the clock is ticking. Their advantages could swing the race in their favor if we don’t act in this Congress. We need to build new energy networks and capacity, as well as achieve the fiber connectivity that distributes AI applications and uses across the country.” Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01): “30 years is a long time. Think of what has changed in 30 years, particularly when you talk about telecommunications. And don’t get me wrong—the Telecommunications Act of 1996, we all agree, was great. It unleashed competition and innovation, but it was different then. We need to make sure we are dealing with the [modern] times.” Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11): “I’d like to ask how Congress should update the framework of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to match the work Chairman Carr is doing, such as deleting obsolete, technology-specific rules and moving toward a more technology-neutral approach.” Mr. Thierer: “The ‘delete, delete, delete’ proceeding is a good example of how we can move in that direction. We should have been doing that a long time ago. Instead, Congress, in the Telecommunications Act, delegated broad forbearance authority and hoped the FCC would voluntarily loosen the chains—and it hasn’t worked out that way.” ###

Mar 5, 2026

Markups

Full Committee Markup Recap: E&C Advances Eight 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 eight pieces of legislation to the full House of Representatives. “As people, as a Committee, and as a Congress, there are few things that are more essential than our responsibility to protect our nation’s children,” said Chairman Guthrie. “We are taking the meaningful steps forward to empower parents and protect children and teens online. We owe it to parents. We owe it to communities. And most importantly, we owe it to the kids who are counting on us to get this right.” “Empowering parents to better protect their children—especially amid the near-constant barrage of digital threats—remains one of our most solemn and important responsibilities,” said Rep. Bilirakis. “Today, we took meaningful action to advance that mission by moving forward several key measures, including the Kids Online Safety Act, designed to strengthen safeguards and increase transparency in the online space. I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that children can safely navigate the digital world, while holding technology companies accountable for the platforms they operate. Protecting our kids must always come before protecting corporate profits.” Legislative Vote Summary: H.R. 7757 , Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, was reported to the full House as amended by a roll call vote of 28 yeas – 24 nays. H.R. 2657 , Sammy’s Law was reported to the full House as amended by a roll call vote of 36 yeas – 16 nays. H.R. 3149 , App Store Accountability Act was reported to the full House as emended by a roll call vote of 26 yeas – 23 nays. H.R. 7258 , Energy Emergency Leadership Act was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 50 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 7266 , Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 49 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 7257 , Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid (SECURE Grid) Act was reported to the full House as amended by a roll call vote of 47 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 7272 , Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act was reported to the full House by a roll call vote of 48 yeas – 0 nays. H.R. 7305 , Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026 was reported to the full House as amended by a roll call vote of 47 yeas – 0 nays. Watch the full markup here . Below are key excerpts from today’s markup: Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01) on H.R. 2657, Sammy’s Law: “This is absolutely necessary because the harms that our children are confronting on social media are severe, and our children simply do not yet have the development skills to protect themselves alone. If this bill helps even one family avoid what happened to Sammy Chapman, then it will be worth it. As the proud grandfather of eight beautiful grandkids, I want to know that their parents and all other parents across the country have the best safety tools possible when protecting their innocent loved ones. What happened to Sammy is a travesty that no parent should experience, and we can prevent it today by passing this bill.” Congressman John James (MI-10) on H.R. 3149, the App Store Accountability Act: “The App Store Accountability Act holds big tech companies to the same standard as local corner stores. It protects the next generation by empowering parents and making clear that when it comes to safeguarding children, no one gets a free pass. How many studies, how many congressional hearings do we need to know the status quo is broken? How many heartbreaking stories do we need to hear from parents? So many of us on this committee are parents ourselves. We see with our own eyes the threat that Big Tech poses to children every single day. Our nation's children deserve better, and we will act.” Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09) on H.R. 6489, the SAFE BOTs Act: “We're in the middle of a chatbot revolution. Children are on the front lines. Kids today aren't just scrolling feeds, they're forming emotional bonds with AI companions that simulate empathy, mimic authority figures, and are available at any hour. And in too many cases, those kids don't even know they're talking to software. We saw a tragic illustration of this when a 14-year-old lost his life after months of conversations with a chatbot that validated his most troubling thoughts, rather than routing him to real help, that can't be the norm. The SAFE BOTs Act creates common sense, baseline guardrails. It prohibits AI from impersonating licensed professionals. It requires age-appropriate disclosure, so minors always know they're talking to an AI, not a human. It mandates that platforms provide a crisis hotline when a minor raises self-harm or suicide, it requires reasonable take-a-break prompts after extended interactions, and directs the NIH to study long-term mental health effects of chatbots on minors.” Congressman Gabe Evans (CO-08) on H.R. 7305, the Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026: “The Energy Threat Analysis Center plays an essential role in safeguarding critical infrastructure that ensures economic growth and national security. It brings together the Department of Energy, national labs, and private sector utilities, and provides early threat detection and coordinated analysis of threats to our energy generation and transmission networks. Colorado's own National Lab of the Rockies, hosts ITAC and is leading the way in this vital work, which protects our infrastructure's reliability, security, and ultimately, affordability. We know that terrorism and sophisticated cyber threats are on the rise, and this mission is not abstract, it's urgent. I'm especially proud this bill passed the subcommittee unanimously, which is a clear sign that protecting our nation's energy systems is a shared priority.”

