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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, issued the following statement applauding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent announcement of funding allocations for states through the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program, which was established in President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts.

“Our Working Families Tax Cuts law delivered the most historic investment in rural health that we’ve seen in our lifetimes,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Griffith.“The RHT program will provide funding to transform health care systems so that we can help assure the long-term sustainability of our rural providers for years to come. We applaud Secretary Kennedy and Administrator Oz on this critical effort, and we look forward to seeing states use these resources to bolster health care delivery through innovative solutions in rural America.”

Allocations of funding were based upon rigorous, data-driven merit review—led by federal and non-federal rural health experts and overseen by senior federal review directors—to assess each state’s proposed initiatives and alignment with program goals to ensure a fair, transparent, and consistent merit review process across all states.

Funding will be distributed over five years beginning in federal fiscal year 2026. As states begin implementation, program officers from CMS’s Office of Rural Health Transformation will provide technical assistance and ongoing support to help states design, launch, and sustain initiatives that best serve their rural communities.

CLICK HERE to view a list of each State’s allocated RHT funds.

Background on the Rural Health Transformation Program:

• The Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program was created by the Working Families Tax Cuts law and empowers states to strengthen rural communities across America by improving access to quality health care outcomes and transforming the health care delivery ecosystem.

• RHT funding will be allocated through the following formula:

• $25 billion over five years will be distributed evenly among the states; this means each state will receive $100 million each year for FY 2026-2030 ($500 million total).

• $25 billion will be distributed to states based on criteria established by the Secretary that target funding to states with high rural health care needs and that outline long-term programmatic goals that will transform access to care in the state.

In accordance with the law, only the 50 states are eligible to receive an RHT Program award; the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories are not eligible.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, led a hearing titled Examining the Impact of EPA’s CERCLA Designation for Two PFAS Chemistries and Potential Policy Responses to Superfund Liability Concerns.

“CERLCA was enacted in 1980 to facilitate the cleanup of the most contaminated sites around the country and to establish a scheme to hold liable for cleanup costs the parties responsible for that contamination. Superfund imposes strict, and joint and several liability on parties,” said Chairman Palmer. “In other words, a responsible party could be responsible for the entire cost to cleanup a contaminated site even if its contribution to the pollution was minimal.”

Watch the full hearing here

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13): “CERCLA was established to hold polluters liable for the cleanup of chemical contamination that they caused. This polluter pays liability framework is helpful in many instances where there is a need for expensive environmental cleanups, so that the party that generated or released the hazardous substance can be held responsible for the associated costs. However, the liability established by CERCLA does not stop with the polluters. Under the statute’s liability framework, any person who has had incurred costs related to the remediation of hazardous substances can file suit against not just polluters, but so-called passive receivers. These passive receivers are not involved in the initial generation or discharge of hazardous chemicals, but might receive water, soil or other materials containing such substances. Given how common the use of PFAS is, the 2024 final rule designating two PFAS chemistries as hazardous substances creates a system where many passive receivers will be drawn into costly legal proceedings for contamination that they bear little or absolutely no responsibility for having created.”

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01): “As the Representative from Iowa, I take seriously our responsibility to protect public health and the environment while also ensuring that federal policies are fair, clear, and feasible in Iowa. Clean water affects our farmers, our rural communities, our drinking water systems, and our local employers, as well as families. Many of the entities now worried about the circle of liability like water utilities, wastewater facilities, landfills and farmers, who responsibly apply biosolids, did not create PFAS but could still be swept up in a liability scheme that is retroactive, strict, joint, and several. Cost to passive receivers is only one piece of the problem. We should also explore options that support swift remediation and provide the liability certainty necessary for American industry to focus on solutions that allow them to continue to invest in the US, rather than endless courtroom battles. At the same time, we should be encouraging innovation and American ingenuity. Iowa agriculture is already helping lead the way with promising alternatives to PFAS, including soy-based fire suppressants made from soybean meal. These kinds of homegrown solutions can reduce reliance on legacy chemicals, create new markets for farmers, and strengthen our economy without heavy handed mandates from Washington.”

Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01): “This is certainly an important hearing, and Mr. Chairman, I applaud you and thank you for holding it. […] We've established the fact that PFAS are used in a number of different areas and a number of different things, and consumer products and industrial purposes. And oftentimes they're used in life saving devices, electronics and firefighting foams. I'm going to touch on that in just a second, but while they're essential for everyday life and many life saving devices, its very complex nature makes the cleanup and the disposal difficult. So, I want to talk about the practicality of how we deal with this. I'm not denying we need to deal with it, I just want to talk about the practicality.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Examining the Impact of EPA’s CERCLA Designation for Two PFAS Chemistries and Potential Policy Responses to Superfund Liability Concerns.

