[House Hearing, 119 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MEMBER DAY
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
DECEMBER 12, 2025
__________
Serial No. 119-46
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Published for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce
govinfo.gov/committee/house-energy
energycommerce.house.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
62-596 PDF WASHINGTON : 2026
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
BRETT GUTHRIE, Kentucky
Chairman
ROBERT E. LATTA, Ohio FRANK PALLONE, Jr., New Jersey
H. MORGAN GRIFFITH, Virginia Ranking Member
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida DIANA DeGETTE, Colorado
RICHARD HUDSON, North Carolina JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois
EARL L. ``BUDDY'' CARTER, Georgia DORIS O. MATSUI, California
GARY J. PALMER, Alabama KATHY CASTOR, Florida
NEAL P. DUNN, Florida, Vice PAUL TONKO, New York
Chairman YVETTE D. CLARKE, New York
DAN CRENSHAW, Texas RAUL RUIZ, California
JOHN JOYCE, Pennsylvania SCOTT H. PETERS, California
RANDY K. WEBER, Sr., Texas DEBBIE DINGELL, Michigan
RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia MARC A. VEASEY, Texas
TROY BALDERSON, Ohio ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
RUSS FULCHER, Idaho NANETTE DIAZ BARRAGAN, California
AUGUST PFLUGER, Texas DARREN SOTO, Florida
DIANA HARSHBARGER, Tennessee KIM SCHRIER, Washington
MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS, Iowa LORI TRAHAN, Massachusetts
KAT CAMMACK, Florida LIZZIE FLETCHER, Texas
JAY OBERNOLTE, California ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, New York
JOHN JAMES, Michigan JAKE AUCHINCLOSS, Massachusetts
CLIFF BENTZ, Oregon TROY A. CARTER, Louisiana
ERIN HOUCHIN, Indiana ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey
RUSSELL FRY, South Carolina KEVIN MULLIN, California
LAUREL M. LEE, Florida GREG LANDSMAN, Ohio
NICHOLAS A. LANGWORTHY, New York JENNIFER L. McCLELLAN, Virginia
THOMAS H. KEAN, Jr., New Jersey
MICHAEL A. RULLI, Ohio
GABE EVANS, Colorado
CRAIG A. GOLDMAN, Texas
JULIE FEDORCHAK, North Dakota
------
Professional Staff
MEGAN JACKSON, Staff Director
SOPHIE KHANAHMADI, Deputy Staff Director
TIFFANY GUARASCIO, Minority Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hon. Brett Guthrie, a Representative in Congress from the
Commonwealth of Kentucky, opening statement.................... 1
Prepared statement........................................... 3
Hon. Lizzie Fletcher, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Texas, opening statement.................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Witnesses
Hon. Jim Costa, a Representative in Congress from the State of
California..................................................... 9
Prepared statement........................................... 11
Hon. Jill N. Tokuda, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Hawaii...................................................... 14
Prepared statement........................................... 16
Hon. Melanie A. Stansbury, a Representative in Congress from the
State of New Mexico............................................ 19
Prepared statement........................................... 21
Hon. Andrea Salinas, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Oregon...................................................... 25
Prepared statement........................................... 27
Hon. Robert F. Onder, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Missouri.............................................. 29
Prepared statement........................................... 31
Hon. Luz M. Rivas, a Representative in Congress from the State of
California..................................................... 34
Prepared statement........................................... 36
Hon. Juan Ciscomani, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Arizona..................................................... 41
Prepared statement........................................... 42
Hon. Donald G. Davis, a Representative in Congress from the State
of North Carolina.............................................. 44
Prepared statement........................................... 46
Hon. Emanuel Cleaver, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Missouri.................................................... 51
Prepared statement........................................... 53
Hon. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Florida........................................... 56
Prepared statement........................................... 58
Hon. Tom Barrett, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Michigan....................................................... 64
Prepared statement........................................... 66
Hon. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Washington........................................ 69
Prepared statement........................................... 71
Hon. Eric Sorensen, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Illinois.................................................... 73
Prepared statement........................................... 75
Hon. Gabe Vasquez, a Representative in Congress from the State of
New Mexico..................................................... 78
Prepared statement........................................... 80
Hon. John W. Mannion, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Nevada...................................................... 83
Prepared statement........................................... 85
Hon. Gabe Amo, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Rhode Island................................................... 87
Prepared statement........................................... 90
Hon. Janelle S. Bynum, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Oregon................................................ 93
Prepared statement........................................... 95
Hon. Pablo Jose Hernandez, a Resident Commissioner in Congress
from the Territory of Puero Rico............................... 97
Prepared statement........................................... 98
Hon. Emily Randall, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Washington.................................................. 99
Prepared statement........................................... 101
Hon. Rudy Yakym III, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Indiana..................................................... 106
Prepared statement........................................... 108
Hon. Suzanne Bonamici, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Oregon................................................ 110
Prepared statement........................................... 112
Hon. Harriet M. Hageman, a Representative in Congress from the
State of West Virginia......................................... 115
Prepared statement........................................... 117
Hon. David J. Taylor, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Ohio........................................................ 120
Prepared statement........................................... 122
Hon. Bryan Steil, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Wisconsin...................................................... 126
Prepared statement........................................... 128
Hon. Aaron Bean, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Florida........................................................ 130
Prepared statement........................................... 132
Hon. Kelly Morrison, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Minnesota................................................... 135
Prepared statement........................................... 137
Hon. Glenn Grothman, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Wisconsin................................................... 143
Prepared statement........................................... 145
Hon. Richard McCormick, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Georgia............................................... 150
Prepared statement........................................... 152
Hon. Maxine Dexter, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Oregon...................................................... 154
Prepared statement........................................... 156
Hon. Warren Davidson, a Representative in Congress from the State
of Ohio........................................................ 161
Prepared statement........................................... 162
Hon. Jennifer A. Kiggans, a Representative in Congress from the
Commonwealth of Virginia....................................... 165
Prepared statement........................................... 167
Hon. David Valadao, a Representative in Congress from the State
of California.................................................. 171
Prepared statement........................................... 172
Submitted Material
Inclusion of the following was approved by unanimous consent.
List of documents submitted for the record....................... 176
Letter of December 9, 2025, from Representative Ben Cline, et
al., to Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary, Department of Health and
Human Services, and Jay Bhattacharya, Director, National
Institutes of Health........................................... 177
Letter of February 25, 2025, from the International Dairy Foods
Association to Members of Congress............................. 179
Letter of February 21, 2025, from the Prevent Cancer Foundation
to Representative Jodey C. Arrington, et al.................... 180
Statement of Hon. Steve Cohen, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Indiana........................................... 197
Statement of Hon. Andrew R. Garbarino, a Representative in
Congress from the State of New York............................ 200
Statement of Hon. Brittany Petterson, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Colorado............................ 203
Statement of Hon. Joe Neguse, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Colorado.......................................... 206
Statement of Hon. Rashida Tlaib, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Michigan..................................... 208
Statement of Hon. Stephen F. Lynch, a Representative in Congress
from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts......................... 210
Statement of Hon. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Michigan............................ 212
Statement of Hon. Tim Moore, a Representative in Congress from
the State of North Carolina.................................... 213
Statement of Hon. Mark Pocan, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Wisconsin......................................... 216
Statement of Hon. Daniel Webster, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Florida...................................... 217
Statement of Hon. Mark Takano, a Representative in Congress from
the State of California........................................ 219
Statement of Hon. James P. McGovern, a Representative in Congress
from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts......................... 221
Statement of Hon. April McClain Delaney, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Maryland............................ 223
Statement of Hon. Susie Lee, a Representative in Congress from
the State of Nevada............................................ 228
Statement of Hon. Addison P. McDowell, a Representative in
Congress from the State of North Carolina...................... 231
Statement of Hon. Lauren Underwood, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Illinois..................................... 235
Statement of Hon. Tom Cole, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Oklahoma.............................................. 239
Statement of Hon. Terri A. Sewell, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Alabama...................................... 241
MEMBER DAY
----------
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2025
House of Representatives,
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 9:01 a.m., in the
John D. Dingell Room 2123, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon.
Brett Guthrie (chairman of the committee) presiding.
Members present: Representatives Guthrie, Palmer, Dunn,
Obernolte, Langworthy, Pallone (committee ranking member),
Barragan, and Fletcher.
Staff present: Byron Brown, Chief Counsel; Christian
Calvert, Press Assistant; Jessica Donlon, General Counsel;
Sydney Greene, Director of Finance and Logistics; Annabelle
Huffman, Clerk, Health; Megan Jackson, Staff Director; AT
Johnson, Special Advisor; Daniel Kelly, Press Secretary; Alex
Khlopin, Policy Analyst, Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade;
Brayden Lacefield, Special Assistant; Sarah Meier, Counsel and
Parliamentarian; Joel Miller, Chief Counsel; Lillian Noland,
Staff Assistant; Jake Riith, Staff Assistant; Chris Sarley,
Member Services/Stakeholder Director; Timothy Trimble, Staff
Assistant; Katie West, Press Secretary; Keegan Cardman,
Minority Staff Assistant; Giancarlo Ceja, Minority Staff
Assistant; Waverly Gordon, Minority Deputy Staff Director and
General Counsel; Tiffany Guarascio, Minority Staff Director;
Jackson Hall, Minority Intern; Perry Hamilton, Minority Deputy
Director, Member Services and Outreach; and Shae Reinberg,
Minority Intern.
Mr. Guthrie. Good morning. The committee will come to
order, and the Chair recognizes himself for 5 minutes for an
opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BRETT GUTHRIE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
And good morning to everyone. Welcome to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce. Our hearing today is the committee's
Member Day hearing, and it is an opportunity to hear from our
friends and our colleagues across the House of Representatives
who have legislative priorities that fall within our
committee's broad jurisdiction.
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest
authorizing committee in Congress. Last Monday marked the 230th
year of the committee and another opportunity to reflect and
celebrate its rich legislative history. In just the last year
alone, we have had 53 bills pass out of the House and 10 bills
signed into law by the President.
Much of our committee's work is done in a bipartisan
manner. In fact, we held an important subcommittee markup
yesterday discussing bills to keep our children safe online. I
want to thank Ranking Member Pallone and his Members for
working with us on that important legislation.
But also, despite some of our disagreements, Ranking Member
Pallone and I found several ways to work together on committee
priorities to deliver solutions for the American people, and
this is bipartisan. It is a deep tradition of our committee.
I want to thank my colleagues before us today for coming
before the committee to share your ideas and your perspectives
and your legislative ideas. We know the matters you are
presenting to the committee are not only important to you but
also to the hundreds of thousands of people you represent. The
committee looks forward to listening and learning from you
today as we all work together. On behalf of the American
people, I thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Guthrie follows:]
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And I will recognize vice member of the full committee
Representative Fletcher for 5 minutes for an opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LIZZIE FLETCHER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS
Mrs. Fletcher. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And welcome to all the Members who are joining us this
morning here in the Energy and Commerce Committee.
This committee, as the chairman said, has a long history of
working together to address the issues that matter most to the
American people and will make a meaningful difference in their
lives. It is what this committee does at its best, and it is
why it is so important that we hear from our colleagues today
that represent communities across the country, to learn more
about what they are hearing and what the people that they
represent need from us.
I know when I go back home what I hear most from people in
my district are deep concerns about the cost of living, the
cost of healthcare, and the cost of energy and electricity. In
short, we are in a national affordability crisis, and people
need our help.
Addressing rising costs shouldn't be a partisan issue. In
fact, on the campaign trail President Trump promised over and
over and over again that he was going to lower costs. But
nearly a year into this administration, costs are higher than
ever.
Now, President Trump, as I think we all know, recently
dismissed affordability as a Democratic hoax. But from what I
am hearing from my constituents at home, it is not, and it is
fear--fear that they won't be able to afford their electric
bill, fear that they are not going to be able to keep their
health insurance, fear that they are not going to be able to
see a doctor when they need to, fear that they are not going to
be able to afford groceries this Christmas or presents for
their families for the holidays, fear that they are not going
to be able to do the things that they need to do.
This is fear. This is not a hoax. It is people's lives, and
they need our help.
Unfortunately, much of this Congress has been spent making
things worse for hard-working American families rather than
helping them. We have spent the vast majority of this year
addressing budget issues that have made things worse, not
better, for families across the country and have taken away
healthcare from nearly 15 million people, leaving millions more
with premiums and costs that they cannot afford.
People need to come together and they need Congress to come
together to lower costs with commonsense proposals like
extending the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which
would help lower premiums for millions of families. Instead,
this Congress is choosing to spend its time taking healthcare
away and making it more expensive for those who manage their
care to keep their coverage.
Today we have an opportunity to listen to our colleagues
about rising costs and how they are a real threat to American
families, and I hope that we will work together--the majority
and the minority--to work together to address those concerns
and that no one in Congress will dismiss them as a hoax. So I
look forward to hearing from the Members who are joining us
today, and I thank you all for taking the time to be here.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I will yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Fletcher follows:]
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Mr. Guthrie. Thank you.
We now conclude with opening statements. And the Chair
would like to remind Members that, pursuant to the committee
rules, all Members' opening statements will be made part of the
record.
We want to thank our fellow Members for taking time to
testify before the committee. You will have the opportunity to
give a 5-minute statement.
And I would say from the beautiful part of the country, but
all of you are from beautiful parts of the country, so I will
just say that for everybody. And I really mean that, because I
think I have been to every part of your--in this year, as a
matter of fact, in your districts, so--not your districts, but
your States, probably.
So, Representative Costa, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. JIM COSTA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Mr. Costa. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman Guthrie
and Ranking Member Fletcher, for your comments.
And to follow on that opening, three pieces of legislation
I will speak to you on are bipartisan pieces of legislation,
and I think they deal with America's safety net and
affordability, because every American feels near and dear to
ensure that they have adequate and cost-effective healthcare
that is accessible to them and their families. I mean, as my
mother used to say, ``Jim, if you don't have health, you don't
have anything.''
The first piece of legislation is a touching one for me and
my staff, H.R. 5355, Ian Kalvinskas' legislation. It deals with
Pediatric Liver Cancer and Early Detection and Screening Act,
and expanding the Medical Education Act is the second piece of
legislation, and the third piece of legislation is the National
Plan for Epilepsy. This follows in the effort of preventative
healthcare.
For Ian's piece of legislation, it is personal. He came
into our office as an intern from UCLA with all sorts of
aspirations and optimism. But as an earlier child, he was
diagnosed with liver cancer as a young teenager. He survived
thanks to a lifesaving liver transplant. Unfortunately, the
cancer returned a few years later, but Ian cared deeply about
getting back. And while he was sick, he took an opportunity to
be an intern in our office here at Capitol Hill. He said, ``I
want to make a difference now,'' and he used his time here to
advocate for early diagnosis and treatment for children with
liver diseases. Sadly, Ian passed away during his time as an
intern in my office this last summer at the tender age of 20
years.
This bipartisan bill, which I lead with Congresswoman Van
Duyne, honors his courage and advances the reforms he fought
for. It would direct Health Resources and Services
Administration, HRSA, with input from Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, CDC, to lead a national public
education effort to recognize early warning signs and
understand the options, like living liver donations, which are
critical.
It also would require Government Accountability Office to
review the pediatric liver wait list outcomes and value the
adding of liver screening to the state of newborn screening
panels. This would use existing resources at the Department of
Health and Human Services. That is the first piece of
legislation named appropriately after this young intern, who
had so much inspiration and hope.
The second piece of legislation, H.R. 2106, expands the
Medical Education Act. The Medical Education Act responds to
physician shortages that we have throughout our country in
underserved areas. All the members, I suspect, of this
committee have challenges in their own constituencies with a
shortage of physicians, especially in our rural and underserved
areas.
The San Joaquin Valley, one of those areas, has the lowest
supply of doctors in California, where we have 47 doctors per
100,000 residents. That is way below the national average. This
bill would provide grants through Health Resources and Services
Administration, HRSA, to help establish and expand medical
schools in underserved communities and areas where there is no
medical school and a minority serving institutions so we can
train more doctors where we need them and where they are more
likely to stay. We are in that process of establishing a new
medical school in the San Joaquin Valley for that very reason.
The last measure, H.R. 1189, the National Plan for Epilepsy
Act, is another bipartisan piece of legislation, a plan for
epilepsy, which I lead with Congress Member Greg Murphy--who he
and his family have had their own experiences with epilepsy, as
many of us know family and friends. This responds to a
condition that affects 3.4 million Americans. For too many
patients, current treatments do not work, and the Federal
response is fragmented. This would attempt to correct that.