Feb 3, 2026

Hearings

O&I Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Ongoing Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led a hearing titled Common Schemes, Real Harm: Examining Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid.

“What’s happening in Minnesota’s Medicaid program is deeply concerning and requires robust Congressional oversight; however, it is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Chairman Joyce. “Medicare and Medicaid fraud has been occurring in communities across the U.S. for decades, diverting necessary resources from patients in need. It is our duty to protect these programs for our most vulnerable Americans.”

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today's hearing:

Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01): “I’m from the state of Idaho—which, sometimes, may not be the first state you think about when there might be fraud, but that is kind of the basis of my question. Have you noticed any trends where states might get targeted or regions might get targeted as a function of potentially them having a lower barrier for entry, or maybe perceived as not being as likely to be audited?” Ms. Gay: “Absolutely. We talk a lot in the industry how [fraud] can be regionally generated. It tends to start in one particular area, and then I don’t know if they’re all hanging out, talking to each other, or how that spreads, but it does tend to start in certain populations and then branch out from there based on controls.” Mr. Fulcher: “What if the bad actor is a foreign actor? How much of that do you see? And if so, what kind of a challenge does that bring to potentially pursuing that fraud, if it’s perpetrated by a foreign actor?” Ms. Wooten: “Certainly, states have seen both fraud cases perpetrated by foreign and by U.S. citizens or people in the U.S., and from our perspective, as being a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, it makes no difference. We look at allegations, try to identify whether there is something we can do about them? Is the dollar amount something we can pursue? Are we going to be able to get value back for the Medicaid program? Do we have the laws in place to prosecute whatever type of fraud is referred? And we move forward with that investigation.”

Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02): “So what’s the solution here? I mean, some argue stronger oversight would actually threaten access to care, but based on your experience, what actually happens to access when fraud is not controlled? Who bears the brunt of this?” Ms. Gay: “I think there’s certainly the patient-harm attribute you mentioned—you know, not getting the care that you need. […] We dealt with some cases with ACA enrollments, and by the time we verified with CMS that those were eligible recipients, the health plan was already on the hook for $1, $2, $3 million. Were these patients even receiving the care? In some cases, yes. In other cases, they had no idea that they were in a facility for such treatment. […] Now you have somebody that doesn’t even have that challenge, but that is now on their record. And even worse—those that do, that are getting subpar treatment at a very exorbitant rate and still not getting better.”

Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01): “Auditors found 112 hospice providers operating out of a single physical address. 112...holy cow. As a result, hospice agencies in LA County alone likely overbilled Medicare by $105 million in just one year. […] It looks like it’s a problem in a lot of different places. And that’s why I want to ask you, Ms. Wooten, have you seen instances of copycats where fraudsters see a successful fraud scheme happening in one location, so they try to replicate the same fraud elsewhere?” Ms. Wooten: “Absolutely. We definitely see replicated fraud schemes in hospices; an excellent example. I share your concerns about home health and hospice because I owned a home health agency for many years, and I didn’t even choose to be a hospice because there were specialized agencies that could handle that part, and we would refer to them under the right circumstances. What we now see, though—hospices who are admitting patients who are not terminally ill, patients who don’t know they were put on hospice, patients who maybe aren’t getting treatments that they need, because the hospice philosophy, as you know, is for comfort care, not for treating illnesses. We have seen the same thing in Utah that the hospices have exploded. Now, I’m not saying they’re all fraudulent either, but absolutely; fraudsters learn from fraudsters and it’s an area we have to investigate.”