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

“Welcome to today’s hearing before the Subcommittee on Environment. This year, we’ve revisited some of our country’s most important environmental laws and confronted emerging challenges in protecting our environment and promoted a regulatory climate that encourages innovation and economic growth.

“Among other things, we’ve identified shortcomings with the administration of the Toxic Substances Control Act that delay newer, safer chemistries from reaching consumers; explored opportunities to revitalize brownfields sites for crucial infrastructure projects; evaluated the state of technologies to improve our recycling systems; and passed common-sense Clear Air Act reforms.

“Today, we are examining EPA’s decision last year to designate two PFAS chemistries—PFOA and PFOS—as hazardous substance under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also known as ‘CERCLA’ or the Superfund law. CERLCA was enacted in 1980 to facilitate the cleanup of the most contaminated sites around the country and to establish a scheme to hold liable for cleanup costs the parties responsible for that contamination. Superfund imposes strict, and joint and several liability on parties.

“In other words, a responsible party could be responsible for the entire cost to cleanup a contaminated site even if its contribution to the pollution was minimal. CERCLA includes exemptions as well as defenses to liability for certain parties such as ‘bona fide prospective purchasers’ and ‘innocent landowners,’ as they are referred to. However, in the context of the hazardous substance designations for PFOA and PFOS, there are concerns that the existing exemptions and defenses may not adequately protect a class of parties commonly known as ‘passive receivers’ who did not manufacture or use PFOA or PFOS, but may have acquired, used, or disposed of material containing these chemicals. Today, we will examine the impacts of potential liability for PFAS contamination on these entities. Congress has clarified and expanded liability protections before, such as by passing the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act in 2002. We will consider how concerns about PFAS liability may deter a range of economic activities and whether changes to CERCLA, or other legislative action, are needed.

“Additionally, at our March hearing on reauthorization of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Program, we discussed the tremendous potential of the estimated 450,000 brownfields sites in our country for housing important infrastructure such as power generation, semiconductor manufacturing facilities, and data centers.

“We hope to examine whether concerns about liability for PFAS hinder the redevelopment of these sites.

“To this end, we welcome Susan Bodine, who previously served as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response at EPA during the George W. Bush Administration and then as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in the first Trump Administration, in addition to senior staff roles in both the House and the Senate.

“We are also joined by Lawrence Falbe, Chair of the International Council of Shopping Centers Environmental and Land Use Policy Committee. Mr. Falbe will share his experience on how potential PFAS contamination impacts real estate transactions for those seeking to reuse those sites.

“Next, Emily Donovan joins us a co-founder of Clean Cape Fear, a grassroots community advocacy organization focused on the presence and impact of certain PFAS in communities. We also welcome Tracy Mehan, who represents the American Water Works Association and served as EPA Assistant Administrator for Water, also during the George W. Bush Administration. I thank all of our Members and witnesses for being here, and I look forward to today’s discussion.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, delivered remarks on the House floor regarding H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, legislation that prohibits federal Medicaid funds from being used toward gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.

Chairman Guthrie’s remarks on H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act:

“I rise today in strong support of H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act.

“This bill helps support our fellow hard-working Americans, whose valuable—and finite—taxpayer dollars should not continue to fund medically unnecessary care under the Medicaid Program.

“It is our duty as members of Congress to focus hard-earned taxpayer dollars on care that is medically necessary to improve the health of Americans.

“H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, does just that—prohibiting federal Medicaid dollars from going toward specified gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.

“My fellow House Republicans, and particularly my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, have worked diligently this Congress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

“Our goal is to eliminate unnecessary and improper spending to strengthen, secure, and sustain the Medicaid program for those who are truly among the most vulnerable populations: expectant mothers, their children, low-income seniors, and individuals with disabilities.

“CBO estimates that this bill would save taxpayers $445 million over a decade.

“I want to make it abundantly clear that this legislation, in no way, prevents minors from accessing medical care that they truly need.

“It simply prohibits the use of federal Medicaid funding on specified gender transition procedures that are medically unnecessary.

“This critical legislation builds upon our work in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to create a more sustainable financial future for Medicaid and preserve the program for the times when people truly need to lean on it.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), issued a statement following House passage of H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act—legislation that prohibits federal Medicaid dollars from going toward specified gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.