The bill would direct the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to create and maintain a coordinated national plan for
epilepsy guided by a national epilepsy advisory council that
brings together Federal agencies, clinicians, researchers,
advocates, and people living with epilepsy to set goals, track
progress, and get the most out of every Federal dollar, which I
think we all share in common for preventive healthcare
maintenance, which is really what these three pieces of
legislation are all about.
Let me close by saying the three efforts have a common
purpose: To give every family a fair shot, whether that is
living with cancer detection, being able to see a doctor close
to home, or living with epilepsy in hopes of having better
care.
Mr. Chairman, I also submitted separate written testimony
to support H.R. 1395, the CURD Act, with the attached IDFA
letter of support. I would respectfully ask that it be included
in the record with unanimous consent as a part of today's
proceedings.
That is my presentation, Mr. Chairman. Members of the
committee, thank you for your good work, and certainly would
appreciate your support on all these pieces of legislation.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Costa follows:]
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Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Without objection, so ordered for
the inclusion.
[The information appears at the conclusion of the hearing.]
Mr. Guthrie. And, Representative Tokuda, I said I have been
to all States. You were my 50th State. And I went to the 49th,
Representative Salinas, and you were my 50th, so beautiful
places.
So, Representative Tokuda, you are recognized for--Tokuda,
I am sorry--5 minutes for opening statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. JILL N. TOKUDA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF HAWAII
Ms. Tokuda. Thank you. Aloha, Mr. Chair, Mrs. Fletcher,
members of the committee. Thank you for hosting this Member Day
hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
As the colead of the bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, my
colead Diana Harshbarger serves on this committee. I saw her a
little bit. I can tell you that rural America is at a breaking
point. From Hawaii's neighbor islands to small towns across the
country, families are driving hours for basic care, clinics are
shuttering, and providers are stretched past their limits.
When a rural hospital closes, as we know, it isn't just a
healthcare loss. It literally guts an entire local economy,
drives families away, and threatens the future of their
communities. Rural healthcare for us is not an option, it is
absolutely essential. It is the infrastructure that keeps rural
America alive, and our communities, quite frankly, cannot wait
any longer. We need action that reflects the urgency and scale
of the crisis before us. That starts with the people, to me, on
the front lines that show up for everyday Americans in rural
America.
This week, I introduced the bipartisan CARE for First
Responders Act to expand access to specialized support for
EMTs, firefighters, law enforcement officers, 9-1-1
dispatchers, and others who are often the only responders
available in rural America and across the country during
emergencies. In rural communities, they are on the front lines
and sometimes they are the only lines of help. If we fail to
take care of those who take care of us, rural healthcare
collapses before the patient even gets to a hospital.
We also need to give rural providers the flexibility to
actually serve their communities. The rural health clinic
burden reduction package, which I co-introduced with Tracey
Mann of Kansas, removes outdated restrictions, modernizes
supervision rules to reflect today's scope-of-practice
standards, and empowers clinics to offer the full range of
primary and behavioral health services. These reforms mean
faster care, broader access, and fewer families forced to leave
home just to see a provider.
You know, in Hawaii, distance is a barrier in itself, where
a routine appointment can sometimes mean taking an airplane to
get to where you need to go.
My PATCH Act corrects chronic Medicare underpayments, so
providers are compensated fairly. And my Ensuring Outpatient
Quality for Rural States Act, co-led by Nick Begich, gives CMS
the authority to account for the higher cost of care in remote
States like Hawaii and Alaska. If we don't fix the formula, we
will continue losing providers faster than we can recruit them.
We must also protect the programs that are holding rural
healthcare together today. Many of the HHS extenders advanced
by this committee are set to expire next month. Letting them
lapse would be absolutely devastating, an avoidable blow that
would accelerate clinic closures and deepen shortages. That is
why I colead with Carol Miller of West Virginia the bipartisan
reauthorization of the Rural Residency Planning and Development
Act, the single most effective tool we have to train, recruit,
and retain rural providers.
And none of this works, to me, without telehealth. Rural
patients cannot afford uncertainty about virtual or audio-only
care. I colead the HEALTH Act with G.T. Thompson to make these
authorities permanent for FQHCs and rural health clinics so
that distance never determines whether a patient can be
treated. Whether they live on a remote island, up a mountain
road, or hours from the nearest doctors, they deserve care.
Now, I know these bills won't solve every challenge that we
face, but together they move us toward a system where every
American, no matter their ZIP code, can get the care they need
when they need it. If we want rural communities to survive, let
alone thrive, we must fight for the hospitals, for the clinics
and providers that literally keep them alive. We must invest in
local care, strengthen the workforce rooted in these
communities, fix payment and equities, and ensure no family is
forced to choose between groceries, rent, or lifesaving
treatment.
Rural healthcare is in a state of national emergency, and
with your partnership, with your effort, your work, and your
commitment, we can finally bring stability, dignity, and that
long-needed access to the Americans who have waited too long.
Mahalo for this opportunity to speak with you today. I look
forward to working with all of you to pass this much-needed
legislation. And, again, at any time, please come to Hawaii. It
is great for your health.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Tokuda follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. It is stunningly beautiful.
And I have cousins in Albuquerque. My uncle had asthma, and
they had to move west in the late 1960s, and so Jim and Dave.
Jim, he is in the racing scene there. He raced in----
Ms. Stansbury. Oh, amazing.
Mr. Guthrie [continuing]. A few Indy 500s. So,
Representative Stansbury, you are recognized for 5 minutes. And
I learned to appreciate Christmas chiles there.
Ms. Stansbury. Oh, wonderful. We will get you some chile.
Mr. Guthrie. OK. Good. You are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. MELANIE A. STANSBURY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO
Ms. Stansbury. Thank you so much, Chairman, Ranking Member,
and members of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I am really
honored to be able to appear today to talk about the priorities
for New Mexico and for the communities that I represent. And I
also want to say thank you for your commitment to
bipartisanship and to advancing the issues that are important
to the American people.
I am going to outline three broad areas that we have a
number of bipartisan bills that we are working to try to get
passed through this committee, and the priorities that are very
important to New Mexico. The first is ensuring high-quality
healthcare and behavioral health to our communities; the second
is around energy and affordability, and to ensure that every
person has access to affordable energy and that their homes are
warm and safe; and the third is around cleaning up
environmental issues, especially in our Tribal communities.
So healthcare, of course, is the big one. I want to thank
this committee for your work to expand access to healthcare. We
have a whole slew of bipartisan legislation before this
committee to address healthcare. But let me be clear, like
others have been in their opening statements, that we know
healthcare is in crisis, particularly in New Mexico, where many
of our communities struggle to access care.
In the short term, we believe that that means extending the
Affordable Care Act to ensure that our communities do not face
a fiscal crisis. As we know, on January 1, their health
insurance will skyrocket.
In the medium term, it means fixing a broken system;
investing in healthcare providers and the pipeline for
practitioners, especially in rural and Tribal areas; lowering
costs of prescription drugs; bolstering the Indian Health
Service; and addressing the fentanyl and addiction crisis that
is ravaging our communities.
And over the long term, I believe it means moving towards a
universal care system, because I believe healthcare is a human
right.
Let me talk about some of the bills that we have before the
committee that we believe will help to advance these.
The first is a Public Health Nursing Act that would
dramatically increase the number of nurses working in the
public health workforce by funding recruitment, training, and
support for public health nurses.
The second is an Indian Health Service Provider Expansion
Act. This is legislation to create a pipeline for individuals
who are interested in serving in Tribal communities to end up
in the Indian Health Service.
Under the rubric of health costs, obviously, we need to
lower drug costs, and so I am proud to cosponsor legislation by
Ranking Member Pallone to do that.
Also, similar to my colleague to my right, addressing
connectivity and rural health through telehealth is vital, and
so I am proud to carry H.R. 6070, which is the Community
Connect Grant Program.
And also, in New Mexico, because we have a high number of
individuals who are on Medicaid and Medicare, addressing the
reimbursement rates of our practitioners is vital. I am
currently carrying a bipartisan bill that I worked on with Mr.
Burgess to expand the reimbursement rates for Medicare, and we
would like to work with the committee to address Medicaid
reimbursement rates as well.
Under the rubric of behavioral health, I have bipartisan
legislation and am a member of the bipartisan Fentanyl Caucus
to try to stop the influx of fentanyl into our communities by
regulating the manufacturing of fentanyl bills to make--pills--
excuse me, I have a head cold right now--coming into our
communities, and we ask for your support.
I also have a large body of legislation around energy and
ask for the committee's consideration of a number of bills that
are ultimately designed to lower the costs for our communities.
I am in support of Representative Castor's bill to revoke
the Executive orders that the President has put forward that
are advancing soon-to-be outdated forms of energy at the
expense of cheaper and cleaner energy sources, as well as
Representative Tonko's Weatherization Act, which is vital for
New Mexico because so many of our low-income families rely on
extra support to heat their homes and to upgrade their
appliances.
Finally, we have a crisis across our communities of
contamination at Superfund sites across Tribal communities, and
in many cases this is the result of Federal activities,
including Federal supported mining activities like uranium
mining, as well as the dropping of munitions. We are working
across all agencies' jurisdictions to address these issues and
would love to work with this committee to address them through
CERCLA.
So with that, Mr. Chairman, I know it is a lot and a
mouthful, but I appreciate your support, and thank you for the
opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Stansbury follows:]
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Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Thank you for being here.
Representative Salinas, you are recognized for 5 minutes
for your opening statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. ANDREA SALINAS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF OREGON
Ms. Salinas. Well, thank you, Chair Guthrie and members of
the committee, for holding this Member Day. I am here to
present my bipartisan bill H.R. 5557, the Mental Health
Services for Students Act.
Our children and young people are really struggling today.
The United States is in the midst of a mental health crisis,
and our youth are really bearing the brunt of this. Last year,
over 20 percent of children age 12 to 17 reported at least one
major depressive episode in the preceding year. And 15 percent
of youth who experienced a major depressive episode reported
that their ability to function at work, school, and home was
impacted. In 2023, more than 20 percent of high school students
seriously considered attempting suicide. That is one in five.
That is not OK, and I know that is not OK to every single
member of this committee.
As cochair of the bipartisan Congressional Mental Health
Caucus, I have spent a lot of time engaging with families,
children, and providers to understand exactly what it is that
our children need to thrive. This past May, the Mental Health
Caucus hosted a roundtable with children and young people from
across the country to hear their frustrations with mental
health services that don't truly meet their needs. And they
were very articulate. They knew the ins and outs of our
systems.
There is no great mystery about what it takes to help these
children. It is quite simple: They need resources, and they
need those resources to meet them where they are, in their
schools. Currently, over half of our public schools nationwide
report struggling to provide adequate mental health services to
their students, and things will likely only get worse. The next
decade will bring half a trillion dollars in Medicaid cuts, as
well as cuts to the Department of Education and Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA. We are going
in the wrong direction toward meeting the needs of our students
and children.
The Mental Health Services for Students Act helps move us
in the right direction. It will help get providers into schools
proactively, help students build resiliency, and equip them
with the tools they need to thrive throughout their life, put
us on the right path to meet this mental health crisis head on,
and hopefully actually reduce the next generation of substance
abuse and mental health crises.
More specifically, my legislation expands SAMHSA's Project
AWARE program. Project AWARE, or Advancing Wellness and
Resiliency in Education program, develops sustainable
infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and
services.
Project AWARE focuses on three tiers of mental health
funding.
First, the program prioritizes universal prevention and
mental health promotion to keep kids healthy and give them the
tools to manage life's ups and downs. This is no different than
how we promote healthy eating and exercise to mitigate chronic
disease, so for those who are already well.
Second, Project AWARE devotes funding to intervention
services through school-based screenings to identify those who
are at risk and provide services to youth experiencing
distress, trauma, bereavement, or other issues.
And, finally, the program focuses on children who are
already exhibiting mental health and substance use disorders.
So it ensures that they have the right supports to get on the
path of recovery.
And we know that Project AWARE is effective. In fact, my
friend Representative Grace Napolitano advocated for
nationalizing and expanding Project AWARE during her time here
in Congress, because this program has been working in Los
Angeles and in her district since 2001. The youth suicide
prevention program serves 35 schools in the L.A. area and has
proved tremendously successful in helping students overcome
mental health issues.
In Oregon, we have invested $5.4 million into the community
care development project, and we have seen similar success. It
is time to expand on the success of programs so students can
benefit and families can too. Investing in our children is the
healthy and fiscally right choice. That is why, so far, this
bill has garnered over 60 bipartisan cosponsors and counting.
In the 118th Congress, Congresswoman Napolitano introduced this
legislation with 130 bipartisan cosponsors. In the 117th
Congress, this bill actually passed the House floor twice, once
as a standalone bill and once as part of the Restoring Hope for
Mental Well-Being Act. This bill also enjoys support from
countless mental health and education associations.
It is clear that healthy children who have the tools to
care for their mental and physical health become high-
functioning, independent adults and lead the next generation in
similar behaviors. This bill gives them the tools, which is why
I ask this committee to work with me to advance this bill.
Thank you so much for your time.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Salinas follows:]
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Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Appreciate your testimony.
Representative Onder, you are recognized for 5 minutes for
your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT F. ONDER, Jr., A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MISSOURI
Mr. Onder. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie, Vice Ranking Member
Fletcher, for the opportunity to testify today on two
commonsense measures that I believe would meaningfully reduce
costs and improve peace of mind for American families.
As a physician, I have witnessed firsthand the financial
strain that surprise medical bills place on patients. The No
Surprises Act, which was enacted during President Trump's first
term, banned the practice of surprise medical billing, which is
when patients unknowingly receive out-of-network care and are
left with unexpected medical bills. While the law established
penalties for providers who improperly balance bill patients,
it did not establish parallel penalties for insurers. And over
the past few years, insurers have abused this imbalance.
Bloomberg reported earlier this year that after the
arbitration process set up by the No Surprises Act, some
insurers are sending an updated medical bill to patients to
make up the difference. We have even seen insurers refuse to
cover out-of-network services altogether, including childbirth
anesthesia and neonatal resuscitation, even though under the
law patients should only pay what they would owe if the
provider were in network.
Insurers that violate the No Surprises Act should face
analogous penalties to those faced by providers. That is why my
friend Greg Murphy filed this bill, H.R. 9710, and I am proud
to be a colead. The No Surprises Enforcement Act applies the
same penalties currently applying to providers to insurers who
break the law, and I am excited to close this critical loophole
and protect patients.
The committee also has before it several proposals that
would make healthcare more affordable, and I am happy to say
H.R. 4710 is one of them, and I urge its passage.
Another issue of significant concern to families and
businesses in my district is access to affordable and reliable
energy. That is why I strongly support H.R. 3699, the Energy
Choice Act. The bill is simple: It prevents State and local
governments from restricting or banning energy services based
on the type of energy being used. It stops heavyhanded mandates
that would eliminate affordable energy options for working
families. It ensures that Americans, not bureaucrats, decide
how to heat their homes, cook their meals, and power their
small businesses.
Missouri's Third Congressional District, which I represent,
is home to one of the most diverse and reliable energy
portfolios in the country, including the State's only nuclear
power plant, strong hydropower resources, abundant natural gas,
and affordable coal power. This balanced mix has created
something that is increasingly rare: energy costs that are 30
percent below the national average while still ensuring
excellent reliability. This affordable and dependable energy
supply is a key reason why manufacturing continues to grow in
our region and why national companies continue to invest in our
communities.
But all of this is at risk when government tries to ban
traditional energy sources or enforce a one-size-fits-all
electrification mandate. These top-down policies might be
popular in some cities, but they don't make sense for rural and
suburban America, which I represent. In Missouri, these
mandates would raise costs, strain our grid, and penalize hard-
working families. An electric-only requirement doesn't make a
home more modern, it makes it more expensive.
As Congress works to strengthen American energy
independence, H.R. 3699 should be part of that effort. It
supports consumers, safeguards local businesses, and makes sure
that communities like mine can keep building on our strong,
diverse energy foundation. Missouri's Third District is ready
to lead in energy production, manufacturing, and economic
growth, but we can only succeed if families and employers have
access to affordable energy.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to appear before
your committee. I look forward to working with the committee on
these issues that matter deeply to the families I represent.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Onder follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Thank you for your opening
statement. Are there any questions?
Do you have any questions?
Mrs. Fletcher. No.
Mr. Guthrie. Any questions on this side?
Seeing no questions, thank you so much for taking the time
to present to our committee. We appreciate it very much.
And we will call up the next panel. We have Representative
Rivas, Ciscomani, Representative Davis, Cleaver, and Wasserman
Schultz.
[Recess.]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you all for being here today. We would
like to thank you for being here, and we will give--each one
will have 5 minutes for their statement.
