Welcome to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, led a hearing titled Evaluating FirstNet: Performance, Accountability, and Reauthorization.

“FirstNet’s authorization expires at the beginning of next year, and it is this Committee’s duty to reauthorize the program before it expires,” said Chairman Hudson. “In the process, we should examine FirstNet’s activities since its creation 15 years ago and make any changes necessary to improve its performance. The future of public safety relies on safe resources like FirstNet.”

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02): “When Congress created the First Responder Network Authority, there was a clear mandate to have [a] public safety, preemptive network that would be used exclusively for first responders on the ground. [...] Our nation’s heroes and public servants who are the first to respond and the first people to put their lives on the line to protect Americans need robust communications. It was a very clear mandate to give our local communities the resources they need to respond to tragedies, and what we’ve seen since 2017, when the contract was awarded, has been a tremendous success story. We’ve also learned some lessons. Our job in Congress of enforcement and oversight of the program is critical and that includes contract transparency and maintaining accountability at all levels.”

Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05): “On 9/11, I was driving. I was in the General Assembly in Ohio at the time. And of course, everything just collapsed. You’re trying to use your cell phone to find out what was going on. Everything was down. Everything. [...] For our first responders out there, we worried about that. […] And that’s why with FirstNet, we want to make sure that never, ever occurs again, because we want to make sure for the people that the first responders are out there trying to protect, but also to protect those first responders.”

Congressman Craig Goldman (TX-12): “Can you just take us through, anecdotally, what it was like before FirstNet was created? Any stories you may have? And then the improvements of FirstNet and where we are today?” Sherriff Adkinson: “I mean, obviously, 9/11, the impetus of this. But I can tell you I’ve been through Hurricane Katrina, and there was no ability to talk. When there was so much volume, […] you have everybody trying to call at one time. What happens now with priority and preemption is that those first responders now have access to this network. […] This ensures that our first responders can get out when nobody else can.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, announced a hearing titled Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the Prescription Drug Supply Chain.

“This marks the second hearing in our health care affordability series, confirming Republicans’ commitment to meaningfully lowering the cost of care for American families,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Griffith. “After hearing big insurance companies pledge to do more for American patients, we are continuing our commitment to the American people by calling in representatives across the entire prescription drug supply chain—pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and providers—to examine the root drivers of prescription drug costs and ways to keep them both accessible and affordable. We look forward to hearing from the panelists on potential solutions to lower the cost of care for all Americans.”

Subcommittee on Health hearing titled Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the Prescription Drug Supply Chain.

WHAT: Subcommittee on Health hearing on exploring the role that the prescription drug supply chain plays in health care affordability.

DATE: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

TIME: 10:15 AM ET

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. This hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed at energycommerce.house.gov. If you have any questions about this hearing, please contact Annabelle Huffman with the Committee staff at Annabelle.Huffman@mail.house.gov. If you have any press-related questions, please contact Katie West at Katie.West@mail.house.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Evaluating FirstNet: Performance, Accountability, and Reauthorization.

Subcommittee Chairman Hudson’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

“Good morning, and welcome to today’s legislative hearing on the First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet. FirstNet’s authorization expires at the beginning of next year, and it is this Committee’s duty to reauthorize the program before it expires. In the process, we should examine FirstNet’s activities since its creation 15 years ago and make any changes necessary to improve its performance. The future of public safety relies on safe resources like FirstNet, so thank you all for joining us to ensure our country is taken care of in times of need.

“During the horrific terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, first responders from different agencies found they could not communicate with each other because they used different radio systems, and overloaded networks prevented communications from going through. In the aftermath of these attacks, Congress stood up the 9/11 Commission, which made recommendations to prepare for and guard against future attacks. One of those recommendations led to Congress establishing FirstNet, a nationwide broadband network specifically built for public safety.

“FirstNet was allocated 20 megahertz of spectrum and $7 billion to build out the network in all 50 states and the territories. In 2017, AT&T was selected to deploy this network. Shortly after, FirstNet began providing priority and preemption. During a crisis when there is increased network traffic, non-FirstNet AT&T subscribers will be removed from the priority line to ensure first responders can always make the call. On December 20, 2023, the FirstNet Authority verified the initial nationwide buildout of the network.

“However, the successful buildout of this network does not mean it has not faced challenges. Since 2014, the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued 21 reports regarding significant concerns about FirstNet and the deployment of the nationwide public safety broadband network, its operational responses, and other administrative matters.

“Several of these reports highlight contract oversight shortcomings, resulting in modified buildout objectives that jeopardize first responders’ ability to do their jobs. Other reports indicate a failure of the network to adequately respond to a natural disaster, and that a senior official at FirstNet interfered with the OIG’s investigations and retaliated against whistleblowers who cooperated with the OIG.

“This Committee’s work over the last several months has also identified a consistent and troubling finding: the ambiguous language regarding FirstNet’s independence—while simultaneously placing it directly within an Executive Branch agency—has created confusion and strife for all parties involved when trying to manage this program. To ensure the long-term success of FirstNet, it is imperative there is clear and consistent leadership.

