Health

Washington D.C. – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) released the following statement after President Joe Biden signed H.R. 2544 , the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act, into law.  “This new bipartisan law will give hope to patients in need of an organ transplant. It will also help grieving families find comfort and peace in knowing their loved ones’ remarkable gift has a better chance of saving someone’s life. We thank Representatives Larry Bucshon and Robin Kelly for leading this effort, as well as President Biden for signing this bill into law.”  NOTE: Led by Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), H.R. 2544 was passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 49-0 on May 24, 2023, and unanimously out of the U.S. House of Representatives on July 25, 2023. 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified the Committee that the Wuhan Institute of Virology has been debarred for ten years.   “This news is long overdue and should have happened years ago. The federal government has no business sending Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars to such a dangerous institution. The Wuhan Institute of Virology—under pressure by the Chinese Communist Party—was part of a group that stifled a global investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a continued loss of human life.  “The Biden administration is finally doing what the evidence and facts have demanded. It is outrageous that it took them so long. HHS must now consider a similar debarment for EcoHealth Alliance.  “The American people deserve every assurance that they will not be forced to fund risky research, especially in unsafe conditions within adversarial nations.”  READ:    July 2023 : E&C Republicans Statement on Suspension of Funding and Proposed Debarment of WIV  July 2023 : E&C Investigation Reveals Key NIH Officials—Including Dr. Fauci—Likely Served Unlawfully   January 2023 : Chair Rodgers: HHS’s OIG Report Confirms our Concerns with NIH’s Funding of EcoHealth Alliance   October 2022 : E&C Republicans to NIH: Why Resume Taxpayer-Supported Grant Funding to EcoHealth?   February 2022 : E&C Republican Leaders Push NIH for Stronger Enforcement of Grants Policies and Compliance Information Regarding EcoHealth Alliance   August 2021 : E&C Republican Leaders Request Further Info From NIH & NIAID Following Concerns of Wuhan Lab Biosafety Procedures   June 2021 : E&C Republicans Send Second Letter to NIH Director Regarding Grants Issued to EcoHealth Alliance 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) joined POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein this morning for a discussion on the importance of increasing health care transparency to drive down costs for patients.  As Chair Rodgers said, “This is a 95% positive issue for people when they hear about price transparency for health care. They support it. They believe that it's needed.”   Watch it here and check out key highlights of Chair Rodgers’ remarks below.  ON THE LOWER COSTS, MORE TRANSPARENCY ACT :   “ I'm 100% committed to getting this bill up for consideration on the floor, passed out of the House, and ultimately onto the President's desk.   “I’m really, really proud of the work that has been done around this legislation. It passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously.  “I'm proud to Chair this Committee. This Committee has a rich history of plowing the hard ground necessary to legislate, and that's what we've done on this bill.  “This is a very important first step when we talk about price transparency. We've worked hard with the Ways and Means Committee, the Education and the Workforce Committee. We're working with Leadership to get this bill out of the House.  “I also am really grateful to Ranking Member Pallone for his work and partnership in bringing the bill this far and we're committed to getting it done.”   ON PRICE TRANSPARENCY:    “I have a hospital in my district that has embraced this. They’re working with local employers and really looking at how can reimbursements be targeted to make sure that we're driving down costs for seniors for patients.  “Our goal is to really get price transparency within the health care system, whether it's hospitals, health plans, or PBMs. Price transparency is really important to accountability and ultimately to empowering patients and doctors to be making these decisions.”  ON EMPOWERING PATIENTS:   “One of my colleagues said it best when I was talking to him about it recently. He said ‘You know, in America, we know the price for everything that we buy. And as consumers, we're able to go out and make decisions based upon what the prices are. And in health care, we need that too.’  “We need, as individuals, to be empowered with the prices. That is one of the best things that we could do to bring back the decision-making to the patient and the doctor, which is my goal in this huge health care system to really get to the core issues on what's driving the cost of health care.  “We continue to see health care costs increasing, and we need to address what's driving the cost of health care. We've seen a lot of consolidation, and it is not bringing down the cost of health care.   “This is a very important first step to really look at how we address the rising cost of health care and make sure that we're protecting the decision-making between the patient and the doctor.”  ON ENSURING COMPLIANCE:   “Part of the reason this legislation is important is so that we have data that can be used most effectively. And the continued focus on making sure that the hospitals and others in this legislation—the health insurance companies, PBMs—are also in compliance.  “But we also have more stories because of price transparency today, of individuals and employers that are making decisions that are benefiting seniors and are bringing down the actual cost that they're having to pay out-of-pocket and as employers.  “I have employers in my district, but there's others around the country, that are also seeing those savings, because they're able to make a value-based decision, but also based upon on the price.”    CLICK HERE for more on the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act .  CLICK HERE for how the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act helps patients. 