We will begin with Representative Rivas. You are recognized
for 5 minutes. Thank you for being before our committee today.
STATEMENT OF HON. LUZ M. RIVAS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Ms. Rivas. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member
Pallone and committee members, for hosting today's Member Day
hearing. My name is Luz Rivas. I am an electrical engineer,
STEM educator, and nonprofit leader, but, of course, my most
meaningful job is representing the district I was born in and
grew up in, California's 29th Congressional District, the
district once represented by former Energy and Commerce Member
Tony Cardenas, and the one we both call home is in the San
Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is home to hospitals, a
pipeline of a young, diverse technological workforce, and
energy facilities.
However, for too long communities like mine have been
forgotten. We have been forced to store the debris and waste
from polluters. We have been forced to witness firsthand how
polluters put corporate profits over people. This has impacted
my neighborhood's access to clean air and safe drinking water.
It has led to many of my constituents living with generational
health problems at disproportionately higher rates than the
surrounding areas, including higher rates of asthma and other
respiratory diseases.
This administration wants to empower polluters to continue
using our backyards as their playgrounds with no consequences.
I refuse to let that happen. I am here in Congress because
communities like mine deserve a voice and someone who will
fight for them against this administration's polluter-first
agenda.
Next week, I will be introducing legislation to ensure that
we have the data and tools needed to identify
disproportionately burdened communities and prioritize
resources accordingly. My Environmental Justice Screening Tool
Act will be an important resource in helping communities
impacted by environmental, climate change, human health, and
economic factors. This legislation will help make sure that the
Federal Government can properly and equitably prioritize
funding to environmental justice communities like mine.
I hope to continue working with the committee on the key
issues that are impacting environmental justice like those in
the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.
I also hope to continue working with this committee on
another issue that has been increasingly important not just in
the San Fernando Valley but across the country, and that is
artificial intelligence. Through my experience as an engineer,
I have seen how STEM and technology evolves at an unprecedented
speed, and this includes AI. AI is here, and it is quickly
reshaping how we work, how we learn, and how we communicate. At
the rate at which AI and other emerging technologies evolve, we
cannot afford to wait before any action is taken.
That is why I was particularly concerned around the
continued efforts by the majority and the Trump administration
on enacting an AI moratorium that would limit States' ability
to regulate AI. These attempts would have prevented States from
writing or enacting their own AI laws for 10 years. House
Republicans' 10-year AI moratorium provision would leave us
unprepared to tackle these challenges as they arise.
I am proud to have worked with this committee to lead
efforts on the House side to remove the AI moratorium here from
H.R. 1 and continued partnership with committee Democratic
leaders on recent efforts.
As someone with a STEM background in Congress, and
alongside Rep. Neal Dunn, I also serve as cochair of the STEM
Education Caucus. As technology continues to grow, I hope to
work with the committee to ensure that all communities have
access to this technology but also the ability to learn how to
effectively use it starting at a young age.
We have a prime opportunity to make sure our future
workforce is prepared to work with AI and other emerging
technologies. We have a duty to empower communities across the
country with the tools that they need to work with AI in a
safe, responsible, and ethical way. By understanding how AI has
evolved and is expected to evolve, we can be better prepared to
embrace the opportunities that AI presents and address the
challenges that can and will arise in the future.
We need to make sure that the United States remains a
leader in innovation for generations to come. Thank you, and I
look forward to working with Members of the Energy and Commerce
Committee this Congress to increase access to technology and
improve the environment and well-being of our constituents.
Thank you, and I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Rivas follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you, Representative Rivas.
Representative Ciscomani, you are recognized for 5 minutes
for your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. JUAN CISCOMANI, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF ARIZONA
Mr. Ciscomani. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I come here to
briefly testify in support of two different bills and will
begin with my own.
First, I want to take this opportunity to highlight my
bipartisan bill, H.R. 1598, the Ensuring Access to Medicaid
Buy-in Programs Act. Since coming to Congress, I have made it a
priority to advance policies that benefit individuals who have
disabilities. No working adult with a disability or other such
barrier to employment should ever have to choose between
earning a paycheck and keeping the essential healthcare
benefits they rely on.
By lifting the age limit for Medicaid buy-in programs, we
can ensure that individuals with disabilities over the age of
65, who depend on these programs, can continue to work, if they
choose, while also maintaining the vital Medicaid benefits that
they need. This legislation closes the gap in benefits and will
allow these individuals to stay in the workforce, contribute to
and also engage with their own communities, and receive a
paycheck while receiving the benefits that they also deserve.
Last Congress, this bill passed unanimously, and I look
forward to working with you to do that again this Congress.
Thank you.
Now, the second bill I want to come and voice here is in
support of H.R. 2902, the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform, or
SOAR, Act. In beautiful and sunny Arizona, we have people from
all over the country who choose to live, work, and retire,
especially due to the weather and air quality necessary for the
nearly 60,000 patients in Arizona who have cardiac or lung
conditions.
Currently, too many of these individuals do not have access
to the types of supplemental oxygen they need to sustain an
adequate quality of life. They have to plan each day around
outdated oxygen systems that often keep them homebound and out
of their community. This bill will help continue to provide
access to supplemental oxygen for these individuals by ensuring
Medicare takes a patientcentric approach that they receive
support from respiratory therapists while also reforming
coverage to ensuring access to products and services like
liquid oxygen.
I am proud to cosponsor this legislation, thankful also for
my colleague Representative David Valadao for leading this
effort.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Ciscomani follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony.
Representative Davis, you are recognized for 5 minutes for
your opening statement--or statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. DONALD G. DAVIS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Davis. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, Chairman Guthrie,
also to the Ranking Member Pallone and to the Vice Ranking
Member Fletcher, for allowing me to speak on the issues that
are important to eastern North Carolina.
Healthcare has been one of my highest priorities. While
H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, included some
provisions I personally supported, it also included $1 trillion
of cuts in Medicaid over the next decade. North Carolina,
especially our rural communities, where one hospital has closed
since the last time I testified before you, will bear the brunt
of all of this.
Passing my top healthcare priority is H.R. 4277, the Rural
Emergency Hospital Financial Stability Act, and this is vital.
Congress passed legislation authorizing the REH model to stem
the tide of hospital closures. Still, adoption has been slow
because regulatory agencies are preventing Medicaid from paying
for services in the way that Congress intended. Without proper
Medicaid reimbursement, the REH model is simply ineffective.
Your committee can help by passing our bipartisan bill,
H.R. 4277, the Rural Emergency Hospital Financial Stability
Act, which would increase the Medicaid reimbursement rate for
REHs to the outpatient hospital level from the health clinic
level.
Beyond championing the cause of rural hospitals, we must
also bring down drug prices for patients as rising costs
persist. H.R. 1244, the Reducing Drug Prices for Seniors Act,
ensures coinsurance rates are tied to the net price of a drug
rather than its list price, creating parity and lower out-of-
pocket expenses for Medicare recipients.
We must also preserve access to drugs covered by Medicare
for future generations. Part of the effort to do so includes
H.R. 1492, the EPIC Act, and H.R. 1672, the Maintaining
Investments in New Innovations Act. While the RA included many
important policies that lower patient costs, it unfairly
penalized small-molecule therapies, which often come in the
form of capsule or tablets. Patients prefer pills and tablets,
which are easier than injections. By removing artificial
government disincentives against small-molecule therapies
developed with genetically targeted technology, the MINI Act
keeps cutting-edge treatments available for those who need them
most at low cost.
I would urge the committee to take up H.R. 2707, the
Protecting American Families and Servicemembers from Anthrax
Act, legislation to preserve a national stockpile of anthrax
countermeasures. Anthrax remains the single most dangerous
biological threat to the American people, and our adversaries
are working overtime to manufacture it, so we must act to
prevent the worst-case scenario.
Next, North Carolina's First Congressional District would
benefit significantly from commonsense, bipartisan permitting
reform. As broadband and energy demands increase, we need to
change from the status quo. Since I entered Congress, one of my
top priorities has been expanding broadband and improving
affordability. Much of eastern North Carolina is rural and has
significant infrastructure needs. Broadband will significantly
improve the lives of families and businesses across eastern
North Carolina.
For energy, our communities care about reliability and
affordability. Any reduction in reliability only puts seniors
and children at risk of blackouts, leaving them to face
grueling heat waves or frigid cold spells. We will not meet the
growing energy demand in eastern North Carolina across the
State or across this country without permitting reform. We need
more energy generation sources online and connected to the
grid.
The committee must pursue an all-around energy approach. A
combination of traditional and renewable energy sources paired
with timely permits is necessary. We must deliver energy
independence, reduce energy costs, and increase reliability. To
achieve these goals, we must ensure broadband and energy
projects are completed by bringing rural communities online and
reduce their utility cost.
To that end, I urge the committee to pursue true
commonsense policies across healthcare and permitting reform
that can improve the lives of eastern North Carolinians and the
American people.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Davis follows:]
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Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Thank you for your statement.
And, Representative Cleaver, you are recognized for 5
minutes for your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF MISSOURI
Mr. Cleaver. Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie, and
Ranking Member Pallone in absentia, and Mrs. Fletcher here in
person. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today about a
major priority for my congressional district. And to be sure,
it should be a priority for the entire Nation.
In 2022, when Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act,
one of the most exciting provisions for myself and the members
of my community was the $7 billion investment to expand the
deployment of solar energy for working families. My excitement
was high, because with those dollars we could respond to the
fact that energy prices, particularly electricity, are
increasing significantly across the U.S. due to natural gas
costs, grid upgrades, inflation, and extreme weather.
This program, known as Solar for All, would have lowered
electricity bills, created thousands of good-paying jobs,
bolstered American manufacturing, and strengthened our electric
grid. The EPA projected that it would bring solar energy to
900,000 households and save Americans an estimated $350 million
every year on energy costs at a time when families are
struggling to keep up with rising utility bills, including
electric prices that have climbed more than twice as fast as
inflation.
This investment in residential solar would have provided
meaningful relief to my constituents and families across the
country. And that is why I was so offended that, without
communicating with Congress, the administration captured all of
those funds that were approved by the Article I institution and
signed into law by the President. And the impact would have
been felt most by low-income and disadvantaged households, who
have been most affected by soaring energy costs and are often
the first to face consequences of environmental degradation.
In my community, back in Missouri, people don't see
investments like this as a Republican issue or a Democratic
issue. The people that I talk to in western Missouri see
investments in their communities and don't think about
politics. I have not once heard a Kansas Cityian or someone
from Independence say, ``Well, that is a Democratic bridge'' or
``That is a Republican road.'' To my constituents, whom I have
also served 8 years as mayor, infrastructure is above politics.
A newly paved road is simply a safer way to get to work. A
repaired bridge is a lifeline to small businesses in
communities like Marshall, Missouri. And a solar farm means
lower electricity cost for all of us. I would expect any
lawmaker in my seat to try to bring money back home to invest
in our communities regardless of partisan label.
And to be clear, these investments were supporting families
and workers in States like Missouri and Mississippi just as
much as they were in States like New York or New Jersey, which
is why I am imploring this committee to remove the partisanship
from this system so that we can do policymaking. And that is
why I am also encouraging this committee to revive the Solar
for All program that will bring tremendous benefits to all our
communities.
When Missouri was designated to receive $156 million to
deliver residential solar energy across our great State, my
district quickly jumped into gear to figure out how to best
take advantage of the Federal investment we expected and
planned. Investments like this excited our labor community, the
business community, and everybody in between because they bring
benefits to families, workers, small businesses, and all of the
above. They lower costs, boost wages, generate economic
activity, and make our communities healthier by combating
pollution.
When the news broke that these promised investments were
being revoked, we were all deeply disappointed, but I refuse to
give up on these communities and the benefits they were set to
receive. As this committee continues to organize the priorities
that will consume your attention in the coming year, I
encourage you, please, to reauthorize and restore the Solar for
All program as well as the investments that were taken from
communities like mine.
Comedian George Carlin said that electricity was no more
than organized lightning, but lightning has become extremely
expensive.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Cleaver follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. What did George Carlin say 67 percent of all
statistics are made up? He did say that. Whatever number you
want to use there, right.
Well, thank you for your testimony. I don't hear many
people quote George Carlin, so that is good.
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, you are recognized
for 5 minutes for your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to the
ranking member, Congresswoman Fletcher, for this chance to
present two critical bills that will continue to keep young
people safer from two major public health threats: Breast
cancer and drowning.
First is H.R. 4541, the bipartisan EARLY Act, co-led by
Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, because the timing is urgent. Right
now, securing quality, affordable healthcare may soon be priced
out of reach for millions of Americans, and for women that
access is vital, especially because breast cancer more than any
other form of this deadly disease always lurks as a threat in
our lives. One in eight of us will get it, and 42,000 will
likely lose their lives from it this year.
But the earlier it is caught, the more women will survive.
I and millions of other women have heard those devastating
words that no one wants to hear: ``You have breast cancer.'' My
journey to survivorship inspired me to write a more hopeful
chapter for the millions of us who will hear those chilling
words, and we know what works.
In 2010, the EARLY Act became law and has helped thousands
of young women since to pay attention to their breast health
and to catch breast cancer early. We know that early detection
and treatment saves lives, and that starts with education and
awareness. This is especially true for younger women in ethnic
and racial populations, who more often face aggressive forms of
breast cancer or are more likely to catch it later.
For instance, Black women are 40 percent more likely to die
from breast cancer than White women. But breast cancer has a 99
percent survival rate if it is caught in its early, localized
stages. Yet that number dips to 31 percent when the cancer
spreads to our lung, liver, or bones. And this is where the
EARLY Act played such a critical role.
My own journey speaks to this early detection urgency. I
was diagnosed with breast cancer and the BRCA 2 genetic
mutation at age 41. After 15 months of surgeries, I have been
cancer free for 18 years now, and finding--thank you--and
finding it early saved--I can't say that without a smile--and
finding it early saved my life. Discovering our family's BRCA 2
mutation may also prove to be lifesaving for my daughters as
well.
But millions of young women need those early detection and
awareness tools, and reauthorizing the breast cancer Education
and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or the EARLY Act,
delivers that. It has consistently been reauthorized since it
became law, and it is central to a larger strategy to save
lives. One is to ensure that all of us can access quality,
affordable care, but we also need to ensure that all women know
the threats, warning signs, and available resources that they
have to battle breast cancer.
That is what the EARLY Act does. It centers around vital
programs handled by the Centers for Disease Control, or the
CDC. One component is the Bring Your Brave campaign, which
amplifies stories that raise awareness of breast cancer in
young women between the ages of 18 and 44 and encourages them
to understand their risk and the signs and symptoms, which are
different for younger women very often.
The EARLY Act also funds the Young Breast Cancer Survivors
Program, which provides grants to nonprofits aimed at
delivering supportive services and resources to increase
patient survival and improve their quality of life.
So I would love this committee's support to reauthorize the
EARLY Act to help ensure these resources continue, because
breast cancer in young women has been rising, and this law is
needed now more than ever.
Next, I would appreciate the committee's help on H.R. 4751,
my bipartisan Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety
Reauthorization Act. This law has also been consistently
reauthorized, and I am joined by Miller-Meeks and Judge Carter
as my lead cosponsors.
Drownings and near-drownings in pools and spas pose a
significant public health risk, and they remain the leading
cause of unintentional death for children age 1 to 4. In my
home State of Florida, we are on pace to set a tragic record
for drownings in 2025, but with increased education and the
added layers of protection in the VGB law, we can reverse that
and keep more innocent children safe.
This law does that by helping to decrease drowning through
sensible outreach, education, and prudent precautions, and it
is done through three principle elements carried out by the
Consumer Product Safety Commission.
First, it requires every public pool to install safe drain
covers that prevent suction entrapment. Since VGB became law in
2007, there has not been a single suction drain entrapment
death anywhere in the U.S.
Second, it includes a grant program to incentivize States,
municipalities, and Indian Tribes to adopt their own pool and
spa safety laws and education efforts.
Third, it includes pool safety, a national education
campaign to raise awareness about drowning prevention.
Working together, all of these efforts prevent families
from ever suffering one of the worst tragedies imaginable, and
that is what both bills do. They add layers of education and
prevention to keep all of our families safer and cancer free. I
hope you will join me, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, in
making that possible.
Thank you again for the committee's time and consideration.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Wasserman Schultz follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you.
Now we have time for questions, and I will just start. I am
not going to do 5 minutes. I just want to comment, thanks for
your courage and what you have done to--I know you often talk
to me on the floor of the House about these issues. I know it
is passionate. And my guess is when you showed up to Congress
you didn't think this was going to be your number-one issue,
but life changes things and making it where it is going to help
others, and we are interested in your legislation that--all of
your legislation we have talked about. I know we specifically
talked about yours, and we are very interested.