“This leadership must be able to work hand-in-hand with the FirstNet board, not against it. I would like to emphasize that this draft legislation does not, in any way, remove the statutory requirement to have a Board, or their responsibilities to the First Responder Network Authority. The Board is a valuable component of FirstNet and crucial for ensuring the experience and needs of first responders and the general public, not government bureaucracy, are reflected in the direction of the network.

“Additionally, we must ensure that this network can evolve along with the technological landscape. Networks of 15 years ago are different than those of today and could be even more different 15 years from now. For the benefit of first responders, FirstNet should have the statutory flexibility to incorporate new network technologies to provide the most advanced service that public safety requires.

“I want to be clear, FirstNet has succeeded despite the challenges it’s faced, and I would like to commend AT&T for building a nationwide safety communications network, making it a success and continuing to build it out and improve for the safety of others, and being the only ones to take it on. Congress is here to evaluate this program to ensure its long-term success for our first responders. Today is the first step to reauthorize the program.

“With FirstNet’s statutory authority set to expire in 2027, it’s time for Congress to assess FirstNet’s progress and ensure that we provide a governing structure that sets up FirstNet to succeed in the future.

“Today, we will hear from our witnesses who are directly involved with FirstNet about the current state the network, and how the legislation before us will strengthen the First Responder Network Authority.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-01), Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, and Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, authored ** a letter ** to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) requesting a meeting on the concerning evidence detailed in the letter that points to large-scale, ongoing Medicare fraud in Los Angeles County, along with what action is being taken to address the situation.

“The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has an extensive history of digging deeper into matters where program integrity has been compromised. This letter is crucial in our commitment to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health care programs,” said Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Griffith. “Republicans have spent much of this Congress furthering legislation to protect our most vulnerable Americans—especially seniors, but our work is not done. Continued oversight is crucial to uphold the integrity of programs that serve our most vulnerable populations. We applaud the ongoing work being conducted by HHS-OIG in cracking down on the fraud that has occurred, and we look forward to addressing the larger-scale scheme that is draining public resources from Americans who need these services the most.”

“Medicare home health and hospice fraud directly undermines the safety and reliability of care for America’s most vulnerable seniors. Auditors have reported an unprecedented jump in home health and hospice fraud in Los Angeles County, California – including one report showing 112 different hospices located at the same physical address. With $1.2 billion in improper payments in home health claims and the Inspector General reporting $198 million in suspected hospice fraud, Gavin Newsom’s California could just as well be another Minnesota,” said Chairman Smith. “The Ways and Means Committee will not hesitate to use our broad oversight authority to get to the bottom of this and protect taxpayers and vulnerable patients against these bad actors.”

BACKGROUND:

Evidence has strongly suggested large-scale Medicare fraud involving home health agencies (HHA) and hospice agencies in Los Angeles County, California, noting that such practices not only drain public resources but also compromise the quality of care provided to patients, especially those most vulnerable populations.

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found that the 2023 improper payment error rate for home health claims was 7.7 percent, or about $1.2 billion, in 2023.
• In terms of hospice care, HHS OIG reported suspected hospice fraud to be an estimated $198.1 million in fiscal year (FY) 2023.
• CMS has placed HHAs as an area of high risk for Medicare fraud.

Emerging concerns over Medicare fraud in the HHAs and hospice sector highlights heightened activity, specifically in Los Angeles County.

• From 2019 through June 2023, HHAs in the U.S. decreased from 8,838 to 8,280 (6 percent), while, at the same time, HHAs in Los Angeles County increased from 896 to 1,309 (46 percent).
• More than 1,400 new Los Angeles County HHAs enrolled in Medicare in the last five years, representing over 50 percent of all HHAs in the state of California and nearly 14 percent of all HHAs in the country.

Based on data from the March 2022 California State Auditor’s Report and from HHS on hospice ownership, Los Angeles County had more than 31 percent of the hospice agencies in the U.S. in 2022.

• There were approximately 58 million seniors in the U.S. in 2022, with Los Angeles County having approximately 1.49 million seniors (2.5 percent).
• The report highlighted indicators that included a “rapid, disproportionate growth in the number of hospice agencies” and “excessive geographic clustering of hospice agencies,” noting that 112 different licensed hospice agencies were located at the same physical address.
• State auditors in California estimated that hospice agencies in Los Angeles County likely overbilled Medicare by $105 million in 2019.

These accounts of widespread fraud occurring in Los Angeles County’s HHAs and hospice agencies have raised concerns about whether home health and hospice Accrediting Organizations (AO) are effectively examining such organizations at the time of their enrollment in Medicare.

• In November 2024, CMS issued a Quality, Safety, and Oversight memo to surveyors, reminding them to closely inspect hospices’ Medicare enrollment documents to understand changes in ownership and location, but neglecting to encourage AOs to pursue other commonsense antifraud measures.

In April 2025, HHS OIG announced that the Office of Audit Services would compile a report for FY 2026 to identify trends, patterns, and comparisons that could indicate potential vulnerabilities related to new Medicare hospice provider enrollments.

In May 2025, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force—a joint task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including HHS OIG—** announced multiple arrests ** following a multi-year investigation into Armenian Organized Crime, which dismantled five hospices in the greater Los Angeles area.