“The Do No Harm in Medicaid Act helps strengthen, sustain, and secure our Medicaid program by ensuring federal Medicaid funding is not used for medically unnecessary care for minors,” said Chairman Guthrie. “I’m thankful to my colleague, Representative Dan Crenshaw, for his diligent work in protecting our nation’s children. It’s our duty as members of Congress to support our fellow Americans—especially our most vulnerable—by prohibiting valuable and finite taxpayer dollars from continuing to fund controversial, life-altering gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.”

“Using Medicaid for unscientific, irreversible procedures on minors is an abominable betrayal of our most vulnerable,” said Rep. Crenshaw. “This is a crucial step in protecting our children from the depraved actors that would do them harm.”

Background on H.R. 498:

• H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, prohibits federal Medicaid funding for specified gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.
• The House also passed this bill as a provision within H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill, on May 22, 2025.
• The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 498 would reduce direct spending for Medicaid and CHIP by $445 million over the 2026-2035 period.
• Publicly available polling has consistently indicated that Americans oppose providing children with puberty blockers and irreversible surgeries.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today a series of proposed regulatory actions to carry out President Trump’s Executive Order directing HHS to end the practice of sex-rejecting procedures on children that expose young people to irreversible harm, including pharmaceutical or surgical interventions that attempt to align a child’s physical appearance or body with an asserted identity different from their sex.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, delivered remarks on the House floor regarding H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, legislation that establishes new rules for association health plans, modifies requirements for individual and group health coverage, requires contracts between plan sponsors and PBMs to meet certain standards, and appropriates funding for reductions in cost sharing.

Chairman Guthrie’s remarks on H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, as prepared for delivery:

“I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.

“When the Democrats passed Obamacare over a decade ago, they sold the bill on the promise that it would lower health care costs and preserve plan options.

“‘If you like your plan, you can keep it. If you like your doctor, you can keep them.’

“These famous last words still haunt us.

“Today, we know that Obamacare has not lived up to Democrats’ lofty promises; instead, the consequences of that bill continue to burden American patients as they have since its enactment.

“Health care spending has nearly doubled since Obamacare passed. Health plan options have been decimated by Democratic overreach, and millions of Americans are saddled with medical debt across the country.

“Obamacare premiums are up 80 percent since the program’s inception, with patients paying on average $5,000 out of their own pocket to hit their deductible, and the average out of pocket spending maximum for one year is over $20,000!

“Without a doubt, Obamacare has proven to be unaffordable and unsustainable.

“In an attempt to respond to the affordability crisis created by Obamacare, Democrats leveraged a public health emergency to shovel hundreds of billions of dollars to big health insurance plans to mask the rising unaffordability of coverage.

“First in the American Rescue plan of 2021, and then again in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2023, Democrats sent temporary taxpayer funded ‘enhanced’ premium tax credits directly to the coffers of big health insurance plans.

“They did this without a single Republican vote of support.

“On both occasions, Democrats chose to make these COVID Credits temporary. They could have made them permanent, but they chose instead to focus on advancing priorities for wealthy Americans to buy subsidized EVs and for politically connected cronies to siphon federal dollars out of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction slush Fund.

“Now, Democrats are uniting behind a policy to send billions more taxpayer dollars to big health insurance plans.

“With the Democrats’ temporary COVID Credits set to expire at the end of the year, they are attempting to turn their policy failures into political gains—using the American people as collateral.

“It is worth reiterating – Democrats funded temporary band aids to cover up unaffordable care, they set the expiration dates, and they chose to fund liberal priorities instead of making them permanent.

“While Democrats continue to fearmonger, I wanted to shed light on what Republicans are doing to fix the Democrats’ affordability crisis, with policies that deliver real, lasting relief to the American people.

“This includes:

• Eliminating health plan gimmicks like silver loading, which will lower ACA premiums by 11 percent;
• Increasing transparency for pharmacy benefit manager middlemen and lowering drug costs for all Americans; and
• Increasing affordable plan choices and putting patients back in the driver’s seat for their own health care choices by instituting Association Health Plans, CHOICE Arrangements, and stop-loss insurance.

“This proposal results in more than double the premium reduction than the Democrats’ extension of the enhanced COVID subsidies. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Republican plan before us will lower premiums by 11 percent, compared to just 5 percent from continuing the Democrats’ subsidies.

“These policies will also lower health care costs for all Americans, not just the roughly-seven percent of Americans enrolled in Obamacare.

