Oversight & Investigations

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA-01), Congressman Jim Jordan (OH-04), Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, and Congressman Brian Babin (TX-36), Chairman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, issued the following statement after the White House released a  federal AI framework . “AI has begun to demonstrate its potential to improve Americans’ lives. To ensure we continue to harness its potential and beat China in the global AI race, Congress must take action. Today, the Trump Administration took a critical step in releasing a framework that gives Congress a roadmap to pursue legislation that provides innovators with much-needed certainty, while protecting consumers and prioritizing kids’ online safety. House Republicans look forward to working across the aisle to enact a national framework that unleashes the full potential of AI, cements the U.S. as the global leader, and provides important protections for American families.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 Garney Companies, Inc., a contractor that was under consideration for an Emergency Master Service Agreement with DC Water to rehabilitate the Potomac Interceptor (PI) sewer line prior to its collapse on January 19, 2026.  “The collapsed portion of DC Water’s PI sewer line has resulted in what has been called ‘one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.’ The consequences of this spill continue to be evaluated, and the Committee remains concerned by the potential impacts to public health, safe drinking water, the environment, interstate commerce, and tourism,”  said Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Palmer.  “The resilience of our wastewater infrastructure systems remains critical, and the Committee aims to understand what risks were determined prior to this incident and how future incidents may be prevented.”   Key excerpt from the letter:   “As part of its investigation, the Committee continues to obtain information from entities and individuals with knowledge that is relevant to this incident. According to the DC Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors, Garney Companies, Inc (Garney) was under consideration for a potential Emergency Master Service Agreement for the PI rehabilitation, which was anticipated to begin on May 15, 2025. However, the contract was never finalized. The Committee is requesting information related to this contract and any additional information that your company may have related to the site of the PI wastewater collapse prior to the incident.   “It is the Committee’s understanding that the potential agreement between DC Water and   Garney would have covered a period of two years. The purpose of this contract was stated to   ‘[p]rovide program management, preconstruction and emergency construction services to   rehabilitate and provide redundancy for the Potomac Interceptor.’ Additionally, the project   scope included a number of repairs and upgrades to improve the reliability of this critical   Infrastructure.”   CLICK HERE   to read the full letter.  Background:   The Committee launched its investigation into the Potomac Interceptor collapse on February 20, 2026. Today’s letter to Garney represents the next step in uncovering what went wrong.   DC Water was considering an Emergency Master Service Agreement with Garney to “provide program management, preconstruction and emergency construction services to rehabilitate and provide redundancy” for the PI. That contract was anticipated to begin May 15, 2025, but the contract was never finalized.   The January 19, 2026, collapse of the PI sewer line has been called one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, with consequences for public health, safe drinking water, the environment, interstate commerce, and tourism still being evaluated.   The Committee is requesting all documents and communications related to Garney’s proposal, the unimplemented emergency contract, and information related to the collapse site prior to the incident—seeking to understand what risks were known beforehand and how future incidents can be prevented.  ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars: The Role of CMS in Combatting Medicare and Medicaid Fraud. Subcommittee Chairman Joyce’s opening statement as prepared for delivery: “Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s hearing titled, ‘Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars: The Role of CMS in Combatting Medicare and Medicaid Fraud.’ “Today, we are continuing the Subcommittee’s ongoing examination of Medicare and Medicaid fraud. “Kim Brandt from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is here today to discuss the very real, and very harmful issues that we know address both Medicare and Medicaid fraud that are occurring right now across the United States and what CMS is doing to address this widespread fraud. “In Medicare, sectors such as durable medical equipment, genetic testing, skin substitutes, home health, and hospice are all experiencing high rates of fraud. “In Medicaid, schemes are running rampant in a variety of programs, from non-emergency medical transportation to personal care services, autism therapy, and substance use disorder treatment. “These crimes are despicable, yet we are seeing them occur time and time again across the country. In Minnesota, it’s Medicaid ABA services. In California, it’s Medicare hospice services. In Florida, it’s Medicare durable medical equipment. Once caught, fraudsters might be stopped, but they are always looking for their next scheme. The tentacles of these criminal schemes are long, and they reach into many different areas of health care. “And many of these fraud schemes target vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, individuals with disabilities, the homeless, and people struggling with substance abuse disorders. Moreover, taxpayers are being defrauded of outrageously large amounts of money. Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro, during his time as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, stated at a 2020 press conference, ‘It’s possible, no, likely, that Pennsylvania is losing $3 billion a year to fraud.’ And that’s just one state, and that’s just in one year. “For too long, states have been permitted to run Medicaid programs with weak guardrails, making them easy targets for criminals to exploit. While states do have a duty to steward federal and state taxpayer dollars responsibly, it is federal oversight that is necessary to root out systemic fraud. “As President Trump made clear during his recent State of the Union address and executive order establishing the Anti-Fraud Task Force, he is serious about the ‘War on Fraud.’ Under the leadership of Vice President and “antifraud czar,” J.D. Vance, and under the leadership of Dr. Mehmet Oz, this administration is taking bold steps to stop this fraud—more than any other presidential administration before it. “It is critical that fraud in government health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid are addressed to ensure there are adequate funds to maintain these programs for those who are in need and not for fraudsters to steal. “As this Committee builds upon Medicaid program integrity efforts that we advanced last year in H.R. 1, it is important that we continue to identify ways to address fraud to secure the financial stability and longevity of these programs. “The elderly, individuals with disabilities, pregnant women, and children all rely on these programs to receive the health care that they need, and the health care they deserve. We owe it to them to protect and preserve these programs, rather than allowing them to serve as a gold mine for criminals. “I want to thank Deputy Administrator Brandt for being here today. We are looking forward to hearing about the important work that you and your team are already doing at CMS under the leadership of Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz to protect and preserve Medicare and Medicaid. “With that, I now recognize our Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Ms. Clarke, for her opening statement.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 Garney Companies, Inc., a contractor that was under consideration for an Emergency Master Service Agreement with DC Water to rehabilitate the Potomac Interceptor (PI) sewer line prior to its collapse on January 19, 2026.  “The collapsed portion of DC Water’s PI sewer line has resulted in what has been called ‘one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.’ The consequences of this spill continue to be evaluated, and the Committee remains concerned by the potential impacts to public health, safe drinking water, the environment, interstate commerce, and tourism,”  said Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Palmer.  “The resilience of our wastewater infrastructure systems remains critical, and the Committee aims to understand what risks were determined prior to this incident and how future incidents may be prevented.”   Key excerpt from the letter:   “As part of its investigation, the Committee continues to obtain information from entities and individuals with knowledge that is relevant to this incident. According to the DC Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors, Garney Companies, Inc (Garney) was under consideration for a potential Emergency Master Service Agreement for the PI rehabilitation, which was anticipated to begin on May 15, 2025. However, the contract was never finalized. The Committee is requesting information related to this contract and any additional information that your company may have related to the site of the PI wastewater collapse prior to the incident.   “It is the Committee’s understanding that the potential agreement between DC Water and   Garney would have covered a period of two years. The purpose of this contract was stated to   ‘[p]rovide program management, preconstruction and emergency construction services to   rehabilitate and provide redundancy for the Potomac Interceptor.’ Additionally, the project   scope included a number of repairs and upgrades to improve the reliability of this critical   Infrastructure.”   CLICK HERE   to read the full letter.  Background:   The Committee launched its investigation into the Potomac Interceptor collapse on February 20, 2026. Today’s letter to Garney represents the next step in uncovering what went wrong.   DC Water was considering an Emergency Master Service Agreement with Garney to “provide program management, preconstruction and emergency construction services to rehabilitate and provide redundancy” for the PI. That contract was anticipated to begin May 15, 2025, but the contract was never finalized.   The January 19, 2026, collapse of the PI sewer line has been called one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, with consequences for public health, safe drinking water, the environment, interstate commerce, and tourism still being evaluated.   The Committee is requesting all documents and communications related to Garney’s proposal, the unimplemented emergency contract, and information related to the collapse site prior to the incident—seeking to understand what risks were known beforehand and how future incidents can be prevented.  ###