Does anybody else have any comments or questions?
Representative Barragan, and then I will go--since I went
first, I will go Democrat and then Republican.
Representative Barragan.
Ms. Barragan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I just want to thank our witnesses for being here today,
and to do it on a fly-out day at that. I wish it wasn't on a
fly-out day so we could have the most participation, but I just
wanted to comment on a couple of areas, things that I heard.
I want to start with Luz Rivas. Ms. Rivas, thank you for
your work on AI, on STEM. We need more voices on STEM and those
in your background, so thanks for your work on that.
Mr. Davis, you said something that resonated with me. I am
somebody who I see needles and I am afraid instantly, and I
run. So when you say patients prefer pills over injections, I
couldn't agree with you more on that.
And, Mr. Cleaver, Solar for All is something that is near
and dear to me. My district is a majority district where you
have air pollution, where electricity prices are skyrocketing.
They continue to do so under this administration. This is a way
to lower cost for consumers directly in their pockets. It is
making sure they have access to programs like Solar for All to
bring electricity prices down. So thank you for your continued
advocacy. Know that I will continue to do that too as this
administration undoes programming that has been funded and
approved by this Congress.
And, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, for your ongoing commitment to
breast cancer awareness and fighting and early detection. We
all know it is a bipartisan effort, of course. It is done every
year, in the Congressional Softball Game as well. We should
follow through and making sure we are supporting that effort
with legislation.
So thank you all for your time and for being here and for
this opportunity.
With that, I yield back.
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you for yielding back. I will point out,
my friend is also a good baseball player too. She does both.
She does both.
So the gentleman from Alabama is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Palmer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Representative Wasserman Schultz, I really appreciate you
being here. I just wanted to point out something that was in
the Working Families Tax Cut bill: It is $50 billion for rural
healthcare. And while the frequency for breast cancer is lower
in rural areas, the mortality rate is considerably higher.
One of the things that I hope each of you will do when you
go back to your States is encourage your States to really focus
on early-detection mobile units for breast cancer detection and
other diagnostics, because it is absolutely critical for a lot
of women, particularly older women in rural areas. And, again,
I appreciate what you have done in this area. It is really
encouraging.
I yield back.
Mr. Guthrie. The gentleman yields back.
And no one else seeking recognition, so thank you to our
panel for being here.
I will let the committee members know, 10 minutes,
hopefully, to the second or close to the second from the time
the last vote is gaveled. So the call of the last vote, it
gives you 5 minutes to vote and get back here in 5 minutes. So
we will start 10 minutes after the last vote is called.
So we will recess until after votes.
[Recess.]
Mr. Guthrie. The committee will come to order.
I would like to thank all of our fellow Members for being
here today, all our colleagues for being here. And I will--so 5
minutes, everyone has 5 minutes to give their opening
statements.
So, Mr. Barrett, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. TOM BARRETT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN
Mr. Barrett. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
allowing me the opportunity to testify in front of your
committee today.
As we continue to work through this open enrollment period
for healthcare plans that so many Americans are facing,
millions are faced and being told again that their health
insurance premium costs are going to spike again next year.
Rising healthcare costs and our convoluted healthcare system
continue to put a real strain on hard-working families and
small businesses in Michigan, especially in the communities
that I represent here in Congress.
The bottom line is that Obamacare has failed Americans.
Excessive regulations, mandates, and other just inefficiencies
ignore the needs of patients and drive up costs.
The solution by some has been to throw more money at the
problem, most recently by subsidizing insurance companies with
oversized so-called tax credits that are checks under the guise
of the COVID-19 pandemic relief.I will remind your committee,
sir, that, you know, the COVID-19 pandemic was almost 6 years
ago now.
Despite its name, these are not real tax credits. They
don't go to patients but instead flow directly to the big
health insurance companies.
COVID is long over, thankfully, and a blanket extension of
these subsidies is not the answer, especially since rampant
waste, fraud, and abuse has been continued to be uncovered.
Right now, high-income households earning more than a half
a million dollars a year are eligible to benefit from COVID-era
tax subsidies going to insurance companies. And perhaps most
troubling of all, the Government Accountability Office, our own
internal auditing arm of the Federal Government, set up fake
health insurance accounts to test fraud prevention in this
program. All but two of those fake accounts received taxpayer
subsidized coverage through the premium tax credits, showing
just how bad this problem is.
It explains how 12 million Obamacare enrollees have never
filed a claim against their insurance plans just last year
alone. This means 12 million healthcare plans were never used,
yet the health insurance companies pocketed more than $35
billion in subsidies anyway, and those costs continue to rise.
Premiums for Obamacare coverage have also risen by 75
percent just since 2020. It is clear that insurance companies
have no incentive whatsoever to keep Obamacare costs low, prove
claims, mitigate fraud, or anything else when taxpayer
subsidies mean higher revenues for them, all while denying more
claims for ordinary ratepayers.
If things stay the way they are, coverage plans will
continue to offer poor care, patients will face higher copays
and narrower networks, and taxpayers will still be funding the
bill.
Obamacare, along with the COVID-era tax credits, represents
a deeply and fundamentally flawed approach to healthcare
policy. We are spending more on coverage than we are on actual
healthcare.
There is an urgent need for real reform and accountability
in our healthcare system. We must make significant reforms
along the way as we deliver healthcare in this country, and it
starts with both sides coming together with some honest
conversations about the problems we face. And we must explore
every avenue to restoring affordability in healthcare and not
just doing the same thing we have always done.
That means correcting the Obamacare medical loss ratios
that directly benefit the insurers but don't actually lower
premium costs. It means taking significant steps to mitigate
fraud in our healthcare system so those that are ineligible or
over income are not receiving taxpayer-funded benefits.
And it also means expanding access to accounts like FSAs
and HSAs, allowing those to be used to pay for premium costs
and empowering individuals to make the best decisions for
themselves and for their families. There are ways that we can
empower individuals to make decisions that are the appropriate
decision for them to make without the Government telling them
how to manage their own healthcare.
Time for action is now. We can't afford to wait any longer.
We can'tperpetuate the status quo that is a broken system, and
we can't continue down this unsustainable path.
Thank you, again, Mr. Chairman. And with that, I yield
back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Barrett follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Thank
you for your statement.
Representative Gluesenkamp Perez, you are recognized for 5
minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
Ms. Perez. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie, thank you Ranking
Member Pallone, for having me.
And I want to talk a little bit today about a subject that
will not surprise you: right to repair. It is one of the
primary reasons that I ran for office. And, you know, I ran an
auto repair machine shop with my husband before coming here,
and, you know, a lot of us feel in this country that we are
being turned into a class of permanent renters without the
agency to fix our own stuff, to be actual stewards of the
things that we rely on. And it is why I support the REPAIR Act,
that we own--and tort law going back to the 1400s affirms that,
when you buy something, you have the right to fix it and to
have the tools and the access.
And, you know, you often have, like, staff kind of help
prepare remarks and they kind of talk about how there are so
many mechanics willing and waiting, and that is true, but I
also want to urge that this is--there is a long tail effect
here. If we do not affirm that you are able to have your car
fixed or fix your car yourself or your tractor or your washing
machine, any of these things, you will see a slow and, you
know, hollowing out of the industry. You will see mechanics
choose--you know, younger mechanics choosing not to go into
this field because they have been so winnowed out of the
authorized dealership repair track.
And, you know, if you are a young mechanic and you are
thinking about how you are going to start a business, you are
going to--you are going to think about a neighborhood. You are
going to think about the rigs that are in a neighborhood or in
a community. You are not just going to try and make a living
serving Toyotas or Fords or whatever it is from the last 5
years. Those are always going to go to the dealership. And you
will see a real loss of agency in the trades.
The reason that so many young people today are seeing the
trades as a viable career path for, you know, having agency in
their lives is because they are able to work across many
manufacturers. And as we see this march towards, you know,
monopolies, duopolies, whatever it is, you are going to see
people choose to stay out of this, and that is why we need
action now. We cannot wait for this.
Which brings me a little bit into sort of a tangential
issue, which is, you know, we saw such a crisis with chips and
a real demand to have more chips, but we didn't ask ourselves
why--why the demand for chips has gone up so much.
Did anyone ask for a washing machine that plays
Tchaikovsky? They did not. My washing machine is from 1997.
Think about how much wealth that has created. The average
appliance today, I think the data is, like, life expectancy of
3 years.
And so do not turn the American country into a Nation of
beggars petitioning for their right to fix their own stuff.
Affirm that we are a Nation of people who make things, who are
skilled and believe in agency. Affirm the rights that we have
always had, because time is running out on this issue.
And I would also like to point out that when you only have
the manufacturer-approved dealerships and shops working on
these cars, there is no independent check on the material
quality. And I have seen, everyone who has touched a car can
tell you that, like, the gauge of wire on a wire harnessing is
shrinking and shrinking, and you are seeing more failures. And
without having independent shops having access to those
materials, to those vehicles, there is no outside check on
material quality and saying, ``Hey, look, I wouldn't buy that
car. I wouldn't keep going with this manufacturer because they
are shortchanging you on the actual physical material quality
of the car.''
And just to, you know--one thing that I think a lot of
Americans have affirmed is that headlights are too damn bright.
This is a serious problem. When you look at the old halogen
lights, like, they max out at around I think it is 600K lumens.
The new LEDs, it is like--they can go up to like 12,000 lumens.
They are blinding.
And not only that, but when I used to do--I used to be able
to do headlights for like--literally my cost for a light bulb
was 6 bucks, 4 bucks. Now these new--like, these new headlight
assemblies are like $1,200 repair, and it is nickel-and-diming
the middle class out of existence.
So not only do we need to affirm the right to repair, to
actually work on these and not just have--you know, be a part
swapper, but actually be able to repair.
And this is a serious environmental impact when we are not
able to actually get in. It is a serious risk to life and
safety when we are not able to see after another car has passed
us. You know, all these little clips are just failing and you
can't properly adjust them or they don't stay adjusted.
And for headlights, the standards have not changed since
before I was born. They have not changed since 1985. And it is
something that we all see. And I think part of the way that you
depolarize the Nation is by saying, actually, ``We are living
in the same water as you. We are going to address the issues
and prove our utility.''
So thank you for your time, thank you for your attention,
sincerely.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Perez follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Dunn [presiding]. And we thank you for your time too.
Representative Gluesenkamp Perez, I intend to address the panel
with you about your remarks after--in a very positive way, so
thank you.
Mr. Sorensen, you are recognized.
STATEMENT OF HON. ERIC SORENSEN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
Mr. Sorensen. Thank you very much to Chair Guthrie and
Ranking Member Pallone. It is an honor to testify before you
here today.
I am here today to speak on several commonsense bills that
I have introduced before the committee, legislation that lowers
costs, protects consumers, and improves the well-being of
families in my district and around the Nation.
In central and northwestern Illinois, there is one issue
that I hear about the most, and I actually learned about it
before I was in Congress by having a conversation with my
pharmacist. It is prescription drugs.
The pharmacist at my Jewel-Osco in Moline, Illinois, told
me many years ago that the worst part of her job is when a
senior citizen pushes back an orange pill bottle back to her
because they are too expensive. And it happens because of the
games that Big Pharma plays to keep generics out of the hands
of the people we serve.
My bill, the STOP GAMES Act, addresses that tactic. STOP
GAMES cracks down on citizen petitions that are filed not to
improve safety but just to delay competition. Often filed at
the last minute, these duplicative and unsupported petitions
stall the generic approval process for years, all the while,
keeping the prices high for those seniors at the Osco pharmacy,
but keeping, also, the profits high for the corporations.
STOP GAMES gives the FDA clear authority to quickly reject
petitions whose primary purpose is to delay. And my bill will
help put lower costs, life-saving medicines into patients'
hands at the pharmacy counter.
Affordability challenges extend well beyond healthcare.
Many families face impossible choices each month: to pay their
utility bill or to put food on the table. No one should have to
sacrifice their health or their stability just to keep their
tap water running. Access to clean, safe, and affordable water
is not a luxury, and it shouldn't be in this country. It is a
basic necessity for every household, every family in every
community.
My bipartisan Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program
Establishment Act, which we call LIHWAP, is a practical and
compassionate solution to ensure that essential water services
remain within reach to lower-income households.
Now, LIHWAP is modeled after the highly successful Low-
Income Household Energy Assistance Program, called LIHEAP,
which provides block grants to States to ensure low-income and
vulnerable populations never lose access to heating and cooling
services. And I will tell you, the weather back home: high
temperature of 5 degrees both days this weekend.
After its creation, LIHWAP in 2021 helped more than a
million households across the country, including 80,000
families in the Land of Lincoln. But LIHWAP was created as a
temporary program. Its funding expired in 2023. And so it ended
critical assistance even as families continue to struggle
today.
By helping families stay current on their bills, we reduce
the shutoffs, we prevent costly emergency interventions, and
support utilities in maintaining the infrastructure that we all
rely on.
And, of course, lowering costs isn't just about healthcare
and utilities. It is about protecting people from new threats
that drain their wallets.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Stephenson County,
Illinois, sheriff told me that scam robocallers and robotexts
are getting even more sophisticated. With artificial
intelligence, scammers have no limit to what they do to trick
seniors out of their savings.
I want to thank Ranking Member Pallone for your partnership
and your leadership on this issue. My bipartisan QUIET Act
would double the fines for AI-driven scams and require
disclosure when AI is used in a phone call.
Robocalls hit a 6-year high in 2025, so the time to act is
right now. I urge this committee to support the QUIET Act and
help protect families across Illinois and this great country.
The three bills that I discussed today--STOP GAMES, LIHWAP,
and QUIET--all reflect my commitment to lowering costs,
protecting consumers, and improving the lives of everyday
Americans. And we should be able to come together in this
committee from both sides of the aisle on all three of these
issues.
So thank you. I look forward to working with the committee
to advance these important solutions.
And I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Sorensen follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Dunn. Thank you very much for your comments, Mr.
Sorensen.
The Chair now recognizes Representative Vasquez for 5
minutes for his comments.
STATEMENT OF HON. GABE VASQUEZ, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO
Mr. Vasquez. Thank you, Chairman, thank you, Ranking Member
Pallone, for the opportunity to be before your committee today.
Today I want to talk about an issue that is incredibly
important to this country but also to many New Mexicans, and
that is patient debt. That is the ability to go to a doctor or
go to a hospital when you need to. When you are in your car,
when you are at home and you start to feel something that
doesn't feel right and you are scared to go to the doctor
because you know that the last time that you did that, bill
collectors were harassing you, perhaps you had a lien on your
home, or perhaps you left something untreated. That is a
reality for many, many New Mexicans and many Americans.
That shouldn't be it. Having healthcare in this country
shouldn't be a luxury. Nearly 23 million Americans have
crushing medical debt. More than 40 percent of adults in the
country are struggling with medical bills. The data is not just
figures on a stat sheet. It represents the pain and the stress
for millions of Americans that wake up every single day
wondering if they can afford to go to the doctor.
And so the burden of medical debt falls especially hard on
people with chronic illnesses, blue-collar workers, our rural
communities, our Native American communities, and families
already struggling to make ends meet.
Now, in New Mexico, medical debt is crushing us. At least
18 percent of our population currently faces medical debt,
averaging more than $2,000. Now, behind each of these numbers
is a human story. Mounting medical bills don't just drain a
household budget, they reshape the way that we live our lives.
Patients delay treatment because they fear another bill that
they can't pay.
Let me talk to you about this. When your credit score is
destroyed in this country, it limits your opportunity to buy a
house, to buy a new car, to do just about anything. And so when
you are forced to go through medical bankruptcy or have your
credit score ruined just because you chose to go to the doctor,
I don't believe that, as the wealthiest country in the world,
those are the situations that we have to face today.
So when this financial stress compounds with worsening
health in your daily life, you get trapped in a cycle. It
deepens inequity in this country, it erodes the stability of
entire communities. And you know what, this is when people turn
to more unhealthy ways as they cope with this stress. And so
too often these hardships persist when people do everything
right.
Even with insurance, the coverage is often too little. A
single hospital visit, an unexpected diagnosis, or ongoing
treatment for a chronic condition, can leave even insured
patients with the same debt as those without coverage. I know
this because the people in my family have gone through this:
deductibles, surprise bills, opaque pricing pushes from
hospitals that push families into crises.
This is why our current patchwork of protections falls
short. States like New Mexico have taken important steps, but
those protections can't reach everyone and enforcement is
uneven. Hospitals and debt collectors continue to pursue
patients who should be eligible for financial assistance.
