House Energy and Commerce panel advances affordability, grid and health care agenda

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Highlights

House Energy and Commerce Committee advances the Ratepayer Protection Act to shift grid upgrade costs from households to data centers and modernize infrastructure.
Two bipartisan bills direct the EPA to coordinate federal efforts to recover domestic critical minerals from discarded and contaminated materials, reducing reliance on China.
The bipartisan Lower Costs, More Transparency Act mandates hospitals and insurers to publicly disclose procedure prices and benefits, aiming to reduce health care costs.

Markup agenda spans energy, minerals and drug policy

As reported by House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Chairman Brett Guthrie says the committee's full markup is focused on strengthening the grid, shielding households from higher costs, improving community safety and supporting patients across the country.

Guthrie says the Ratepayer Protection Act has bipartisan support and encourages states to consider large load tariffs so data centers pay for needed grid upgrades and electricity demand, rather than passing those costs to consumers. He also says the committee is considering legislation to modernize grid infrastructure and a reauthorization of PHMSA's pipeline safety program to help maintain energy deliveries for U.S. families.

The chairman adds that two bipartisan bills target domestic critical mineral supply chains as lawmakers seek to reduce reliance on foreign adversaries such as China. He says the measures direct the EPA to coordinate federal efforts to recover critical minerals from discarded materials and support technologies that extract them from contaminated materials.

Consumer cost focus shapes broader committee push

Beyond energy and supply chains, the committee is also considering bills aimed at illicit substances and counterfeit drug production. Guthrie says lawmakers are weighing proposals to schedule xylazine while preserving legitimate access, apply class-wide scheduling to nitazenes, and support the DEA's oversight of pill presses and related components.

He also highlights Tyler's Law, which is named after Tyler Shamash and would study the use of fentanyl testing in hospitals after a fatal fentanyl poisoning case. In health care, Guthrie says the bipartisan Lower Costs, More Transparency Act would require hospitals and insurers to publicly disclose actual benefits and procedure prices more clearly, part of what he describes as a wider drive toward a safer, more affordable and healthier America.

In our earlier article, we covered the White House’s move to tighten waiver standards for defense contractors seeking to source critical minerals and other inputs from China and other prohibited suppliers. We noted that the executive order also pushes the Pentagon to map defense supply chains from raw materials to finished systems, increasing compliance pressure on major contractors while accelerating a shift toward domestic and allied sourcing.

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