Full Committee Markup

Committee on Commerce

2025-04-08

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This meeting of the Committee on Energy and Commerce focused on marking up several bipartisan bills, with a recurring theme of frustration over a previously failed comprehensive legislative package. While Republican members emphasized the bipartisan nature of the current bills and commitment to advancing them, Democratic members repeatedly criticized the administration and Republican leadership for derailing the earlier package and undermining federal agencies. The committee ultimately voted on and passed several bills related to consumer protection, technology, and national security, but adjourned before addressing health-related legislation due to time constraints and ongoing procedural disagreements.[ 00:16:03-00:16:27 ] [ 04:16:50-04:16:53 ]

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Themes

Bipartisan Legislation and Previous Package Controversy

The meeting revolved around the markup of 26 bills, which many members noted were part of a larger bipartisan and bicameral legislative package agreed upon last year but ultimately failed to pass.[ 00:16:16 ] Democrats, notably Ranking Member Pallone, repeatedly asserted that this failure was due to Elon Musk's intervention and Republican leadership yielding to his demands, preventing the passage of critical provisions for healthcare, drug prices, and consumer protections. Republicans acknowledged the disappointment over the previous package but expressed commitment to moving forward with bipartisan bills currently under consideration, particularly those within the commerce title.[ 00:29:45 ]

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 An amendment to attach the entire previous legislative package to the current bill was proposed by Mr. Pallone but was voted down along party lines.[ 00:28:06 ]

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Consumer Protection and Online Safety

Several bills aimed at consumer protection and online safety were discussed. The "Youth Poisoning Protection Act" (HR 1442) seeks to prevent suicides by banning the sale of high-concentration sodium nitrite to consumers.[ 01:06:33 ]

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 The "Take It Down Act" (HR 633) addresses the proliferation of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes, by criminalizing their publication and requiring platforms to remove them swiftly. The "Hotel Fees Transparency Act" (HR 1479) and "Ticketing Act" (HR 1402) aim to ensure transparent pricing by requiring upfront disclosure of all mandatory fees for lodging and event tickets. The "Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act" (HR 859) mandates disclosure of cameras and microphones in internet-connected smart appliances to protect consumer privacy.

Technology, Infrastructure, and National Security

Bills were advanced to strengthen America's technological leadership and infrastructure. These included the "Deploying American Blockchains Act" (HR 1664) to promote blockchain technology and maintain U.S. competitiveness against foreign adversaries like China. The "Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act" (HR 2444) aims to reduce dependence on foreign manufacturing, especially from the Chinese Communist Party, and strengthen supply chains through a coordinated government approach. The "Future Networks Act" (HR 2449) focuses on securing U.S. leadership in next-generation wireless technologies like 6G. The "Secure Space Act" (HR 2458) extends security frameworks to satellite networks to protect against threats from non-trusted actors. Other bills addressed foreign adversary communications transparency (HR 906), cybersecurity risks of consumer routers (HR 866), rural broadband protection (HR 2399), and open radio access network standards (HR 2037) to remove insecure hardware.[ 03:54:38 ]

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[ 04:06:37 ]

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Role of Federal Agencies and Administration Actions

A significant point of contention was the impact of the current administration's actions on federal agencies. Democrats voiced strong concerns about President Trump's alleged illegal attempts to fire Democratic FTC commissioners and gut the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), arguing that these actions undermine the enforcement capabilities of agencies and jeopardize public health. They suggested that Republican colleagues were not holding the administration accountable and were prioritizing external influences over the effective functioning of government and the well-being of Americans. Republicans countered by emphasizing their commitment to working through the legislative process and securing bipartisan outcomes for the bills under consideration.

Health Legislation (Limited Discussion)

While health legislation was initially part of the broader package, the committee adjourned before reaching these specific bills.[ 04:16:50-04:16:53 ]

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 However, several members, particularly Democrats, expressed deep disappointment that important health provisions—such as those addressing pediatric cancer, diabetes research, maternal deaths, and PBM reforms—were stripped from the earlier package. They reiterated the urgency of passing these measures and criticized the administration's actions for potentially hindering public health efforts amidst crises like the fentanyl crisis and measles outbreaks.

Tone of the Meeting

The tone of the meeting was largely contentious and deeply polarized, despite the bipartisan nature of the bills being advanced.[ 00:16:03-00:16:27 ] [ 00:19:10-00:19:17 ]

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 While Republican leadership attempted to maintain a focus on cooperation and the merits of individual bills, Democratic members frequently interjected with strong criticisms of the Trump administration, Republican leadership, and perceived external influences (like Elon Musk) on the legislative process. There was a palpable sense of frustration and distrust from Democrats regarding the sincerity of Republican efforts, particularly concerning the failed comprehensive package and the impact on federal agencies. Republicans, while defending their approach, often characterized Democratic amendments and criticisms as "stall tactics" and "political gamesmanship," contributing to the overall tension. The meeting concluded with further disagreement over the lack of direct oversight hearings for the Department of Health and Human Services, underscoring the deep partisan divide.