Families continue to fall through the loopholes that leave them
vulnerable to aggressive and predatory billing practices.
And so despite the State's best efforts to protect
patients, including legislation at the State level to curb
aggressive collection practices, New Mexicans are targeted by
lawsuits, wage garnishment, long-lasting financial harm. They
lose their homes, sometimes they lose their families and their
friends. We need action.
This is why I put forward the Patient Debt Relief Act. This
bill would create a Federal grant program that gets--get this,
it allows nonprofits to purchase and forgive outstanding
medical debt, because our insurance company and our current
hospital billing practices are forcing nonprofits to raise
money for folks out there.
Now, you have seen those GoFundMe accounts when somebody
gets sick that reach up to a million dollars because somebody
has a great story. Is that the way we should behandling
healthcare in this country? I don't think so. However, when
nonprofits can step up and be able to pay for those outstanding
bills, that is a step forward.
So that is what the Patient Debt Relief Act does. It
tackles medical debt crisis at its roots. It pairs both strict
patient protections with the new Federal debt relief program.
Because old medical debt is sold on the market, as we know, for
pennies on the dollar--so every $1 in grant funding can raise
up to $100 of debt--a $100 million investment can wipe out
billions in burdensome medical bills for families that are
already struggling to get by.
And we know, for those of us who have gone through this,
that sometimes after you get that $800 or $8,000 medical bill
and you can't pay it, eventually the collector says, ``You know
what? We will let you pay it for $100. We will let you pay it
for $400.'' How is that possible?
With these funds, a nonprofit partner could identify
individuals whose medical debt exceeds 5 percent of their
income or whose earnings fall below $62,000.
So I urge this committee to take this really important bill
and this very important issue, which, mind you, is a temporary
fix but is one that New Mexicans and Americans desperately need
so that they can pay for their medical bills. Again, that is
the Patient Debt Relief Act.
I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Vasquez follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Dunn. Thank you very much for your comments, Mr.
Vasquez.
Now we turn to Representative Mannion. You have 5 minutes
for your comments.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN W. MANNION, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Mr. Mannion. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member,
members of the full committee. I appreciate the opportunity to
testify today.
Today I want to share what I have been hearing from my
constituents in New York 22 regarding the healthcare crisis and
energy affordability. Across central New York and the Mohawk
Valley, people are afraid of what these rising healthcare costs
mean for them and their loved ones.
If Congress doesn't act quickly, and in a bipartisan way,
seniors and working families will soon have to choose between
the medications they need or paying their bills and putting
food on the table. Small business owners who want to do right
by their employees are afraid they will no longer be able to
keep the lights on.
It is a shame that, over the past year, the House majority
has been laser-focused on passing the largest cuts to
healthcare in our country's history. And now it seems that they
are poised to let the subsidies that help millions of Americans
make ends meet and afford their health coverage will expire at
the end of this year.
The cuts will impact all of us. When essential services are
gutted, health centers face insurmountable shortfalls, people
are forced to drop their coverage, and everything gets more
expensive. We all end up paying more for less.
Before Congress adjourns for the holidays, let's extend the
enhanced premium tax credits to prevent premiums from spiking
and give individuals and small businesses some certainty so we
can avoid the healthcare crisis the President and the majority
party here in Congress have inflicted unnecessarily upon the
American people.
I would also like to speak today about the need to address
rising energy costs and urge the committee to work on creative
Federal solutions to expand access to more affordable energy
for consumers.
On average, New York State residents have experienced a
$190 annual increase in electricity spending over the past
year. In my congressional district, NY 22, utility bills have
recently increased by more than 10 percent, and it is expected
that the average household will see a $600 annual increase over
the next 3 years.
I would like to share with you some of my concerns that
have come to our office from my constituents and they have
shared with me recently.
Michelle from Cortland wrote to me that, ``My husband and I
are paying the equivalent of a mortgage to keep heating our
home. Our friends and neighbors are also paying somewhere
between $700 and $1,000 per month in electricity even with
similar or decreased usage.''
Owen from Cazenovia wrote, over the last year, ``My
electricity costs have surged, despite making every attempt to
minimize use and leverage smart technology, such as connected
thermostats, installation of heat pumps, switching to LED
bulbs, and more. Despite incurring the expense associated with
these upgrades, we have also seen our bills rise, with no end
in sight.''
Kelly from Waterville has seen her bill go up by $115 in
September to $713 in November.
As more data centers and energy-intensive projects get
added to the grid, we cannot let consumers get stuck with the
tab. I urge this committee to keep consumers and their rising
energy costs in mind as it considers legislation or provides
feedback to the administration on regulatory action. Americans
need more affordable energy options, and I urge this committee
to work with Members on creative solutions that will both
support U.S. energy dominance and independence but also lower
costs for consumers.
Americans deserve clean, affordable, consistent, reliable
energy systems, and they need to be innovative. We should
continue to invest so that we can meet the challenge across the
global markets as it relates to energy generation and
transmission.
And with that, I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Mannion follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Dunn. Thank you. The gentleman yields back, and I want
to thank you for your comments.
I would like to thank all of our fellow Members again for
being here today. And we are just going to take a few minutes
to reset the table for the next panel of Members.
In the meantime, I am going to recognize myself for just a
few minutes, 5 minutes, to make a comment on the last panel.
Especially close to my heart--and I know that
Representative Pallone knows this--is the Right to Repair Act.
We have been working on that for a number of years.
Representative Gluesenkamp Perez did a very eloquent job of
presenting the case for the Right to Repair, not just for
vehicles but across all manufacturing sectors. And she is
right, it is a very insidious problem, and we are losing
ownership of our manufactured goods. And I think we really need
to pay attention to that, and I thank her for bringing that
perspective to the committee today.
We are resetting the table now, and we will have the next
panel in just a moment.
[Pause.]
Mr. Dunn. All right. We are back in order.
And I want to, once again, thank the Members for coming to
present their ideas to the Energy and Commerce Committee today.
It is important that we communicate with each other.
Let me start by recognizing Representative Amo for 5
minutes on his comments.
STATEMENT OF HON. GABE AMO, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM
THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
Mr. Amo. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, thank you, Mr. Ranking
Member, and distinguished members of the committee. Thank you
for the opportunity to testify today.
It is a great honor to work together to protect consumers,
strengthen healthcare, and improve the lives of all Rhode
Islanders and all Americans.
First, I want to speak to the persistent crisis of
healthcare affordability. I hear from constituents that
healthcare cost is skyrocketing. We all do. It is one of the
most urgent challenges facing families.
Republicans slashed over $1 trillion from our healthcare
system and ripped away health insurance from more than 39,000
Rhode Islanders in their Big Ugly Law. It will have devastating
consequences. These cuts hurt everyone. When people lose
coverage and providers are forced to do more with less, the
stability of our entire healthcare system is at risk, and
everyone--everyone--pays more.
I look forward to working with this committee to ensure our
constituents have access to reliable, affordable healthcare.
Second, we must defend robust sustained investment in
scientific and medical research through the National Institutes
of Health. Last year alone, researchers in Rhode Island
received more than $256 million in NIH support for work on
Alzheimer's disease, dementia, heart disease, diabetes
prevention, and many other conditions, along with over $21
million dedicated to student training. This research and
training will save lives.
The NIH Director named training future biomedical
scientists as a top priority. Yet President Trump's NIH funded
896 fewer early-career grants this year, supporting the lowest
number of researchers in nearly 10 years. The United States
leads the world in biomedical research because of consistent
NIH investment. When Trump underfunds the NIH, we delay cures,
stall promising treatment pipelines, and risk losing an entire
generation of researchers.
That is why I led a letter with Representatives DeGette,
Sanchez, Fletcher and Houlahan, joined by a majority of House
Democratic Members, opposing Trump's illegal slashing of the
reimbursement rates for cutting-edge research. I urge this
committee to defend robust NIH funding and reject proposals
that put lifesaving research at risk.
Third, I want to highlight my bipartisan Having Overdose
Protection Equipment Act, the HOPE Act. New England has been
struck hard by the opioid crisis. While harm reduction tools
like naloxone have helped reduce fatal overdoses in Rhode
Island by 36 percent in recent years, there is still more work
to do.
That is why Iintroduced the HOPE Act. Just like putting
AEDs in schools and libraries to save countless Americans from
cardiac arrest, putting naloxone in public places--more public
places--will save lives and restore hope.
This bill would make it easier for States to make naloxone
available in public spaces so bystanders can step up and use
this lifesaving intervention if they see someone experiencing
an overdose.
I look forward to continuing to work with this committee,
including Congressman Tonko, a cosponsor of the bill, to
advance this bipartisan legislation.
Finally, I want to address the growing threat of scams
targeting the American people. Scams have become a nationwide
crisis, increasingly sophisticated, tech-driven, and
devastating for families, seniors, and small businesses in
every community, including Rhode Island.
The impact of scams is deeply personal. When people are
scammed, they don't just lose money, hard-earned savings, they
lose confidence, and independence is taken away from them.
Seniors are often hit the hardest, with money stolen from older
Americans soaring from $600 million in 2020 to $2.4 billion in
2024.
That is why I helped launch the bipartisan Stop Scams
Caucus with my fellow cochairs, Congressmen Shreve, Raskin, and
Nunn, to strengthen enforcement, expand public education, and
ensure Americans have the tools and resources to stay safe.
I also introduced a bipartisan, bicameral National Strategy
for Combating Scams Act to bring together over a dozen Federal
agencies and the private sector to create a national strategy
for combating scams and standardize definitions and reporting
standards.
I urge the committee to support moving this bipartisan bill
so that we can crack down on scams and protect consumers.
In closing, I look forward to continuing our work together
to lower healthcare costs, champion scientific research, combat
the opioid epidemic through the HOPE Act, and protect Americans
from scams.
I appreciate your great partnership in delivering on these
priorities for my constituents in Rhode Island and those across
the country.
And with that, I yield back. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Amo follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Dunn. The gentleman yields back. We thank him for his
comments.
We now turn our attention to the gentlewoman from Oregon,
Representative Bynum. You are recognized for 5 minutes for your
comments.
STATEMENT OF HON. JANELLE S. BYNUM, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF OREGON
Ms. Bynum. Good morning. Chairman Guthrie and Ranking
Member Pallone, thank you so much for holding this hearing and
giving an opportunity for off-committee Members to share our
priorities in your committee's jurisdiction.
So I am here today to talk with you about H.R. 4486, the
Microplastics Safety Act. So when I started working on this
issue, my staff told me a pretty shocking fact, that most of us
have a spoon's worth of microplastics in our brains. And what
was even more shocking to me was how those plastics are
potentially getting into our system. And the answer is it is
because microplastics are everywhere.
So some of us, you know, may think of it coming from
polluted water or something like that, but in fact it is, when
you are heating up food in the microwave, microplastics from
the servingware could be entering your system. If you are doing
laundry, the air you are breathing is full of plastic particles
due to synthetics in the fabric. And even something as simple
as brushing your teeth. I learned from my daughter's dental
school class, microplastics are in the toothbrush that you
should be using multiple times a day.
So bottom line is that they are everywhere, and the
evidence is growing that they are posing a serious threat to
our health and our safety.
Now, I am also an engineer, and I know that we can innovate
our way out of any problem, but what I also know is that we
can't do that without data. So there is simply not enough data
out there right now to begin solving the problems of
microplastics, and that is where my bill comes in.
My Microplastics Safety Act would require the FDA to
conduct its first-ever study on the human health of
microplastics in food, water, and other products. And by
requiring the FDA to report back to Congress on how exposure is
affecting human health, we will have the data we need to start
putting forth some solutions to help keep Americans safe and
healthy. And I am proud to say that my bill has very strong
bipartisan and bicameral support.
I want to thank my Republican partner, Representative Greg
Steube, and our Senate leads, Senators Jeff Merkley and Rick
Scott.
This bill also has 12 bipartisan House cosponsors,
including Energy and Commerce Committee Members Congresswoman
Debbie Dingell and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade
Subcommittee Chairman Gus Bilirakis.
And, in fact, a September 2025 report released by HHS and
the Trump administration lists microplastics as one of the
chemicals of highest concern for children and calls on our
health agencies to evaluate the risks from human exposure to
microplastics.
So here is what we know so far. Studies have shown a 50
percent--that is 50 percent--increase in the levels of plastic
in human brain samples when compared to 2016. And in a sample
of 30 rivers in my home State of Oregon, microplastics were
found in 100 percent of them.
So what is so concerning about that is that studies have
also linked plastic exposure to things like cancer, endocrine
disruption, and chronic illness.
So I believe we can't take a wait-and-see approach here. It
is time to be proactive. And I don't want to be looking back 20
years from now with cancer rates skyrocketing wishing we had
done something sooner. So that is why I have come here today to
urge this committee to take up my Microplastics Safety Act,
H.R. 4486. Let's make some progress for the sake of our
children, our families, and all Americans' health.
Thank you, and I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Bynum follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Dunn. The gentlelady yields back. Thank you for your
comments.
We now turn our attention to the gentleman from Puerto
Rico, Representative Hernandez. You are recognized for 5
minutes for your comments.
STATEMENT OF HON. PABLO JOSE HERNANDEZ, A RESIDENT COMMISSIONER
IN CONGRESS FROM THE TERRITORY OF PUERTO RICO
Mr. Hernandez. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member
Pallone, esteemed colleagues.
I come here with a simple, single, straightforward,
bipartisan ask: Medicaid parity for Puerto Rico. This is
something that my predecessor and current Republican Governor
of the island, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, has long advocated
for, and it is a fight that I am continuing on behalf of my
people.
Puerto Rico has 3.2 million residents, and approximately
1.5 million, almost half of the island's population, benefits
from Medicaid. Yet while States receive an annually adjusted
FMAP that reflects their per capita income and economic
conditions, Puerto Rico's FMAP is written into statute. And
during the past few years, starting in 2023, Congress
established a statutory FMAP of 76 percent, but that expires in
fiscal year 2027. And if it goes back to pre-2023 levels, down
to 55 percent, it would entail a reduction of billions of
dollars for our healthcare funding. The island would fall into
catastrophic healthcare--into a catastrophic healthcare crisis,
into acatastrophic fiscal crisis.
Now, this is inherently unfair because Puerto Rico has 3.2
million American citizens that deserve fair and equal treatment
in Federal programs. We fight in U.S. wars, we have a
significant amount of veterans residing in our island, and we
contribute to the Nation as a whole.
Other territories have a permanent FMAP written into law,
but Puerto Rico remains the only jurisdiction without a durable
long-term solution.
Now, every extension buys time, but only parity buys
stability. So I urge you, once again, to save Puerto Rico from
a healthcare and fiscal catastrophe and to enact a permanent
solution to Puerto Rico's Medicaid funding challenges. It is a
matter of simple fairness, it is a matter of justice, and it is
a matter of economic opportunity.
So I thank you all for your interest on this matter. I look
forward to working together to solve this problem, and I will
be back with the Governor fighting for the people of Puerto
Rico in a matter that goes beyond political partisan
affiliations.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hernandez follows:]
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie [presiding]. Thank you. And I just want to
apologize for the confusion of us switching chairs while you
were talking. I apologize. You have two artillery men, so we--
it is hard for us not to be quiet when we talk to each other.
Mr. Hernandez. You can make it up with parity for Puerto
Rico's Medicaid program. Thank you.
Mr. Guthrie. Well, I know we have time to discuss after,
but we are well aware and worked, both of us, in the fix that
is currently in place. So, yes, we are well aware. So thank
you, sir. I understand the priority.
So, Representative Randall, you are now recognized for 5
minutes for your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. EMILY RANDALL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
Ms. Randall. Thank you so much, Chairman Guthrie and
Ranking Member Pallone, for the opportunity to testify before
Energy and Commerce today.
I would like to start by sharing with you what drives my
personal interest and passion in building an equitable
healthcare system. My sister, Olivia, was born with
microcephaly, a condition where her brain could not fully
develop, leading to a lifelong health challenge: complications,
disabilities, expensive medical care.
My dad worked a civilian job at the Department of Defense,
and even with his good government insurance, the care Olivia
needed to grow and live for 19 years would not have been
possible without one thing: Medicaid--specifically, the
Washington State Legislature's decision to expand Medicaid the
very year Olivia was born, in 1993.
Olivia's journey taught me something important: When
government recognizes what people need, it has the power to
help them.
Olivia's life fueled my career in public service, fighting
to ensure families like mine can access the care and support
that every person deserves. And I want to make one thing clear:
To me, to so many of my constituents, healthcare is a human
right. No person in the richest country in the world should be
denied care because of their income, their ZIP Code, or their
immigration status.