“And many of these policies are bipartisan! Ending silver loading, addressing nefarious PBM practices, and strengthening the employer insurance marketplace have all garnered broad bipartisan support.

“I hope we can overlook the politics that are clouding the issue, come together to pass this bill, and continue work together into 2026 to deliver more affordable health care to all Americans.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, and Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12), Vice-Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, celebrated the House passage of two bills advanced by the Committee on Energy and Commerce to strengthen grid security and support the use of reliable and affordable power.

H.R. 3616, the Reliable Power Act, introduced by Congressman Balderson (OH-12), improves federal rulemaking to ensure future federal regulations that impact power generation will not harm electric reliability, especially in regions already vulnerable to blackouts. H.R. 3632, the Power Plant Reliability Act, led by Congressman Griffith (VA-09), enhances existing tools under the Federal Power Act for states and grid operators to contest the closure of power plants in neighboring states if there is an impact on reliability. The legislation also requires power plants to provide a 5-year notice of any plans to retire.

Attributable to Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce:

“To support reliable and affordable electricity for hard-working American families, we cannot afford to take baseload power offline or burden our grid with misguided regulations that prevent delivery of 365/24/7 power to our communities,” said Chairman Guthrie. “The Power Plant Reliability Act enhances the tools available to states and grid operators to keep vital power plants operational and prevent blackouts. Further, the Reliable Power Act ensures that red tape and federal rulemaking will no longer harm electric reliability, especially in communities that are at risk of potential blackouts. The ongoing reliability crisis facing our nation has been caused by Democrat policies designed to drive out baseload power in favor of wind and solar that cannot meet our current needs. Thank you to Chairman Griffith and Congressman Balderson for leading this critical legislation to strengthen our grid and lower electricity prices.”

Attributable to Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health:

“Because of radical ‘Green New Deal’ policies that shun reliable forms of energy like natural gas, coal and nuclear, our electric grid faces a brewing crisis of premature baseload power plant retirements,” said Chairman Griffith. “My bill, the Power Plant Reliability Act, will help shield Americans from blackout threats and ensure the reliable delivery of power to American homes, factories, and communities. Thanks to strong leaders like Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, Chairwoman McClain, Chairman Guthrie and Chairwoman Foxx, the United States Congress is focused on supporting affordable and reliable energy solutions for the American people.”

Attributable to Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12), Vice-Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations:

“America is facing a reliability crisis–one made worse by the last administration’s regulatory chaos and radical climate agenda,” said Congressman Balderson. “After unelected bureaucrats spent years waging war on American energy, President Trump and his Administration have finally reined in agency overreach and restored energy dominance as a national priority. The Reliable Power Act puts common-sense guardrails in place so families aren’t left facing blackouts, price spikes, or uncertainty every time they flip a switch.”

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BACKGROUND:

H.R. 3632, the Power Plant Reliability Act—Rep. Griffith (VA-09)

• This legislation enhances existing tools for states and grid operators to contest the closure of power plants in neighboring states if there is an impact on grid reliability. The bill also requires power plants to provide a 5-year notice of any plans to retire.
• The states with the highest electricity prices are overwhelmingly the same states with the most aggressive forms of renewable portfolio standards, and this legislation will help to ensure that baseload power plants don’t go offline in the places that need them most.

H.R. 3616, the Reliable Power Act—Rep. Balderson (OH-12)

• This legislation addresses the threat of rolling blackouts caused by the Biden-Harris Administration’s over reliance on wind and solar power by improving federal rulemaking to ensure that future federal regulations that impact power generation will not harm electric reliability.
• The bill amends the Federal Power Act to require FERC review and comment on any federal rules that impact electricity generation during periods of high reliability risks, like the extreme cold we are already seeing this winter, to ensure new rules will not harm electric power reliability.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led a hearing titled Examining Biosecurity at the Intersection of AI and Biology.

“As a physician, I must acknowledge the extraordinary promise that AI-enabled biotechnology holds for patient care. AI is accelerating drug discovery, improving protein modeling, and enabling the development of therapies with unprecedented precision,” said Chairman Joyce. “The Trump Administration has taken steps to keep up with such advancements, but the federal government must continue to carefully assess whether our current safeguards and reporting systems are adequate in an era of rapidly advancing AI technology.”