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, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, are continuing their ongoing investigation into waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicaid programs by sending letters to ten additional states to request information and documents on the actions each state is taking to strengthen Medicaid program integrity. These requests come amidst reports and law enforcement actions that have demonstrated high levels of Medicaid fraud across numerous states. For example, in Massachusetts, a woman pleaded guilty to fraudulently billing MassHealth for $500,000 in Personal Care Attendant, home health, and adult foster care services after enrolling disabled, elderly, and homeless people in services without their knowledge or consent and billing Medicaid as their caretaker despite not providing these services. In Colorado, two individuals were charged in separate cases for defrauding Health First Colorado’s non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) program. The first defendant allegedly billed over $1 million in NEMT rides—$400,000 of which were billed for rides for herself and family members, and most of which were not associated with transportation to medical appointments. The second defendant billed Health First Colorado for $3.3 million in NEMT rides, including $283,000 for 64 rides for a single beneficiary, $165,000 of which occurred after the beneficiary had died. In Oregon, a woman was sentenced to federal prison for using stolen identities to submit fraudulent health care claims to Oregon’s Medicaid Program, totaling over $3 million and triggering $1.5 million in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements. In New York, two individuals involved in a Brooklyn-based scheme involving adult day cares and home health  pleaded guilty   to $68 million in Medicaid fraud over a seven-year period. In addition, two men in Queens who owned adult daycare centers and a pharmacy  were recently charged  with $120 million in alleged Medicaid and Medicare fraud schemes. This included illegal kickbacks to Medicaid recipients to fill prescriptions at their pharmacies and enroll in their adult day care. It’s no secret that Medicaid fraud schemes have possibly cost the program billions of dollars annually across the country. These schemes contribute greatly to rising health care costs and strain our health care system, all at the expense of Medicaid beneficiaries and taxpayers. The Committee on Energy and Commerce is committed to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in our government health programs like Medicaid to ensure Americans who need them get the quality, affordable care they deserve. Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Griffith issued the following statements regarding the ongoing investigation: “Fraud shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It's our most vulnerable Americans who are most at risk from fraudsters diverting precious resources intended for critical, needed care , ” said Chairman Guthrie. “ We owe it to our fellow Americans to preserve the Medicaid program for those that need it most, and states have an important role to play in ensuring that Medicaid programs operate with integrity. The Committee will continue to combat rampant waste, fraud, and abuse across the entire country.” "Medicaid was established to ensure the most vulnerable Americans are never left behind. That is why fraud and abuse within Medicaid will not be tolerated. Medicaid fraud robs both taxpayers and patients, and we will pursue it wherever it hides," said Rep. John Joyce, M.D. "Expanding this investigation is part of our responsibility in Congress to ensure that the government upholds the standards it was created to serve. Our Committee will work diligently to strengthen the integrity of the Medicaid system and to ensure that those who engage in fraudulent misuse or abuse are held fully accountable." “Americans support federal health care programs that serve American communities, not fraudsters! Led by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, this latest series of letters is the next step in our investigations to protect our social safety net programs and secure them for the most vulnerable Americans,” said Rep. Griffith. “Republicans in Congress will continue to do the necessary legwork to investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse within our Medicaid system.” BACKGROUND: In January, 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, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, wrote to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Temporary Commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, Shireen Gandhi, requesting communications, documents, and information to better understand the ongoing Medicaid fraud occurring in the state of Minnesota and actions the state is taking to strengthen program integrity. On February 3, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled Common Schemes, Real Harm: Examining Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid . During this hearing, expert witnesses testified on common examples of Medicaid fraud schemes and the potential scale of fraud in Medicaid programs nationwide. Now, as part of the Committee’s ongoing efforts to address Medicaid fraud, the Committee sent letters to CA , CO , MA , ME , NE , NY , OR , PA , VT , and WA . Each of these states displayed concerning cases of Medicaid fraud over the last several years. The purpose of this investigation is to assess the extent of fraud in state Medicaid programs and understand what states are doing to address the issue and protect the integrity of Medicaid for Americans. Read More About this Ongoing Investigation: CLICK HERE to read the New York Post's exclusive coverage of the letter.