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), on behalf of the Health and Oversight Subcommittee Republicans, today wrote letters to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Agriculture. The letters come as part of the Committee’s ongoing investigation into federal laboratory biosafety practices, and the handling of dangerous pathogens in bioresearch.  KEY EXCERPT :  “Committee is investigating the safety and security of federal high-containment laboratories. We are writing to obtain further details about the performance and enforcement of the federal select agent program (FSAP), jointly managed by the CDC/Center for Preparedness and Response/Division of Select Agents and Toxins (DSAT), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/Veterinary Services/Agriculture Select Agent Services.”  BACKGROUND :  At an April 27, 2023, oversight hearing titled “Biosafety and Risky Research: Examining if Science is Outpacing Policy and Safety,” Members and witnesses discussed the FSAP and how to strengthen the oversight of safety in life sciences labs.  According to the seven published FSAP Annual Reports from 2015 – 2021:  The FSAP conducted 1,316 inspections: 173 by the Agriculture Select Agent Services, 857 by the Division of Select Agents and Toxins, and 286 joint inspections by CDC’s DSAT and USDA’s APHIS  The FSAP conducted 46 compliance inspections  17 entities participated in the FSAP Corrective Action Plan program  The FSAP made 20 referrals to the HHS OIG and/or the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Investigative and Enforcement Services  The Chairs requested documents and answers to questions, including the following, by September 29, 2023:  Please provide copies of all referrals the FSAP has made to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General and/or APHIS Investigative and Enforcement Services since January 1, 2015. Please provide the outcomes of these referrals.  According to the 2020 Annual Report, FSAP received one report involving a complaint about transportation issues that were unrelated to the SAR. FSAP referred this complaint to the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Transportation. Please provide a copy of this referral. Please provide the outcome of this referral.  Please provide copies of all FSAP compliance inspections conducted at laboratories at FDA, NIH, and CDC since January 1, 2015.  Since January 1, 2015, please list all entities levied civil money penalties as a result of FSAP enforcement actions, the nature of the violations, the kinds of pathogens involved, amount of the penalties, and the total amount of civil money penalties collected. Did any federal government entity have SAR violations that would have subjected a non-federal entity to civil money penalties? If so, which ones, and why were civil money penalties not levied?  For 2015-2021, the FSAP reported conducting 1,316 inspections. How many of those inspections were unannounced inspections?  Since December 22, 2022, has there been a release, loss, or theft of an agent or toxin listed as a federal select agent from or within a laboratory facility owned or operated by the HHS, or any other Federal laboratory facility?     If so, was there a notification to this committee or the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate no later than 72 hours after such event was reported to the HHS Secretary, including (1) the Federal laboratory facility in which such release, loss, or theft occurred; (2) the circumstances of such release, loss, or theft? If not, why not?  Not later than 14 days after such notification to the committees, was an update provided to the committees on (1) any actions taken or planned by the HHS Secretary to mitigate any potential threat such release, loss, or theft may pose to public health and safety; and (2) any actions taken or planned by the HHS Secretary to review the circumstances of such release, loss, or theft, and prevent similar events. CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), on behalf of the Health and Oversight Subcommittee Republicans, today requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a study on the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) effectiveness in overseeing grant funding. BACKGROUND :  NIH is one of the top research and development funding agencies—particularly for biomedical research.    NIH’s program level funding for Fiscal Year 2023 as enacted is $47.678 billion.   In fiscal year 2020, the agency obligated nearly $43 billion for research in areas such as infectious disease prevention, cancer treatment, and mental health.   NIH obligated as much as 80 percent of these funds towards extramural research, performed by outside organizations including universities, medical centers, and other research institutions.   Organizations receiving extramural research awards from NIH may, in turn, award sub-grants for a portion of the work.   As highlighted in HHS OIG and GAO reports , the use of sub-grants may further complicate the management and oversight of NIH research funds.  KEY EXCERPTS :  “A January 2023 report by the Office of Inspector General within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS OIG) detailed failures by NIH to monitor effectively its grants with EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit research organization. According to that report, the organization had overcharged the government for its services and improperly used federal grant funds. Further, a July 2023 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) raised similar concerns about NIH’s oversight of grant recipients and recommended that NIH make improvements to its oversight processes.”  […]  “In light of the recent problems in NIH’s oversight and the scale of NIH’s funding of extramural research awards, more transparency is needed about NIH’s policies and procedures as well as its effectiveness in overseeing financial management of its extramural research awards.” The Chairs requested answers to the following questions:  How much funding did NIH provide—using grants, cooperative agreements, or other award mechanisms—for extramural research since fiscal year 2014? For the same time frame, what resources did NIH and each of its institutes and centers have to conduct financial management oversight?  What are the trends in award funding including, for example, the research areas and types/characteristics of award recipients funded; the number, size, and duration of awards; the types of award mechanisms used?  What policies, procedures, and processes does NIH follow to administer and oversee its extramural research awards using grants, cooperative agreements, or other award mechanisms? How do policies, procedures, and processes differ among the NIH institutes and centers in administering and overseeing extramural research awards?   To what extent is NIH, consistent with its policies and procedures, ensuring effective financial management oversight of extramural research funding throughout the award life cycle?  What are the roles and responsibilities of those involved in such oversight including the award recipient?    How, if at all, does NIH’s oversight of extramural research funding differ for intramural research funding?  What internal assessments, if any, does NIH conduct to provide reasonable assurance that funds are being used as intended—including that proposed rates and costs are reasonable and funds are being used appropriately?  How much money has NIH recovered as a result of such internal assessments?    What changes, if any, has NIH implemented based on the findings and lessons learned from such assessments?  What data does NIH collect on the findings and results of its internal assessments? Are there data gaps, and can these gaps be addressed?   What are the lessons learned or best practices from institutes and centers that could be implemented across NIH? CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Subcommittee on Health Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), along with Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Committee on Oversight Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY), wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in an effort to force officials to comply with previous requests for COVID-19 origins information and cease stonewalling.  In a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Chairs renewed requests from four previous letters for potentially incriminating documents and communications concerning EcoHealth Alliance, Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the now infamous “Proximal Origin” publication. The Committees have also asked individuals potentially involved with a COVID-19 origins cover-up to appear voluntarily for transcribed interviews—most notably Dr. Francis Collins, Dr. Lawrence Tabak, and Dr. Hugh Auchincloss. If HHS does not meet the stated deadlines, the Chairs will be forced to consider the use of subpoenas to obtain the requested COVID-19 origins information. “This letter consolidates our previous requests regarding the origins of COVID-19 and, as a further accommodation to the Department, tables some requests, adds significant topic specificity, scopes down the time frame of our previous requests, and prioritizes requests most important to the Committees. Considering these significant accommodations, we expect full and timely compliance with each request,”  wrote the Chairs . “If the Department fails to meet any of the prescribed deadlines, the Committees will be forced to consider the use of the compulsory process.” In a second wave of letters, the Chairs reiterated invitations to three individuals with extensive involvement in COVID-19 origins related operations to appear for voluntary transcribed interviews. Notably, the renewed request for the testimony of Dr. Peter Daszak, President of EcoHealth Alliance, is critical to the investigation into the potential use of American taxpayer funds to conduct dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.  Further, the Chairs requested voluntary transcribed interviews with Mr. Greg Folkers—who served as Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Chief of Staff—and with Mr. F. Gray Handley—who served as Associate Director for International Affairs at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Should Dr. Daszak, Mr. Folkers, and Mr. Handley continue to refuse to cooperate with the Committees, the use of subpoenas will be considered. Read the letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra here.  Read the voluntary transcribed interview requests for Dr. Peter Daszak, Mr. Greg Folkers, and Mr. Gary Handley below:  Dr. Peter Daszak , EcoHealth Alliance President   Mr. Greg Folkers , Former Chief of Staff at NIAID  Mr. Gary Handley , Former Associate Director for International Affairs at NIAID