On November 28, 2025, CMS ** announced ** the Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule, providing comments that suggest an interest in addressing the aforementioned accounts of fraud.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting a briefing to better understand the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent actions and ongoing work to enhance safety within the organ procurement and transplantation system. On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced major efforts to improve safety, transparency, and efficiency within the organ procurement and transplantation system, including the decertification of an organ procurement organization (OPO) for the first time in U.S. history. According to the announcement , the decision was made “after an investigation uncovered years of unsafe practices, poor training, chronic underperformance, understaffing, and paperwork errors.” The Committee has a history of ensuring patient safety remains the highest priority in our organ procurement and transplantation system, as evident from the Committee’s work last Congress on organ transplantation and donation issues as well as its oversight this Congress. As a part of its ongoing investigation, the Committee requests that CMS respond to questions, including those related to the decertification of the OPO in South Florida and the prevalence of incidents similar to those outlined in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) investigative report, to ensure patient safety remains a top priority. Read the full letter HERE . “While the Committee applauds efforts taken by CMS to uphold the highest standards of care to which all OPOs are expected to adhere, HHS’s announcement decertifying the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency illustrates the urgency of this moment and why the subcommittee is not finished with our oversight of the organ transplant system,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Joyce. “It is our moral obligation as members of Congress to establish safeguards and prevent these harmful practices from persisting further, and we look forward to obtaining answers from the agency about the prevalence of these incidents, as well as how CMS plans to proceed with prioritizing patient safety first and foremost.” Background: During the 118th Congress, the Committee on Energy and Commerce led the passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act to both modernize the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and allow HRSA to institute a competitive contracting process to find the best contractors for various OPTN functions. This legislation was signed into law on September 22, 2023.  On March 20, 2024, the Committee launched an investigation into the organ procurement and transplantation system by sending a letter to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) requesting information related to concerns surrounding data security and operability, patient safety and equity, and conflicts of interest.   On March 20, 2024, the Committee also sent a letter to HRSA requesting information related to implementation of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act as well as other concerns related to effective oversight and management.  On September 11, 2024, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing that focused on the implementation of reforms at the OPTN, including the need for stronger oversight and accountability as well as ongoing patient safety concerns.  During the hearing, questions were raised related to allegations of mismanagement and patient safety concerns after patients began exhibiting signs of increased neurologic function after being previously deemed suitable as an organ donation candidate. Several of these allegations, particularly those related to patient safety, were later substantiated through the findings contained in HRSA’s March 2025 report.  On March 24, 2025, HRSA’s Division of Transplantation issued a report that summarized the findings of its investigation into KYDA, the OPO now known as Network for Hope, which serves Kentucky and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana.   HRSA’s investigation examined an “index case” and an additional 351 unique cases of authorized, not recovered (ANR) patients. This means that the patients were considered for donation after circulatory death recovery, but no organs were transplanted. The report showed that nearly 30 percent of the cases “had concerning features.” The concerning features included problems with patient-family interactions, medical assessments and team interactions, recognition of high neurologic function, and recognition and documentation of drugs in records.  On May 28, 2025, HRSA issued a corrective action plan to the OPTN, which directed the OTPN to take specific actions within a specified period of time, including developing a 12-month OPTN monitoring plan for KYDA to address concerns identified. The corrective action plan also requires the OPTN to propose policies for public comment to improve safeguards for potential donation after circulatory death (DCD) patients in the organ procurement process and increase information shared with patient families regarding DCD organ procurement.  On July 22, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing examining concerning practices within our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system that were identified by HRSA’s investigation.  On September 12, 2025, the Committee sent a bipartisan letter to HRSA requesting a briefing on its ongoing oversight of patient safety in our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, sent a letter to Gene Dodaro, the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), requesting an assessment of available or emerging technologies and materials that could be used to supplement critical minerals in semiconductors. “Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements are essential for technologies used in many sectors of the economy, including energy, transportation, national defense, health care, and consumer electronics,” said Chairmen Joyce and Palmer . “These minerals are vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions for several reasons, including U.S. reliance on foreign sources, as well as the rapid growth in demand for critical minerals in the U.S. and abroad.” CLICK HERE to read the full letter. The letter asks the GAO to examine: The status of domestic technologies and supplemental materials, such as critical minerals found in mine waste, tailings, or reclaimed from end-of-life batteries and electronic waste, that can serve as substitutes for foreign-sourced critical minerals from non-allied nations needed for semiconductors and energy grid or power electronics, including impacts on material and product performance. Key technological challenges to the development or adoption of these domestic supplemental and materials to advance the diversification of U.S. critical mineral sources. BACKGROUND: In May, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on ways to enhance our critical mineral supply chains. Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are committed to strengthening our critical mineral supply chains and finding solutions to reduce our reliance on foreign sources, particularly when it comes to foreign adversaries like China. The Trump Administration has also worked hard to bolster these supply chains. Critical minerals are essential to American technologies and industries, and finding innovative domestic solutions that can contribute to our independence from non-allied nations is essential as we work to onshore American innovation and strengthen our national security. ###