Participants

Transcript

from sexual exploitation.  The Committee on Energy and Commerce is working to address the biggest issues facing our country and our constituents.  Every bill we're considering today is bipartisan, and in many cases, members of this committee have been working together on them over several Congresses.  Every bill today either passed out of the committee unanimously and through the House last year with strong bipartisan votes or were negotiated and agreed upon on a bipartisan, bicameral basis at the end of last year.   Every single bill we are considering today had bipartisan agreement last Congress, and I hope we can pick up where we left off and move them all forward today.  Earlier this Congress ranking member, my good friend from New Jersey, Pallone, and I testified before the House Administration Committee to talk about our committee budget, and I really appreciate what my good friend said at the hearing.   when he said, while we were not able to get these bipartisan bills and provisions signed at all last Congress, I know that we're committed to getting them done this Congress.  And I'm glad to report that we're moving these bills forward because they make our country stronger and we need to pass this critical legislation.  In particular, we'll advance healthcare legislation to lower costs for patients, support cancer research, and address substance use disorder.  And I'm thankful to all of my colleagues who have supported this legislation to increase access to care for patients and their families.   Today, we have an opportunity to advance multiple bills that will strengthen our communications infrastructure and better prevent attacks from our adversaries who are continually seeking to compromise our critical infrastructure.  These bills will help fortify our networks against our threats.  While technological leadership is critically important to our national security and economic prosperity, as a father and a grandfather, I am extremely concerned by the stories we're hearing from parents about the potential unintended consequences of new technologies.   from protecting Americans from romance scams to increasing price transparency in ticketing and lodging, today should be a chance to celebrate bipartisan wins that serve our constituents.
I am still hopeful we can make progress soon on some of the other bills I have discussed with my friends from across the aisle, but nonetheless, we are marking up some outstanding legislation today   And I want to thank all of our sponsors for their hard work getting us to this point.  I always say the work we do here in the House affects people and their homes.  This legislation makes Americans' homes safer, healthier, and more prosperous.  Thank you for all your hard work.  I appreciate everybody's efforts for advancing this legislation.  I yield back, and I recognize the ranking member, Mr. Pallone, for five minutes for his opening statement.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  We're here today for what would normally be a routine markup of 26 bills.  However, these are not normal times.  I know Republicans want to proceed with business as usual around here, but the daily chaos and illegal activity that we're seeing from the Trump administration is not business as usual.  The reality is most of the bills we're considering today were already agreed to last year as part of a bipartisan bicameral legislative package that was said to be passed and signed into law in December.   before Elon Musk intervened and killed the agreement.  We should be passing that entire package as one bill today.   That package included important provisions that would have lowered costs for hardworking Americans, but instead of passing it and sending it to the President's desk to be signed into law, my Republican colleagues allowed Elon Musk to decide what becomes law.  What's especially upsetting about this is that my Republican colleagues know this was a good agreement that would have helped people.  It included provisions to lower prescription drug prices, crack down on junk fees, lower gas prices, ensure our water is safe to drink,   and fund community health centers and teaching health centers.  Republicans repeatedly look the other way.  First, as President Trump gave Elon Musk and his doge lackeys free reign to loot the American government and destroy our institutions and illegally fire tens of thousands of public servants who go to work every day to serve the American people.  And now, as Trump's reckless tariffs are leading to the largest middle class tax increase in at least 50 years.  These tariffs are crashing our economy   raising costs for groceries and other goods, and wiping out the hard-earned retirement savings of middle-class families.  Amidst all this chaos, Republicans have refused to hold this administration accountable.  We're marking up 26 bills that would task various federal agencies with more responsibilities.   while at the very same time the Trump administration is gutting the agencies and firing the public servants who would implement these new laws.  Republicans are bringing up consumer protection bills while also ignoring Trump's attempted illegal firing of the Democratic FTC commissioners and reports that Doge has arrived at FTC to fire people
and an already understaffed agency.  And this illegal action threatens the ability of our nation's leading consumer protection watchdogs to do their job, including protecting children from big tech online harms.  But Republicans finally move ahead without acknowledging the new reality.  Meanwhile, we will debate health-related bills today, like the Support Act,   all while President Trump eliminates 20,000 jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services.  Amidst a continued fentanyl crisis and a measles and bird flu outbreak, a 25% reduction of the workforce at HHS is alarming and truly irresponsible.  The truth is, Republicans want to hold this mark of today so they can continue to pretend like everything is normal.  But it's all a charade.   It's time for this committee to wake up and pay attention to what's going on around us.

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