Letters

Apr 2, 2026

Press Release

Chairman Guthrie Leads E&C Republicans in Letter to Secretary Duffy Praising Proposed Rule on CAFE Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, led a letter along with 28 Republican members of the Committee to Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in support of the Trump Administration’s proposed rule to address the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

The proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reversing the overreach created by standards issued by the Biden-Harris Administration and ensuring that families—not politicians—pick the car that best serves their needs.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s NHTSA established unlawful fuel economy standards that served as a de facto electric vehicle mandate,” said Chairman Guthrie. “The rule instituted aggressive fuel economy targets that could only be achieved through broad vehicle electrification, made improper assumptions on vehicle electrification, expressly considered ‘dedicated automobiles,’ and allowed consideration of the fuel economy credit program in establishing fuel economy standards.”

Key excerpt from the letter:

“In June 2025, NHTSA appropriately concluded that the previous Administration’s approach contradicted EPCA and exceeded the agency’s authority. NHTSA’s new proposal appropriately brings the CAFE program back in statutory compliance and aligns with congressional intent in establishing the program through setting achievable fuel economy targets, not picking winners and losers in the marketplace, and addressing credit trading.

“Even during a time when Americans were already struggling to afford groceries due to Biden-inflation, the Biden-Harris Administration plowed ahead with CAFE standards that were projected to increase the average cost of new motor vehicles. By contrast, your Department’s proposed standards are estimated to save American families approximately $109 billion over the next five years. Regulatory costs often price consumers out of newer vehicles, meaning fewer Americans would have access to new motor vehicle safety technologies. The current proposal is estimated to save more than 1,500 lives and prevent nearly 250,000 serious injuries by improving access to newer vehicles.”

BACKGROUND:

The Biden Administration used the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to impose de-facto EV mandates, driving up prices and reducing options for American families.
When drivers aren’t incentivized with taxpayer subsidized handouts to purchase an EV, their sales have plummeted. According to data from Cox Automotive, EVs totaled nearly 12% of the U.S. market in September, a record high. In January, that share dropped to 6%.
By addressing fuel economy standards, President Trump and his administration are ensuring that Americans are not forced into purchasing costly EVs that they do not want to buy.
By reducing costs and making newer, safer vehicles more affordable, this proposal is projected to save more than 1,500 lives and prevent nearly 250,000 serious injuries.

CLICK HERE to read the full letter.
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Apr 1, 2026

Press Release

ICYMI: New York Post Feature: House GOP Subpoenas California Official Over Refusal to Drop EV Mandate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, the New York Post recently published an article highlighting Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, issuing a subpoena to California Air Resources Board (CARB) Chair Lauren Sanchez after the agency failed to comply with the Committee’s requests for documents related to California’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate and its continued implementation of regulations nullified by Congress.

In Case You Missed It:

“A powerful House panel took the extraordinary step of subpoenaing a California official, claiming her agency had refused to hand over relevant records during a seven-month investigation into the state’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate, according to a letter obtained by The Post.

“The House Energy and Commerce Committee issued the subpoena to California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez on Monday, demanding communications and documents regarding regulations that Golden State officials said would transition away from gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

“‘Forcing Americans to buy unreliable, and costly, EVs would eliminate consumer choice, strain our electric grid, raise costs, and increase our reliance on entities tied to the Chinese Communist Party,’ House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) told The Post.

“‘We will continue to follow the facts and demand accountability from California. I urge California to comply with this subpoena speedily and in good faith.’

“A CARB spokesperson responded that the agency in the past ‘has provided information and documents,’ including on ‘California’s longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act and the actions CARB has taken to protect public health and welfare in the state.’

“‘CARB’s goal is to support the Committee’s legislative inquiry through a transparent, cooperative exchange of information,’ the rep added.

“The Biden administration had signed off on waivers for California to impose the regulations — but President Trump nullified the waivers last June in response to three resolutions that passed on a bipartisan basis in the House and Senate.

“At a White House bill-signing event, Trump boasted that the three Congressional Review Act resolutions would ‘kill the California mandates forever.’

“But Guthrie wrote in a letter accompanying the subpoena that California has still been ‘denying auto manufacturers approval to bring vehicles to market unless the manufacturers agreed to comply with the regulations that had already been nullified through these CRA resolutions.’

“‘After months of negotiations, CARB’s lack of cooperation with this investigation requires the issuance of compulsory process,’ Guthrie told Sanchez in the missive.