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, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, are requesting communications, documents, and information from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Temporary Commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, Shireen Gandhi, to better understand the ongoing Medicaid fraud occurring in the state of Minnesota and actions the state is taking to strengthen program integrity.

The unprecedented fraud scheme in Minnesota, which has potentially been ** ongoing ** since 2013, has revealed a swath of criminal schemes, including overbilling, false records, identity theft, and phantom claims in Medicaid social service and health programs for the elderly and disabled, people struggling with addiction, and homelessness. Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Griffith issued the following statement regarding ** the letter’s ** content:

“The extensive fraud schemes being perpetrated in Minnesota have wreaked havoc on government-funded health programs. We have an obligation to ensure finite taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly, and that the most vulnerable Americans are not being exploited to the benefit of fraudsters and foreign actors,” said Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Griffith. “As members of Congress and this Committee, our track record has made our continued commitment to ridding government programs of waste, fraud, mismanagement, and abuse clear. This letter is the next step in the Committee’s work to root out fraud and restore program integrity in our federal health programs nationwide.”

The Trump Administration has taken concrete steps to address the fraud being uncovered in Minnesota. Complementary to that work, Congress has a responsibility to oversee federal programs, like Medicaid, to ensure precious dollars and resources are being spent appropriately to deliver quality and necessary care.

BACKGROUND:

Glaring accounts of waste, fraud, and abuse in Minnesota’s Medicaid social service and health programs have resulted in billions of taxpayer dollars going straight to the pockets of fraudsters and foreign actors.

• Ongoing investigations indicate that fraudulent provider schemes are particularly prevalent in health and community-based service programs, including residential drug and alcohol treatment, home health, housing, and autism service programs.

Unfortunately, Minnesota’s Medicaid program lacks adequate oversight and fraud control measures, and state officials have neglected to swiftly identify and address vulnerabilities in programs.

• Fraud experts note that fraudsters often target states like Minnesota, which tend to have the “weakest ID checks, fastest payouts, and lowest audit risk,” when looking to establish fraud schemes.

In July 2025, the Working Families Tax Cuts legislation was signed into law by President Trump, including critical provisions to target waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicaid program—several of which help prevent the fraud schemes that occurred in Minnesota from happening again.

In response to these fraudulent practices, CMS is auditing the Minnesota Medicaid program, freezing provider enrollment, and deferring payments for 14 high-risk programs, including adult companion, rehabilitative mental health services, individualized home supports, residential treatment services, among others—which, alone, cost taxpayers $3.75 billion annually.

CMS recently briefed the Committee on what is currently known about the Medicaid fraud in Minnesota and actions CMS has taken to date. This further underscored the need for the Committee’s oversight to ensure program integrity.