In the State legislature I worked every day to protect and
expand healthcare access, including leading Washington's effort
to expand postpartum Medicaid. Our law, like the many States
that followed, ensures individuals can access Medicaid services
for the full 12 months after their pregnancy ends, giving
families stability during a critical period.
This law is a perfect example of why I am passionate about
healthcare policy. When we meet people where they are, we can
ensure that they have the tools that they need to keep
themselves, their families, and their communities healthy and
thriving. That is why I am a strong supporter of Medicaid
expansion.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, States can choose to
expand Medicaid, like Washington did, providing millions of
low-income Americans access and coverage. In States that
expanded Medicaid, the numbers of uninsured dropped
dramatically, giving families peace of mind and access to
preventative care.
In my State, the average monthly enrollment pre-ACA was
1,117,576. Because of Medicaid expansion, total monthly
enrollment reached an all-time high of more than 2 million
individuals in 2022, a 94 percent increase, nearly double the
number of people who could count on healthcare.
Medicaid expansion doesn't just help individual families.
It keeps entire communities afloat. Across the country,
Medicaid is the single largest payer for rural hospitals,
including in my district. When States expand Medicaid,
hospitals stay open. When States don't, hospitals close. It is
that simple.
But the cuts to Medicaid in the Big Ugly Law, in addition
to tariffs on medical equipment and the unwillingness to extend
Affordable Care Act tax credits for those who rely on them,
will severely impact rural hospitals by threatening vital
services and limiting access to care.
Of my district's five rural hospitals, all are facing tough
decisions about what services they can continue to provide when
Republican policy makes their jobs nearly impossible. They may
not be closing their doors, but they have to decide, will they
cut labor and delivery so someone has to drive 2 hours to give
birth? Will they cut cancer care, neuro services?
I spoke with James in Aberdeen, Washington, who shared the
impacts of H.R. 1 on his family. He is the primary caregiver
for his wife, who is battling late-stage Parkinson's and who
relies on regular hospital visits and specialized care through
Medicaid. These cuts will make it nearly impossible for him to
secure what his wife needs, leaving their family facing
devastating uncertainty and hardship.
I don't think any of us on either side would say that the
system that we have is perfect or working exactly as it was
intended to. I do, however, have real concerns about saying
that, because it is not perfect, we should cut Medicaid or not
reinstate these Affordable Care Act tax credits, actions that
will result in millions more Americans losing their healthcare
and leaving the system even more broken.
What we need is fundamental reform. We need universal
healthcare. We need to remove layers of profit and bureaucracy.
We need a system where every person can go to the doctor,
receive the care they need, and leave without worrying if they
can afford it.
The West Coast has banded together to study and design such
a system, efforts I supported by creating Washington State's
Universal Healthcare Commission. These efforts show that
practical, achievable steps towards universal coverage are
possible, but only if we work together and commit to the work
ahead.
I am eager to work with the members of Energy and Commerce,
including you, Ranking Member, and you, Mr. Chair.
And thank you so much for the time and opportunity to
testify.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Randall follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Thank you for your statement.
Representative Yakym, you are recognized for 5 minutes for
your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. RUDY YAKYM III, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF INDIANA
Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member
Pallone, for holding today's Member hearing and allowing me to
testify.
As a father of three beautiful children, I think that most
parents would certainly agree that, when you bring that first
child home, those initial days can be terrifying. Whether it is
having to deal with the fact that there are no nurses there to
help--sometimes you may have a little bit of family in town
but, ultimately, it is now on you to keep this child that God
has entrusted you with alive. And you are also doing a lot of
learning on the job.
Of course, there are sleepless nights, not just because of
feedings or a child who is up in the middle of the night
crying, but also because of the threat of sudden infant death
syndrome, or SIDS. It always lurks in the back of your mind.
SIDS is the unexplained death of a healthy baby under 1
year old that typically occurs during sleep. According to the
Cleveland Clinic, about 2,500 infants die from SIDS annually.
That is 2,500 families that have to endure the unbelievable
heartbreak of losing a child.
The causes for SIDS are largely unknown, and prevention
options are often limited to sleep practice--safe sleep
practices. However, over the past decade there have been
advancements in in-home infant cardiorespiratory monitors.
These devices are typically worn on an infant's foot and track
the infant's heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and other vitals,
and can notify parents or caregivers if vitals drop. I wish we
had some of these new technologies when my kids were newborns.
While this technology is promising, there are limited
studies on its effectiveness and, thus, limited insurance
coverage. That is why I am proud to lead H.R. 2168, the Baby
Observation Act, or BO's Bill. This bill directs the Secretary
of Health and Human Services to conduct a study and submit a
report to Congress on home cardiorespiratory monitors for
infants. This report would include evidence on effectiveness,
performance, and accuracy of such devices.
Additionally, it would include criteria and recommendations
for public and private health insurance coverage of such
devices if they are proven effective.
BO's Act is named after Bo Newton from Lakeville. And that
is in my district. And it is a family, and definitely a child
who has certainly greatly benefited from this technology. His
parents have become strong advocates for helping other families
access this technology.
This technology can be lifesaving. It is important that we
fully study its capabilities and expand access as necessary. No
parent should have to endure the immense pain of losing a
child, and these types of devices can make all the difference.
Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone, I would like
to work with you and your staff to advance this important bill
through committee and across the House floor.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and I yield
back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Yakym follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. The gentleman yields back.
Is there anybody seeking recognition for questions? Mr.
Pallone?
Thank you. I appreciate you being here, and thank you for
your statement.
And now we will call up the next panel.
[Pause.]
Mr. Guthrie. All right. Now we have the new panel
impounded, and so, Representative Bonamici, who has been my
great colleague on the Ed and Workforce Committee and worked on
a lot of bills together.
Ms. Bonamici. We did.
Mr. Guthrie. So thanks for being before Energy and Commerce
today, and you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF OREGON
Ms. Bonamici. Well, thank you very much, Chairman Guthrie,
Ranking Member Pallone. Thank you for the opportunity to be
here and to share our thoughts about priority legislation for
the committee.
I am here today to advocate for a bill this committee
should once again make a priority, the bipartisan Alan
Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now bill, which is House Resolution
5373.
It is dangerous and unacceptable that the United States
still allows the importation, manufacturing, and distribution
of asbestos. It is a known carcinogen that has claimed too many
lives in our country and around the world.
We know that asbestos exposure continues to cause
devastating health effects, particularly for those working in
conditions where this deadly material is or was present. Tens
of thousands of Americans die from occupational asbestos
exposure each year, and thousands of people are diagnosed with
mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer.
Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos that has
been used in insulation and fireproofing material in homes, in
commercial buildings, and common products such as paint and
construction materials. And mesothelioma also
disproportionately affects first responders, with firefighters
at much higher risk of developing this deadly cancer compared
with the general population.
The bipartisan Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act, which
is named for a husband and father who lost his life at the age
of 66 after a 4-year battle with this deadly disease, would ban
the commercial use of all six recognized asbestos fiber types.
We have worked hard to focus this bill on addressing the
use of asbestos in commercial products. The scope of the bill
applies only to the manufacturer, processing, use, and
distribution in commerce, including importation of commercial
asbestos.
In the rare instances where asbestos may be used in a
commercial product for national security purposes, this bill
has an exception that allows the President to grant an
exemption from the ban.
And the bill also guarantees that the ban does not
inadvertently create liability for natural impurities that
occur in commercial activities for other substances. We worked
very hard on this.
The bill states explicitly that it has no effect on
regulating cosmetics under the Federal Food and Drug Cosmetics
Act, as you all know.
Finally, the bill provides the chlorine industry, which is
the top importer of asbestos in the United States, until
January 2030 to phase out their use of asbestos in
manufacturing.
So back in the 116th Congress, this committee did advance
the bill through committee with a vote of 47 to 1. And as a
reminder, both you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman Guthrie and
Ranking Member Pallone, supported it. Didn't get through the
Senate, but we came very, very close in that Congress.
Since then, we have worked very hard to improve the bill
and update it. We continue to have bipartisan support. We also
worked with stakeholders to address concerns, and we now have
support from a broad coalition of stakeholders in public health
as well as industry.
Key supporters of this legislation include the American
Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the International
Association of Firefighters, the National Stone, Sand, and
Gravel Association, Olen Corporation, the American Federation
of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the American Public
Health Association, and the Asbestos Disease Awareness
Organization.
So now is the time for Congress to finally address this
issue and permanently ban asbestos. And I tell you, Mr.
Chairman and Ranking Member, when I speak with people,
colleagues about this, the first response when I am telling
them about the bill is, Do you mean it is still legal in the
United States? It is, unfortunately.
And although administrations have attempted to address this
issue through regulation, a bill signed into law would be the
strongest action to protect public health and bring closure and
justice to all of the victims of this horrible carcinogen and
their families.
So, Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, thank you for
your time today. Thank you for your past support of this
bipartisan legislation. I look forward to continuing to work
with you both to advance this important, lifesaving bill.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Bonamici follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Thanks for your statement.
And we also are going to have every Wyoming to testify
before us today. So my good friend from Wyoming, you are
recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. HARRIET M. HAGEMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WYOMING
Ms. Hageman. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member
Pallone. Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify
today. I appreciate your leadership on this committee.
As an off-committee Member, I also enjoyed working with you
on the work related to the One Big Beautiful Bill this summer.
Today I want to discuss two priorities within your
jurisdiction: combating fentanyl counterfeiting and
prioritizing oversight reform of Section 230 of the
Communications Decency Act.
I have introduced alongside Representative Stansbury the
Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, and Senators Cornyn and Coons
are our bipartisan Senate partners in this fight.
As our Nation addresses the fentanyl crisis, we hear tragic
overdose stories where Americans are unknowingly exposed to
lethal doses of fentanyl. Contributing to this issue is the
cartels illicitly using pill press machines that are also used
by pharmaceutical companies so that they can disguise fentanyl
as prescription and other drugs to facilitate their entrance
into our country.
This bill would add a serialization requirement for pill
presses and punches, and it would prohibit the removal or
alteration of these serial numbers or the distribution of
machines with tampered serial numbers.
The DEA and other Federal law enforcement agencies believe
that serializing pill presses will better help solve crimes and
specifically help investigators identify crucial links in the
chain to trace the pill presses back to the cartels.
Turning to Section 230, I have two primary concerns: first,
it lacks a sunset to require reauthorization; and, second, the
broad grant of immunity for the removal of content that the
tech companies define as otherwise objectionable.
Technological advancement is a defining characteristic of
America, but we have the unique challenge of legislating in the
internet age, where the pace of technological advancement moves
much faster than ever before, and certainly faster than the
Federal Government.
Baked into the House rules are general oversight
responsibilities to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of
Federal law. Section 230's civil liability shield is an area
where we have not adequately exercised such oversight
effectively, which I contribute to the lack of sunset in these
authorities.
I have long been a proponent for including sunsets in
almost all bills granting government authority and believe we
commit legislative malpractice when we don't do so. This
principle is especially true when Federal law covers
technology, which will always evolve more quickly than
government and the drafters of a bill at a certain point in
time can predict.
I can point to no better example of this issue than Section
230's immunity for the removal of content that is allegedly
otherwise objectionable. ``Otherwise objectionable'' is an
undefined standard in the statute. The social media giants,
companies that the authors of Section 230 could have never
anticipated at the time of its drafting, have instead defined
that standard for us.
Basing immunity for content removal on the standard of what
is objectionable is not an appropriate standard because it is
not shared among our citizens. What is objectionable to me may
not be for others. And today what is considered objectionable
is an ever-moving target defined by Big Tech, and one in which
the 118th Congress' oversight work was defined with a liberal
Silicon Valley bias that collaborated with the Federal
Government for the largest stretch to our First Amendment
rights in U.S. history.
Therefore, I believe we must add a sunset provision to
Section 230, not for the purpose of allowing it to lapse
entirely but to force this chamber to consider its purpose,
application, and role in the future of our Nation.
If and when we get to the reconsideration of Section 230,
we must also reconsider the ``otherwise objectionable''
standard. On the internet, on social media, and with artificial
intelligence we have seen the dangers the online world can
pose, especially to our children. Social media companies can
play a major role in protecting our children if they are
allowed to remove this harmful content, and that is why I
believe this liability shield must shift from objectionable
content to unlawful content.
To propose legislative solutions to address these issues, I
will soon introduce a bill to sunset Section 230 within the
119th Congress. And I am also a proud cosponsor of
Representative Gosar's Stop the Censorship Act, which would
implement this ``unlawful'' standard in place of the
``otherwise objectionable'' standard.
As this committee builds its agenda for the second session,
I strongly urge that Section 230 be on the list of priorities.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today, and I
yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Hageman follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you for being here. I appreciate that.
The gentleman from Ohio, 5 minutes for your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID J. TAYLOR, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF OHIO
Mr. Taylor. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member
Pallone, for giving me this opportunity to speak today. And
thank you for all the hard work this committee does.
I represent a very rural Appalachian district of southern
Ohio, and I am here today to talk about two issues that are
vitally important to the people who call southern Ohio home:
broadband coverage and prescription drug prices.
From the beginning, my top priority as a Member of Congress
has been expanding rural broadband. The district I represent is
not only one of the most disconnected in the country in terms
of broadband but also one of the most impoverished. I believe
those two stats are unquestionably linked. Those who have
broadband access inherently have an advantage in the modern
economy over those who don't.
That is why it has been my top mission in Congress to try
to get folks connected to broadband now, not 10 or 20 years
from now.
I come before the committee to highlight one of the bills
that I think could help achieve that goal for those who need it
most. I was proud to lead the Bridging the Broadband Gap Act,
which I introduced earlier this year. This bill would simply
add a provision within the $42.5 billion BEAD Program to allow
States to offer discounted prices for low-income individuals
for both the equipment and the monthly cost to get connected to
satellite broadband, or fix wireless.
I believe fiber is the gold standard of broadband, but the
people of southern Ohio cannot afford to wait for it to get to
them. The cost of getting connected is oftentimes a major
impediment, and this bill would help get people connected now
while fiber is being built out.
And as we continue to discuss affordability, allowing
States to offer a discounted price would drastically lower
costs in rural America. Several States will also have a
significant amount of money left over after their initial
planning, and this could be a great use of those dollars.
I also want to flag that we have heard from our experts in
Ohio of the need for a skilled workforce to deploy all of this
broadband funding, so I am happy to work with the committee to
figure out the best path forward on that.
I applaud the States already offering discounted prices
under the BEAD program, and I hope that by passing my bill we
could get all States to offer a program to make broadband more
affordable while truly bridging the gap between now and when
fiber gets to the homes. I am happy to work with this committee
and the administration to make this a reality, and I appreciate
your consideration.
And now moving onto another important topic: price
transparency in healthcare. It is no secret that prescription
drug costs are through the roof. We have all seen drug
commercials on TV, probably lots of them by now. You see
everything in those commercials from people flying kites to
people running on the beach. The one thing you never really
see, though, is the price of the drug.
Because of a lack of price transparency, patients often
don't know how much their prescription drug could cost them
until they are rung up at the pharmacy counter. When drugs can
cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, that is important
information for a family to know.
During the first Trump administration, HHS recognized this
issue needed to be addressed. To promote price transparency,
they drafted a rule that would have required pharmaceutical
companies to include the list price of the drug in their
advertisements. Unfortunately, a Federal court blocked the
rule, stating HHS did not have the authority to institute that
requirement and Congress would need to act.
I believe we need to give them that authority, and that is
why I introduced the Drug Price Transparency for Consumers Act.
This bill will do exactly what the first Trump administration
was trying to do: require direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical
advertisements to include the list price of the drug. Polling
shows that 88 percent of Americans support this policy.
Presumably, the other 12 percent is made up of people who
didn't understand the question and pharmaceutical executives.
The policy is widely supported by both Republicans and
Democrats, patients and providers, young and old. The price of
healthcare shouldn't be a secret. Obviously, there is a lot of
partisan divide right now on healthcare issues, and I get it.
Healthcare is a very important issue. It is an issue that
Congress needs to get right. But I think requiring price
transparency in drug advertisements is an issue we have wide
agreement on in this country. I hope we have an opportunity to
make good on people's wishes in this Congress.
I thank Congresswoman Schakowsky for cosponsoring the bill
with me.
And I would love to work with you, Mr. Chairman, to bring
about price transparency with this bill.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, for
giving me this opportunity to speak here today. I am looking
forward to me and my staff working with you on all these
important issues, and I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Taylor follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you for your testimony. Your
predecessor, President Johnson of Youngstown State, we had a
hearing--my friend conducted a hearing remotely on this same
issue about broadband connectivity. I don't know if you
remember this, but I couldn't help but comment. I said, ``You
are driving around''--he was in his car. ``You are driving
around your district talking about how your district is not
connected.'' I know, certain areas aren't, most areas are, but
I thought that was kind of a funny thing that he was talking
about not getting connectivity while he is driving in his
district. I like to pick on him sometimes. So thank you for
your testimony.
