Dear Friends,

I just wrapped up a jam-packed week in Washington. This week, the House took action to temporarily fund the government, unleash American energy dominance, take care of our veterans, and make the streets of our nation’s capital safer. 

Honoring the Life of Charlie Kirk

He approached every debate with an eagerness and joy that is so desperately needed in today’s world. This week, the House held a candlelight vigil to honor his memory and on Friday, passed a resolution honoring his life and dedication to open dialogue. May Charlie rest in peace in the arms of our Lord.

Supporting Our Veterans

This week, the House voted on a series of bills to improve the health outcomes for our veterans and support their families. Take a look below to learn about some of what we voted on. 

• H.R. 1107 - Allows veterans to utilize telehealth services to obtain new prescriptions. 
• H.R. 3854 - Modernizes the Department of Veterans Affairs' ability to process claims for veterans, making it easier to get access to care.
• H.R. 3767 - Streamlines the VA hiring process for recent graduates to reduce the provider shortage and get veterans the health care they need.
• H.R. 2721 – Implements a program to furnish a headstone or burial marker to honor veterans who died on or before November 1, 1990.

Cleaning up Crime 

Over the past month, President Trump has proven that the crime crisis in our nation’s capital can be solved by being tough on crime and increasing law enforcement presence across the city. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House passed four bills to make D.C. crack down on crime and ensure safety for its residents and visitors!

This week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce had a full schedule with a total of four hearings and one full committee markup advancing various pieces of legislation to the House Floor. 

Unleashing American Energy Dominance

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on three bills this week to unleash American energy dominance and assert Congressional oversight over cross-border infrastructure, re-establish the National Coal Council, and improve grid reliability. Take a look below to learn more about these bills! 

H.R. 3062, the Promoting Cross-border Energy Infrastructure Act would streamline the cross-border permitting process for the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of international border-crossing facilities for the import and export of oil and natural gas and the transmission of electricity. 

H.R. 1047, GRID Power Act would provide Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators with authority to prioritize projects that improve grid reliability and resiliency.

Advancing Legislation to Improve Public Health in America

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a markup to advance several pieces of legislation to improve public health in rural America, increase access to pediatric cancer and rare disease treatments, and strengthen the FDA drug approval process. You can watch my opening statement below. 

I want to take a moment to highlight a few of the bills our committee advanced to the full House for consideration: H.R. 2493, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act and H.R. 1262, the Give Kids a Chance Act. 

The Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act would reauthorize Rural Health Services Outreach programs to increase access to health care services and preventive screenings. I am proud to see this bill, that will support nearly 500,000 rural Americans, advance out of committee. 

Our Committee also advanced the Give Kids a Chance Act. This bill would build upon current programs to accelerate research and drug development for rare pediatric diseases, including cancer. One important part of this legislation is the reauthorization of the rare pediatric disease priority review voucher, or “PRV.” This program provides a critical incentive for companies to develop treatments and cures. Since 2012, the program has proven successful, leading to over 50 new treatment approvals for nearly 40 different rare pediatric diseases, many of which had no options prior.

Enhancing Americans’ Access to Breakthrough Health Care Technologies 

On Thursday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to examine several bills that would enhance Americans’ access to breakthrough health care technologies, including a bill to allow Medicare coverage for multi-cancer early detection tests. 

I want to extend a special thank you to KY02’s Kim Lindgren with the American Cancer Society Action Network for being in Washington to advocate for these important policies

Unleashing American Energy

My committee is working hard to lower costs for American families.

On Tuesday, our Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing to look at the ways we can repeal reckless energy regulations to lower appliance costs for families and businesses. Take a look at my opening statement above! 

Next week is Gold Star Families Remembrance Week. We honor the men and women who laid down their lives in service to our nation. On Tuesday, I met with family members of servicemembers who died while on Active Duty from Kentucky’s Second District. We will never forget the sacrifice of these families and their loved ones.

Great to welcome the Kentucky National Guard and have a great conversation about the ways that Congress can ensure they are equipped for any mission they are called to do.

Great to meet with Respiratory Therapists from Elizabethtown! Thank you for all you do to provide health care in our communities!

I have always been a proud supporter of our Kentucky law enforcement community. Thank you to the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Association for all you do to keep our communities safe! 

Manufacturing is a core part of our economy in Kentucky. On Wednesday, I had a productive conversation with the Kentucky Association of Equipment Manufacturers. 

As Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, one of my top priorities is ensuring our energy grid is both resilient and reliable to meet our growing energy demand. Thank you to the nation’s largest supplier of cable, Southwire, for meeting this week to discuss what you are doing to support the growth of our energy industry in KY02 and the country more broadly.

This week, I sat down with Punchbowl News to talk about the work the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is doing to ensure America wins the race for AI against China. You can click the image above or here to learn more.