“The CRA resolutions targeted waivers that had allowed the state to impose higher vehicle pollution standards than are in effect at the federal level under provisions of the Clean Air Act.

“Those standards — such as the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) and Heavy-Duty Omnibus Law-NOx regulations — were championed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and later became a template for more than a dozen other states.

“Section 209(b) of the Clean Air Act prohibits states from implementing emissions standards on new cars or engines that differ from those imposed by the federal government, unless they obtain a waiver.

“Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Air Resources Board shortly after joined with a group of 10 other state AGs to sue the Trump administration for disapproving of the waivers for EV regulations in June.

“That’s led to a lengthy federal court battle, which is currently being heard by the San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Newsom also signed an executive order in June 2025 following the revocation of California’s waivers asking CARB to submit another proposal that would help the state transition from fossil fuels.

“In March, the Department of Justice fired back with a suit against California over a fuel economy regulation that the Trump administration has also seen as effectively an EV mandate.

“The House committee, which began its probe in August, noted in its letter that it was specifically seeking ‘communications between CARB and the California Governor’s Office and the California Attorney General’s office.’

“‘Reviewing these documents and communications is vital to understanding what actions, including actions related to enforcement and implementation of the aforementioned laws and regulations, the state of California has taken thus far with respect to its new vehicle and new motor emission reduction plans following the CRA resolutions signed into law last year,’ Guthrie said.”
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Mar 31, 2026

Press Release

Chairman Guthrie Issues Subpoena to California Air Resources Board

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued a subpoena to California Air Resources Board (CARB) Chair Lauren Sanchez for documents and communications related to CARB’s implementation of vehicle emissions regulations that were nullified by Congress. This marks Chairman Guthrie’s first subpoena as Chairman of the Committee.

Despite three bipartisan Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions being signed into law last year preventing California from implementing vehicle standards that would ban the sale of gas-powered cars and trucks through its Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) II, and Omnibus Low NOx (Omnibus) regulations, Committee staff received reports that California has been denying auto manufacturers approval to bring vehicles to market unless manufacturers agree to comply with the nullified regulations.

After CARB failed to cooperate with multiple requests from the Committee, despite repeated accommodations, Chairman Guthrie issued the subpoena to compel the production of documents regarding CARB’s implementation of the ACT, ACC II, and Omnibus regulations, including communications between CARB and Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, as well as CARB and the California Attorney General’s Office.

Chairman Guthrie issued the following statement following the subpoena:

“The Committee began its investigation after reports that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) had been denying approvals to bring new vehicles to market unless auto manufacturers agreed to comply with California’s burdensome EV mandate, despite the fact it had been nullified by CRA resolutions signed into law last June. California’s refusal to cooperate with our investigation has left the Committee no choice but to issue a subpoena in order to receive the documents it requested from CARB,” said Chairman Guthrie. “Forcing Americans to buy unreliable, and costly, EVs would eliminate consumer choice, strain our electric grid, raise costs, and increase our reliance on entities tied to the Chinese Communist Party. We will continue to follow the facts and demand accountability from California. I urge California to comply with this subpoena speedily and in good faith.”

BACKGROUND:

Section 209(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) prohibits states from adopting or attempting to enforce emissions standards for new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines. Under Section 209(b), California may request a waiver of federal preemption from the EPA.
The EPA had approved waivers under prior administrations that allowed California to implement vehicle regulations, including bans on gas, diesel, and hybrid vehicles and mandates for 100% electric vehicle sales by 2035.
On June 12, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed three resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act—H.J. Res. 87, H.J. Res. 88, and H.J. Res. 89—which collectively disapproved California’s waivers of preemption that allowed the state to impose vehicle emissions standards that effectively banned the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. The CRA resolutions passed Congress with bipartisan support.
California and several other states have challenged the CRA resolutions in court; the case is currently pending, and no injunction has been issued.
EV adoption rates remain below the targets outlined in those waivers. For example, ACC II would have required New York to reach 35% EV sales in model year 2026, while current EV market share is substantially lower. California, which leads the nation in EV adoption, had a market share of almost 26% as of December 2024.
The production of EV batteries relies on critical minerals sourced largely from supply chains controlled by foreign entities. Mining and processing of these minerals, particularly in China, is highly emissions-intensive compared with U.S. production.

CLICK HERE to read the New York Post’s exclusive coverage of the ongoing investigation.

CLICK HERE to read the cover letter of the subpoena.
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