Mr. Steil, the gentleman from Wisconsin, you are recognized
for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. BRYAN STEIL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
Mr. Steil. Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, thanks
for having me in to talk about two important topics to the
State of Wisconsin. The State of Wisconsin is the Dairy State,
so if you were guessing that the first topic I wanted to talk
about involved cheese, you would be righ: the CURD Act, H.R.
1394, Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act.
Wisconsin is America's dairy land. We have 1,200 licensed
cheesemakers. We produce 25 percent of the Nation's cheese and
have more than 600 different styles. And in my opinion,
Wisconsin cheese is the best cheese in the world, but that is
not relevant to the CURD Act per se. The CURD Act would amend
the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to codify a clear definition
of natural cheese based on long-established U.S. cheesemaking
standards.
The definition would help consumers and industry clearly
distinguish natural cheese from processed cheese. Processed
cheese is already defined, as you may know, under Federal
regulation, but natural cheese still appears without a clear
definition. Providing this clarity ensures customers know
exactly what they are buying and gives cheesemakers consistent,
predictable labeling standards.
The CURD Act was first considered in Congress in 2017, when
it advanced in the Senate with unanimous consent. In the House,
we passed this nonpartisan bill, but it has been pending before
the Energy and Commerce Committee since 2019. And during that
time, it has received two legislative hearings without
significant objection and has undergone four rounds of FDA
technical assistance.
The bill is strongly supported by State and National Dairy
Association. Given its record of bipartisan support and
extensive vetting, I would appreciate the committee's attention
to this legislation and encourage you to include the CURD Act
during the next appropriate hearing opportunity and move it
forward as soon as possible.
The second issue I want to talk to you that is important in
my home State of Wisconsin is about targeted fixes to the Clean
Air Act. Right now, as you may know, communities and
manufacturers in Wisconsin are being punished for pollution
that is originating from outside the State of Wisconsin in
places like Chicago. That would be like holding folks in
Bowling Green accountable to pollution that is generated in
Memphis or holding folks in Middlesex County responsible for
pollution that is occurring in Philadelphia. It is not right,
it is counterproductive, and if we are serious about
strengthening American manufacturing and competing with China,
we need to reform this bill.
Instead of focusing on the real source of the problem,
current law piles costly compliance requirements on communities
that are already doing the right thing. Under the Clean Air
Act, when an ozone nonattainment area misses its attainment
deadline, it automatically bumps up to a higher nonattainment
classification. That reclassification triggers stricter
permitting requirements and additional regulatory burdens even
when local sources are not the primary driver of the concern.
So in Wisconsin, that is when we see this coming from maybe
Chicago or outside of our State. It is placing the burden on
residents in the State of Wisconsin. The same challenge is
often faced in both of your respective States, to my
understanding.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has tried to
work with the EPA to address this from an administrative
standpoint. However, our feedback from the EPA has emphasized
that these automatic reclassifications are set by statute and
that a durable solution will require legislative action. In its
current form, the Clean Air Act's reclassification process does
not adequately account for interstate ozone transport.
I believe that we can rightsize this regulation while
continuing to reduce emissions and keeping our air clean. This
can be achieved, in my opinion, by making targeted reforms to
the Clean Air Act to fully account for ozone transport.
I look forward to working with the committee, with you, Mr.
Chairman, with you, Ranking Member, to develop a practical,
targeted solution that supports our workers, American
manufacturing, while still maintaining the clean air standards
we all want.
I thank you both for having us in today. I hope you take
into consideration both of these two important topics, and I
yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Steil follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. I appreciate you being here. I
liked your--I don't know if you were punning or not, but the
styles of cheese. That was good.
So, Representative Bean, you are now recognized for 5
minutes for your opening statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. AARON BEAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM
THE STATE OF FLORIDA
Mr. Bean. Chairman Guthrie, what an honor it is to be here.
Thank you. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone,
thank you so much for the honor to come before this committee.
This committee room--let's be honest--much bigger than it
looks like on C-SPAN, so it is an honor to be here live. I want
to talk about what everybody is talking about, and that is
healthcare. It is a topic that people are talking about around
their dinner table and whatnot.
Let's go back and look at history. Fifteen years ago, when
the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, we were told it
was going to bend the price curve downward. You could keep your
doctor. Turns out, neither one of those things are true. Costs
then: $14,000 for premiums. Today, 15 years later, those same
premiums are $25,000, 78 percent increase in just 15 years,
much higher than the traditional rate of inflation.
History also teaches us, Chairman, anytime government dumps
large sums of money into any program, that is the root cause of
inflation. It happened in the 1970s when we started
guaranteeing student loans, and we saw that same massive
inflation take place during COVID, where we put a lot of money
into the Inflation Reduction Act, ironically, which really
caused inflation to skyrocket. So the answer can't be--of
healthcare--let's just dump more money into it. That is the
wrong answer, I think.
What I believe is a bill that I am happy to sponsor with
Mr. Pfluger of Texas is to give more choice and invite more
competition. Rather than give these monies directly to the
insurance companies, let's give it to individuals through an
HSA savings account. Let them make the best decision of where
to go individually.
I also believe that we need to enhance more competition.
Let's erase the State lines that are traditionally set up where
companies can only sell in their State. What if--what if we
could have Florida Blue compete with Kentucky Blues or the
Blues in Kentucky or all across America where you could go to a
robust marketplace.
Now, we will need transparency. That is also part of the
Make Affordable Coverage Act part of that whole pie, so I look
forward to working with you and with Mr. Pfluger.
We also have seen that, during the Affordable Care Act,
when you have zero-pay premiums, what happens? People and the
fraudsters are out to steal our money. We had millions of
people in this program get signed up without their knowledge,
never made a claim. Let's fix that.
Bean has a bill. It is skin-in-the-game bill where
everybody should have to pay something, maybe even $5, a $5
bill which acknowledges I am signed up, I signed myself up, and
I am participating in this program rather than the taxpayers
waste this money and pay the premiums without the individual
knowledge.
Here is another problem that we have to address, and it is
third-party payers. Do you have a constituent--or maybe it
happened to your family: ``Hey, I just got sent 10 boxes of
COVID tests. I didn't order them, but we know the taxpayer is
paying the bill.'' Bean has what is called the PROMPT Act,
which says, ``Hey, can we at least give out bills for your
account of what did you order, or reconcile?'' I know you are
not paying for it, but Americans need to know what is on their
tab and call it out. If you didn't order the COVID test--which
you didn't, but you are still paying for it--then we need to
track that down and make sure that every dollar, every dollar
that goes in healthcare--every tax dollar is a precious dollar
and needs to go further and continue out.
And by the way, Americans are sick and tired of fraudsters,
people stealing our money. So I sat on a Small Business
Committee, and we saw the fraudsters come out with the PPP
loans and the other types of recovery loans. There was at one
time, the previous administration: ``Well, there is so much
fraud, let's just let it go.`` I say no. I know everybody here
says no. So we have introduced multiple We Want Our Money Back
Acts, which says let's not let it go. Let's continue to hunt
down these fraudsters that stole our money. Let's get it back,
and let's put it in there.
As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I look forward
to working with this committee on solving healthcare and so
many of our problems. It is an honor to be--I shouldn't say
problems. Let's say challenges. Let's say opportunities,
because this crossroads that we find ourselves in right now
gives us an opportunity to realign and power individuals to do
what is best for themselves.
With that, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Pallone, Bean
yields back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Bean follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Bean yields back.
Do you have any questions?
Mr. Pallone. No, I don't.
Mr. Guthrie. Seeing none, thank you all for presenting
today. We really appreciate you being here.
We will go to the next panel.
[Pause.]
All right, Glenn.
I said earlier, we have had every Ore--I said ``Oregander''
before, but it is Oregonians. So I have been corrected today,
so, yeah. I think we have had all of you guys, except for
Cliff. But Cliff is on the committee. So, yeah, exactly.
Do we have everybody situated?
OK. So thank you all for being here today. This is our
fourth panel, I think, third or fourth panel. But we appreciate
you being here before Energy and Commerce, a lovely day we get
to have our good colleagues come and talk to us.
And so we will start, and everybody has got 5 minutes for
their statement.
And so, Ms. Morrison, or Representative Morrison, I
apologize, is recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. KELLY MORRISON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF MINNESOTA
Ms. Morrison. Thank you very much, Chair Guthrie and
Ranking Member Pallone. I appreciate the opportunity to testify
before you today.
I would like to begin by thanking the committee for
advancing my bill, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives
Reauthorization Act of 2025, out of Health Subcommittee. This
bipartisan legislation would renew and strengthen vital Federal
support for newborn screening programs, helping ensure lab
quality, inform parents, and expand screening.
Newborn screening has been an essential public health
initiative that allows for lifesaving early diagnosis and
treatment. Each year, approximately 4 million newborns are
screened in the U.S., and about 12,000 infants are identified
as having a condition and benefit from these critical early
diagnoses.
The long history of bipartisan collaboration and support
for the newborn screening program has been instrumental in
helping improve diagnostic tools, expand screening access
across States, and even support the development of rare-disease
treatments and therapies.
This week, I had the privilege of meeting with the father
of one of the many families personally impacted by a rare
disease newborn screenings could help identify and treat.
Despite the tragic loss of their daughter Darcee in 1995 to
MLD, metachromatic leukodystrophy, and their devoted caregiving
to their daughter Lindy, also battling MLD, Dean Suhr and his
wife, Teryn, have been dedicated to making sure other families
don't suffer through the isolation and pain they faced during
their nearly 7-years-long search for an accurate diagnosis for
their daughter.
Thanks to the dedicated work of fierce champions like the
Suhrs, along with other rare-disease advocates, researchers,
and physicians, we have seen incredible advances in the field
of newborn screening.
I am honored to represent Minnesota's Third Congressional
District, and in Minnesota we are proud to be a hub for
pioneering research and a leader in studying rare-disease
diagnoses and interventions. Recent developments and advances
in cell and gene therapies show how investing in these programs
can transform long-term health outcomes. When we invest in
newborn screening, we are protecting the most vulnerable among
us, giving babies the best chance at a healthy start, and
helping spare families the pain and exhaustion of searching for
a diagnosis.
After having cared for patients as an OB-GYN myself for
over two decades, I can't emphasize enough how transformative
and consequential it is to identify and when possible treat
conditions at the earliest possible moment. Parents already
face so many challenges when they welcome a new baby into their
family. The peace of mind and clarity that lifesaving newborn
screening can deliver is priceless.
I have been so inspired by the courage and resilience of
the families I have cared for as a doctor and met with as a
legislator. They persist regardless of the at times all-
consuming caregiving responsibilities they have and despite the
heartbreaking losses some endure. They push past barriers,
unwaveringly committed to getting every baby in America the
access to the timely diagnosis and treatment they need.
The Energy and Commerce Committee has the opportunity to
continue the progress we have made over the last 22 years, to
help transform their dream of a world where every child has
access to an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment into a
reality, to honor the dedication and sacrifices of these
families and the memories of their loved ones. I implore the
committee to take the critical step of advancing this bill to
full committee consideration.
In the spirit of recognizing devoted advocates, I would
also like to request the committee's consideration of the ADINA
Act. While at sleep-away camp in 2022, a constituent of mine,
Adina Togal, was rushed to the hospital following a severe
allergic reaction to a prescribed medication. Since the
incident, Adina and her family have been fighting to make sure
no other family has the same frightening experience.
The ADINA Act would require pharmaceutical companies to
clearly label major allergens and gluten present in their
medications, bringing greater transparency, protecting patient
safety, and delivering peace of mind to families like Adina's
and so many others. With an estimated 3.4 million Americans
presenting to the emergency room annually for a food allergy
reaction, this bill could help families avoid costly medical
bills and alleviate emergency room caseload.
I look forward to continuing to work with the committee to
advance policies that protect our children's health and safety.
And with that, I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Morrison follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thank you for your statement.
My friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin, is recognized for
5 minutes for his statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. GLENN GROTHMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
Mr. Grothman. Thank you. I knew Chairman Guthrie when he
was just a--back in the back row with the rest of us.
Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, and distinguished
members of the committee, thank you for an opportunity to
testify on some issues important to Wisconsin's economy and to
the Nation's broader goals of regulatory certainty, scientific
integrity, and public safety.
I will focus on two key issues before the committee: first,
the urgent need to address the ozone nonattainment challenges
in southeast Wisconsin along Lake Michigan; and second, the
importance of advancing my own legislation, the No IRIS Act.
First of all, let's look at ozone. Due to certain
scientific reasons, ozone collects along a body of water when
the sun is out, and ozone can also be affected by pollutants
coming from other areas. We have a double whammy in Wisconsin
in that Milwaukee and the counties north and south of it have
occasionally--very occasionally--higher than average ozone, in
part because of all the pollutants coming up from Chicago.
There is nothing we can do to prevent that.
While Wisconsin continues to work towards meeting the 2015
national ambient air quality standard for ozone, our region's
ability to achieve compliance is uniquely hampered by the
factors outside of Wisconsin's control. Much of the ozone in
Wisconsin comes from pollution transported from Illinois and
Indiana as well as from mobile sources.
And by the way, when I was growing up at a county along
Lake Michigan, the amount of ozone was much more than now. We
never cared, but that is just another matter.
Under the current regulatory framework, local actions alone
cannot bring Wisconsin to attainment. And by the way, Wisconsin
is the number-one manufacturing State in the country on a per
capita basis. People don't know that. But the current situation
is why the Clean Air Act includes a good neighbor provision,
which requires upwind States to take responsibility for
emissions that significantly contribute to downwind attainment.
Unfortunately, the current implementation of this provision
does not adequately address the real-world impact of
transported pollution on Wisconsin's air quality. As a result,
Wisconsin communities continue to face stricter regulatory
burdens for pollution they didn't even create, which, of
course, transfers to them having to spend a lot more money,
which makes southeastern Wisconsin to a degree not as
competitive when it comes to our manufacturers.
This reclassification would significantly lower permitting
thresholds and impose new requirements on manufacturers and
employers who are already working to comply. These strict
standards that the EPA is trying to impose would create new
costs, restrict businesses' expansion, and jeopardize economic
development in my State.
Fortunately, on September 5, the 7th Circuit Court of
Appeals--yay--issued a stay of the EPA's action preventing
these requirements from taking effect. While litigation
proceeds, this situation approach, one that recognizes
transported pollution and ensures States like ours underscores
the need for a more workable Federal Wisconsin are not
penalized for emissions they did not generate.
I appreciate your continued attention to ozone transport
issues and encourage bipartisan collaboration to strengthen the
regulatory framework and get us out from this mess.
The other thing--really quickly--in addition to addressing
nonattainment, I have legislation, H.R. 1415, called the No
IRIS Act. For decades, the EPA's issue has relied on the
Integrated Risk Information System to develop chemical hazard
assessments, even though the provision was never even
authorized by Congress. IRIS has faced longstanding criticism
for its lack of transparency, inadequate reliance on peer-
reviewed science, and flawed methodologies. Recent regulatory
actions have relied on IRIS-derived values that many experts
consider scientifically unsound.
If we are going to make America great again, we can't push
our chemical industries to places like India and China because
of foolish behavior out of the IRIS. One example is the EPA's
assessment of ethylene oxide, which set exposed thresholds tens
of thousands of times lower than the ones naturally occurring
in levels present in the human body. In other words, they are
asking my poor companies to make things cleaner than our own
body.
The No IRIS Act simply assures the EPA cannot use IRIS
assessments to propose, finalize, or implement regulatory
actions unless Congress authorizes the program. The bill
currently has 20 cosponsors, including five members of your own
Environmental Subcommittee.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Grothman follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thanks. I think we are getting low on time
here.
Mr. Grothman. OK. That is fine.
Mr. Guthrie. We are doing questions at the end, but you
didn't bring up any concerns with your neighbor to the due
west. I know wind blows west to east. You didn't bring anything
up about--I am kidding.
Mr. Grothman. We don't have a problem with the wind from
the west.
Mr. Guthrie. I know.
Mr. Grothman. We have got a problem coming up from the
south.
Mr. Guthrie. I was just kind of being sarcastic with your
friend sitting next to you.
Mr. Grothman. I can't blame her. I can't blame her.
Mr. Guthrie. I thought you were just playing nice with a
Viking fan.
Ms. Morrison. We are friendly neighbors.