Watch the full hearing here

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02): “We've talked a lot about how AI can be used for all sorts of scary things. What about the good parts? What about assisting industry leaders and researchers in identifying biosecurity risks? In other words, you know, how can we use AI for good?” Mr. McKnight: “Thank you for the question. This builds on the conversation we were having about select agent lists and then the new incredible diversity of threats. The same way the biodesign tools that we're talking about can create new proteins and give lessons on how to create new medicines, those same tools can be turned around. [...] They can be turned around to automate the process of interpreting a sample that you're looking at, and then the development roadmap that is funded through these programs is to use AI to go from sequence detection to what the function is.”

Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01): “In an attempt to try to close the door on this, President Trump had the executive order back in May. And looking at the gene synthesis, in the section of the President's EO of the gene synthesis section, can you say what specific parts of that order are actually going to stop these threats, or have the best chance of stopping these threats? Can they stop [those] threats if implemented? And, just a follow up, what else should we in Congress be doing about this?” Dr. Pannu: “Thank you for the question. Overall, I'm glad that you mentioned the executive order from May; I think that's an important initiative. There are a couple of things in that I would want to highlight: the gene synthesis provisions do call on Congress to proceed with a legislative effort to make gene synthesis screening mandatory across the U.S., that's something that Congress could advance. The other provisions on clearly defining what is dangerous gain of function research, those policies have yet to be released from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, so Congress could ask for an update as to those, and where they currently stand.”

Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (TN-01): “Are there early warning indicators—whether they're digital, biological or supply chain—that could help identify AI-enabled biological misuse? Because you talked about that digital to physical barrier.” Mr. McKnight: “Yes, one of the key capabilities that we work on is when you take a sample with Biothreat Radar from an airport, or from a community, or from a threat location, you bring it, you do DNA sequencing with it. […] We have a set of tools that we are constantly developing with cutting edge machine learning AI to analyze that DNA to tell you what’s in it, what different types of pathogens, are there new things that you haven’t seen? And one of the very specific tools that we work on that was developed in conjunction with IARPA […] is a tool that actually looks and algorithmically scores to identify if something has been genetically engineered or not.”

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 Examining Biosecurity at the Intersection of AI and Biology.

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

“Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing entitled “Examining Biosecurity at the Intersection of AI and Biology.

“The goal of today’s hearing is to examine a rapidly evolving threat landscape at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology. This convergence promises extraordinary breakthroughs for medicine, public health, and scientific discovery. It also introduces profound new risks to the safety and security of the American people.

“Our hearing today is about minimizing the risk of misuse to protect national security, while also maintaining public support of AI’s ability to assist with miraculous things—like finding life-saving cures for diseases.

“For decades, the United States has led the world in biotechnology. But what was once confined to specialized labs with highly trained scientists is now increasingly accessible far beyond traditional boundaries. Synthetic biology tools have become less expensive and more widely available. For example, a basic CRISPR gene-editing kit can be purchased online for under $300.

“Advanced AI systems—like large language models, or LLMs, and biological design tools capable of generating, troubleshooting, and optimizing biological designs—are moving faster than our existing oversight frameworks were built to anticipate.

“In recent years, studies have shown that cutting-edge AI models can walk users step-by-step through complex biological processes, including those relevant to developing or modifying dangerous pathogens. These tools can assist experts in breakthrough research, but they may also enable individuals with far less training to bypass barriers that once protected against accidental or intentional misuse. Some LLMs have even been shown to outperform PhD-level virologists on advanced troubleshooting tasks.

“There is also early evidence that AI systems can design entirely new biological entities. A recent study demonstrated that an AI model generated multiple synthetic viruses—some with capabilities that researchers previously believed were impossible.

“As a physician, I must acknowledge the extraordinary promise that AI-enabled biotechnology holds for patient care. AI is accelerating drug discovery, improving protein modeling, and enabling the development of therapies with unprecedented precision.

“But the same technological advancements can also raise the stakes for biosecurity. These risks are not theoretical. National security experts warn that adversarial nations—including China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, and others—may seek to exploit AI-enabled biological design tools for malicious purposes. We must take those warnings seriously.

“AI-enabled biotechnology presents issues that our current frameworks may not adequately account for. Existing government oversight systems—such as the Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) policy—may not apply when an AI-designed organism is not identified as a Select Agent, not known to infect humans, or not developed with federal funds.

“The Trump administration has taken steps to keep up with such advancements, but the federal government must continue to carefully assess whether our current safeguards and reporting systems are adequate in an era of rapidly advancing AI technology.

“I want to thank our witnesses for being here today. Your expertise will help guide Congress as we confront this challenge.”