Mr. Guthrie. The gentleman yields back. Thank you for your
statement.
The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICHARD McCORMICK, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA
Mr. McCormick. Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is an honor to be
here today before you.
I want to take special privilege just to point out that at
two seats to my left there will be some contentious moments
from the next couple days I want to address right now just by
saying, ``Go Navy. Beat Army.''
Mr. Guthrie. The gentleman's time has expired.
Mr. McCormick. On a serious note, I appreciate this time to
come before you guys. The FDA approval process is something
that can be very reasonable at times and at other times can be
inhibitive of growth and reasonability when it comes to drug
approvals. And at this time, I wanted to kind of talk about
highlighting an urgent issue that could affect about 1.5
million people's lives here in America.
On August 6, 2025, the FDA sent notification to the
industry with the intention to remove animal-derived desiccated
thyroid extract--I will call it DTE--products from the market
by August of 2026. This announcement and subsequent statements
have created significant confusion and uncertainty for
healthcare providers, patients, and domestic pharmaceutical
manufacturers. This action would hurt patients who depend on
DTE as a treatment option for hypothyroidism and threatens jobs
in my district.
As a physician, I can tell you, this is a natural substance
that is created through animals that is then derived that we
can use, just like we do with insulin--as opposed to a
synthetically produced thyroid substitute--that helps people
with their health and their maintenance of health, which is
very important to people.
For some reason or another, though, they said they were
going to disapprove it and take it off the market without
giving good justification, in my opinion. There are at least
two current DTE manufacturers diligently working on FDA
approval currently and their projects as biologics. And if this
goes through, they can't even get that approval, obviously, for
continued usage by the American public, which flies in the face
of capitalism, fair competition, and choice in medical
treatments.
It is essential of the FDA to issue followup guidance that
provides a clear and constructive path forward that continues
to enforce discretion through approval for DTE manufacturers
who are doing the right thing--not the right thing, the wrong
thing, but actually going through the approval process just the
way any other product would be. But that would be taken off the
market. It wouldn't even be an option, which is unfair both to
the patients who are being treated as well as the manufacturers
who put a lot of time and effort into this.
Such guidance is needed to protect patients' access,
preserve domestic investments and operations, and help achieve
FDA's goal of first-ever approved DTE product. DTE medications
should remain on the market until FDA-approved production is
available to all these patients. I encourage the committee to
direct the FDA to ensure relevant stakeholders are being
engaged as it prepares on followup guidance. I am ready to
assist in coordinating those conversations to ensure patients
have access to these lifesaving medications.
With my remaining time, I just wanted to also point out
that one of my colleagues, Ms. Greene, is going to be bringing
something to the floor next week on transgender policy and not
treating youth with basically surgeries that mutilate them or
hormones that affect them for the rest of their lives. This is
going to be a very contentious issue. I think it is important
that we come to a good conclusion medically, that we morally
approach this, that it makes sense to the American people.
We don't want people to get tattoos or smoke cigarettes or
buy alcohol at a certain age. Certainly, anything that is
transforming children should be looked at very seriously with
an eye towards not allowing a decision to be made that will
affect you for the rest of your life. When you are in your
adolescence, your brain hasn't even developed. You haven't even
decided if you are going to be a cowboy or an Indian. I mean,
these are harrowing times.
But I think her bill is greatly flawed. We have
alternatives out there.
My PROTECTS Act, which is H.R. 742, is one of those. It is
not going to put doctors in jail, but it is going to do the
right thing.
You also have one by Dr. Onder, two physicians that want to
approach this from a commonsense standpoint of looking after
children and doing the right thing for the healthcare
prevention. Let's not get carried away because of a promise
made for a vote, and vote for the wrong bill.
We have two really good options out there. Let's do the
right thing when it comes to putting the right bills in the
right places to succeed and do the right thing for American
people and its youth.
With that, I yield.
[The prepared statement of Mr. McCormick follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Guthrie. Thanks. Since you yield and you can't respond:
Beat Navy.
Another Oregonian is with us again. Representative Dexter,
you are recognized for 5 minutes for your statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. MAXINE DEXTER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF OREGON
Ms. Dexter. Thank you, Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member
Pallone, and members of the committee for this opportunity to
participate in Member Day.
My name is Maxine Dexter. I am a mother, a physician, and
the proud representative of Oregon's Third Congressional
District. Before coming to Congress, I spent 20 years caring
for patients who struggled every single day just to breathe. I
have seen firsthand how smoke, dust, and pollution ravage our
lungs and steal years of healthy life.
In the exam room, my patients were never Democrats or
Republicans, they were parents, workers, children, neighbors,
and above all, people who deserved a real chance to live a
healthy life. Our Federal Government has not lived up to its
responsibility to protect them, to give them this chance. This
committee, this institution, can change that.
Outdoor air quality is worsening with increasing wildfires,
deregulation of tailpipes and industry, and is leading to real,
measurable harm to our health and our economy. It is egregious
that this administration is stepping back from protecting our
air, both outdoors and, equally importantly, indoors.
Since arriving in Congress, I have been working on
solutions to address these challenges. Drawing on the stories
of my patients who were harmed by wildfire smoke and in
collaboration with wonderful staff from this committee, I am
developing a bill to establish a grant program to ensure public
health authorities have the resources they need to respond
during smoke events.
Our physicians, nurses, and frontline health workers
deserve stronger support, and our communities deserve timely
and effective public health protection. This policy is grounded
in recommendations from the bipartisan Wildland Fire Mitigation
and Management Commission report. Protecting the health of our
communities should never be a partisan issue.
But addressing wildfire smoke and outdoor pollution are
only part of the challenge. The next frontier in this space is
indoor air quality. This year, I had the privilege of attending
an event at the U.N. General Assembly on healthy indoor air,
and the message was clear: When we prioritize the air in the
places where we live, work, and learn, everyone benefits.
We already have broad agreement around policies that would
help better ventilation standards, stronger air quality
monitoring, and clear guidance for schools and workplaces on
how to keep our people safe. As we look ahead, we have real
opportunity to build on the strong foundation set by the Clean
Air Act.
The Clean Air Act passed with overwhelming bipartisan
support because Members on both sides of the aisle understood
that clean air is essential to health and life. We should be
thinking about how we strengthen and modernize these
protections that saved so many lives, and I hope to be your
partner in that work.
As the only pulmonologist in Congress, I have unique
perspective to offer on air quality issues, and as a physician
I also know that our larger healthcare system is at a crisis
point that cannot go unaddressed. The U.S. spends more on
healthcare than peer countries, but our life expectancy is
below that of our peer nations. This is due in large part to
our failure to incentivize keeping people healthy in our
system.
Right now, the way we pay for care rewards volume: how many
procedures or tests we perform, not the actual value provided
by our healthcare professionals. We need a system that pays
physicians for quality and outcomes. It is about putting
doctors back in the driver's seat and paying them to keep
people healthy, not just to treat them when they are sick. And
it means stripping away the administrative burden that prevents
them from delivering the care they know the patient in front of
them needs.
In this pursuit, we must focus on primary care and the
essential preventative services it encompasses. These services
are our first line of defense in keeping people healthy, yet
they are chronically undervalued and, in some instances,
unreimbursed entirely. I look forward to continued work with
those on this committee to better support and improve pay for
high-quality primary care.
As a working class kid who is the only person in my family
to graduate college and certainly medical school, I also know
that we have to be investing in foundational programs like the
National Health Service Corps that make medical school a
possibility for kids like me while bringing critically needed
primary care providers to our most underserved communities.
I look forward to continued collaboration with this
committee to secure increased multiyear funding for this
program while giving it the tools it needs to be truly
competitive with other options. Overlaying all of this is the
need to address the most pressing question in front of us
today: how to make healthcare affordable for Americans.
I am proud to support Congresswoman Lauren Underwood's
efforts to extend the enhanced ACA premium tax credits and
ensure that working families in Oregon and across the country
are not forced to make the impossible choice between keeping
their health insurance or putting food on the table.
I believe we have the opportunity to boldly reimagine how
healthcare works. I look forward to working with each of you on
long-term, durable policy change that ensures every American
gets access to the healthcare that they deserve.
I am grateful for your time today, and I yield back. Thank
you, Mr. Chair.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Dexter follows:]
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Mr. Guthrie. Thank you. Thank you for being here today.
And to my colleague and fellow Army--go Army--Mr. Davidson,
you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. WARREN DAVIDSON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF OHIO
Mr. Davidson. Thank you, Chairman.
Mr. Guthrie. I apologize. If you went to one of the service
academies, Army/Navy Week is a big deal. So, anyway.
Mr. Davidson. Thank you, Chairman. And definitely, there is
no substitute for victory. Go Army. Beat Navy.
This morning, I would like to speak briefly on the need to
pass the bipartisan REPAIR Act. Freedom means owning what you
buy, and in today's landscape automakers are locking our
constituents out of tools, software, and know-how for repairing
vehicles that they have purchased. The REPAIR Act requires
manufacturers to share the tools, data, and information for an
individual or their local mechanic to be able to fix their own
vehicle. This gives our constituents the ability to choose when
and where they get their cars repaired.
Right now, over 60 percent of repair shops struggle with
routine fixes because automakers withhold data, jacking up
repair costs by over $3 billion annually. It is your car, and
it should be your data, but right now automakers remain in
control of the data. The REPAIR Act ensures transparency
without compromising safety or intellectual property.
Independent repair shops employ nearly 5 million Americans and
are a vital resource in many of our communities.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses says 90
percent of its members support the right to repair. The REPAIR
Act has 43 cosponsors from 23 States, rural and urban
districts, Republicans and Democrats. Importantly, this bill
will bring down repair costs for working families. I am proud
to cosponsor this bipartisan, bicameral legislation, and I urge
this committee to give us a vote. Let's get this thing to the
floor.
The second and related to that is--broad jurisdiction here
in the committee, deals with privacy, and the data privacy in
particular. Congress should establish a clear national
standard.
You know, we don't need Europe's privacy laws, but we don't
need Somalia's either, which is no privacy laws. We are seeing
data harvested, sold, data brokers selling virtually everything
possible. And as we confront an era of AI, it is important that
we get privacy right. Privacy is really the base layer for
ethical artificial intelligence.
So Congress must pass legislation that reflects the
fundamental reality that you own your own data. This means that
individuals control how their data is collected, accessed, and
used. And with artificial intelligence coming, I think it is
important that we have preemption. The President's Executive
order gets that right, but we should have thoughtful
legislation to address it.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Davidson follows:]
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Mr. Dunn [presiding]. The gentleman yields back.
I want to thank all the members of the committee for their
comments.
Do you have----
Mr. Pallone. I just wanted to say that, you know, I
appreciate this panel and the others as well. All of you that
have come up are concerned about practical problems that affect
the average American, and, you know, that is so important. I
worry so much that oftentimes our committee focuses on, you
know, kind of things in the cloud that are not necessarily
impacting people in their daily lives, and I just appreciate
the fact.
And I heard what Representative Dexter said about worrying
about pollution, whether it is wildfires, air quality, and how
that directly impacts the health of Americans, which is what I
hear all the time.
And then the data privacy, the need for a national
standard, Representative Davidson, is really so important. We
have been struggling with this for years.
But one of the things that I like about the Energy and
Commerce Committee is that so many issues that impact people's
lives directly every day come before us, and so it is really
good to hear some possible solutions for those.
Thank you. Thank you all so much.
Mr. Dunn. The gentleman yields back. Thank you very much.
We are going to take a moment of recess to reset the table
for the next panel.
[Recess.]
Mr. Dunn. Representative Kiggans, thank you for coming. We
are not sure if the rest of the panel is on the way or not. We
are going to give them 1 minute. And with Ranking Member's
permission, I think we just go ahead and--1 minute.
[Recess.]
Mr. Dunn. The committee will come to order. We will
recognize the gentlelady from Virginia, Representative Kiggans,
for 5 minutes for her comments.
STATEMENT OF HON. JENNIFER A. KIGGANS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Mrs. Kiggans. Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is a privilege to be
here today. Before I start, I just wanted to set the record
straight about ``Go Navy, beat Army'' this weekend.
And with that, Mr. Chair, Ranking Member, and distinguished
members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to
speak today. I am here to bring awareness to the committee
about my bill, the Care for Military Kids Act. As the proud
representative of Virginia's Second Congressional District,
home to one of the largest active-duty military Navy
populations in the United States, advocating for those who
serve our country and their families is one of my top
priorities.
Along with my past life as a Navy helicopter pilot, I was
also a board-certified nurse practitioner. I most enjoy when I
get to work on policy that marries these two careers and
passions, and the Care for Military Kids Act does just that.
Unlike civilian families, military families often need to
move every 2 to 3 years, not by choice but by obligation. When
relocated to another State, servicemembers uproot their whole
lives to answer the call to serve, and their families often
sacrifice a great deal.
For servicemembers who have dependents with disabilities,
this sacrifice can greatly impact their livelihoods. Most
servicemembers and their families get health insurance via
TRICARE, but TRICARE does not cover long-term-care services.
This means children with disabilities covered by TRICARE
through their parents' military service cannot receive the care
they need unless they sign up for Medicaid. People with
disabilities often need long-term care services to help them
with everyday activities such as eating, walking, and medical
equipment management.
Unfortunately, with every move, dependent children must
reenter entirely new State health systems with new Medicaid
rules, new waiver programs, new provider networks, and long
wait lists. Servicemembers and their families already
sacrificed a great deal to defend our country. They should not
have to sacrifice the health and well-being of their families.
The Care for Military Kids Act would amend the Social
Security Act to ensure that any dependent of an active-duty
servicemember currently receiving long-term-care services
through a State-administered Medicaid plan will remain eligible
should their family be stationed outside of that State,
ensuring our servicemembers do not have to choose between
serving their country, moving, and getting their children the
critical care they need.
I was grateful for the work with then-Chair McMorris
Rodgers and this committee last Congress did to pass this
legislation in the House on a bipartisan basis. I look forward
to doing the same again this Congress.
Thank you, and I welcome your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Kiggans follows:]
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Mr. Dunn. The gentlelady yields. We thank her for her
comments.
We would now like to turn our attention to the gentleman
from California, Representative Valadao. You are recognized for
5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID VALADAO, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Mr. Valadao. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the
opportunity to be here today to discuss the Supplemental Oxygen
Access Reform Act, or the SOAR Act, which I introduced this
Congress.
The SOAR Act eliminates barriers that over 1.5 million
Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions face, including
many of my constituents in the Central Valley, when trying to
access lifesaving supplemental oxygen. This legislation makes
critical reforms to ensure that patients, especially those
living in rural and underserved communities, can receive
reliable and lifesaving oxygen support.
Since 2011, CMS has implemented a competitive bidding
process for supplemental oxygen, causing payment rates for all
types of oxygen to drop substantially. While the competitive
bidding program has generated payment reductions and Medicare
savings, these reductions too often come at the expense of
access to essential oxygen equipment and respiratory care
services.
Given the inadequate reimbursement rates, many individuals
who require supplemental oxygen do not receive the level or
type of treatment their condition needs. Medicare also does not
currently reimburse for the services of respiratory therapists,
which are vital, especially when the patient is given a new
oxygen prescription. If patients are unable to access equipment
or respiratory support, their risk of emergency room visits
increase and their chronic condition may worsen.
I was also encouraged by CMS's announcement last month that
supplemental oxygen will not be included in the next round of
competitive bidding program. Locking in past savings is a
meaningful first step, but more has to be done. That is why it
is critical this Congress works to ensure long-term stability
in the program, which SOAR Act provides.
The SOAR Act is a comprehensive legislation that removes
all oxygen and oxygen equipment, including stationary and
portable devices, from the Medicare competitive bidding. It
also gives CMS the authority to create a new payment rate for
liquid oxygen to help address the loss of access to this
modality nationwide.
The legislation further strengthens program integrity by
enhancing fraud and abuse protection, ensures respiratory
therapists are reimbursed when medically required, and
implements additional patient protections. I look forward to
working with the chairman to advance the SOAR Act and to secure
its inclusion in the next Medicare package.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Valadao follows:]
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Mr. Dunn. The gentleman yields back. Thank you very much
for your comments.
That seems to bring the panel to a close. Does the ranking
member have any comments?
Mr. Pallone. No.
Mr. Dunn. Well, in that case, I want to thank all of the
Members who came and testified before the committee and all the
Members who participated.
I ask unanimous consent to insert in the record the
documents included on the staff hearing list.
And without objection, that is so ordered.
[The information appears at the conclusion of the hearing.]
Mr. Dunn. I would like to thank you all again for being
here.
Without objection, the committee is adjourned. Thank you
very much.
[Whereupon, at 12:27 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
[Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:]
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