Latest news with #HouseEnergyandCommerceCommittee
The Hill
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
The AI law moratorium isn't dead yet: Congress cannot backtrack now
Despite the recent and overwhelming Senate vote to defeat a proposed decade-long ban on state AI safety laws, some in Congress are preparing to undermine the will of four in five Americans and reverse this achievement. After outcry from conservatives and liberals, state and federal lawmakers, and parents across the country, the Senate voted 99-1 to defeat the proposed ban, which was buried in the 'one big beautiful' budget bill. Their uproar was justified. A moratorium on state AI safety legislation would be a dream come true for AI companies. It would mean no rules, no accountability and total control — and a nightmare for families. While Congress is failing to address urgent issues around AI, states are enacting laws that allow for industry growth while also protecting consumers at the same time. Yet, despite the Senate's July 1 vote to protect states' rights to keep residents safe, a moratorium is expected to once again rear its ugly head, either as new legislation or language snuck into some other large bill. This is an irresponsible and indefensible policy approach, and it is a direct threat to the safety and well-being of consumers, especially children. There are multiple signs that the push for a moratorium is not dead. A draft document has been circulated in D.C. that President Trump will supposedly reveal for an AI action plan that could withhold federal funds from states with 'restrictive' AI regulations. The House Energy and Commerce Committee posted on social media last week against 'burdensome AI regulations.' Tech industry lobbyists, arguing against the alleged threat from multiple state laws, are talking up revising the failed moratorium provision. And tech policy observers are keeping their eye out for a vehicle to block state regulation, such as a stand-alone bill, an amendment in a must-pass bill (like the National Defense Authorization Act) or an end-of-year appropriations bill. AI's risks to kids are well-documented and, in the worst cases, deadly. AI has supercharged kids' exposure to misinformation. AI-generated child sexual abuse material is also flooding online spaces. But perhaps the most alarming trend is the rapid rise of social AI companions. Research released earlier this year by my organization, Common Sense Media, shows that three-quarters of teens have used AI companions, and many are regularly turning to them for emotional support. Our Social AI Companions Risk Assessments demonstrated that AI companions will readily produce inappropriate responses, including those involving sexual role-play, offensive stereotypes and dangerous 'advice' that, if followed, could have life-threatening consequences. In our test cases, AI companions shared a recipe for napalm, misled users with claims of 'realness,' and increased mental health risks for already vulnerable teens. Based on our findings, we concluded that no one under 18 should use AI companions. In response, states have moved swiftly to address these threats. New York adopted new safeguards for AI companions and the largest, most advanced generative AI models. In California, bills are advancing to ban AI companions for minors, codify AI industry whistleblower protections and require greater transparency by AI companion platforms for all users. Kentucky enacted a law to protect residents from AI-enabled discrimination by state agencies. The Maryland legislature is considering a bill to establish AI bias auditing requirements. And last year, Tennessee's Republican governor signed first-in-the-nation legislation to protect music artists from unauthorized AI-enabled voice cloning. These laws aren't radical overreaches. They are common-sense guardrails rooted in federalism. Supporters of the proposed moratorium — AI industry lobbyists chief among them — argue that state laws will deter innovation. But that's not how American governance works. States have always served as laboratories of democracy, and many of today's strongest federal consumer protections began as state laws. If Connecticut hadn't led the way, you might still be breathing in cigarette smoke at restaurants. And if not for a New York law, your car might not have seatbelts today. Smoking restrictions didn't bankrupt Big Tobacco, and seatbelt laws didn't kill the car industry. AI safety laws aren't stopping America from leading on AI. But they will make the technology safer, smarter and more sustainable. That ethos has always been core to tech policy advocates' mission. We believe in the power of technology, including AI, to do good, and we support well-crafted policy that protects kids without sacrificing innovation. What we don't support is letting tech companies use kids as guinea pigs — like what was allowed with the rise of social media — with AI. And while we commend both red and blue states for protecting kids from unsafe AI, we also recognize that there's a need for national leadership that enables both safety and growth. These aren't opposing goals — in fact, the former makes the latter sustainable. Congress ought to recognize that. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. Lawmakers at all levels must play an active role in ensuring that the AI revolution helps our kids thrive. And our polling shows that voters overwhelmingly want all levels of government involved. That means crafting intelligent policies that support safe AI development, including risk-based audits, transparency and whistleblower protections. It means expanding data privacy protections, especially for kids. And it means ensuring that AI products impacting kids are built with safety and accountability in mind. Congress made the right call last month, even if they had to be nudged, and it must do so again. U.S. senators and representatives, as well as the president, must reject new attempts to ban or restrict states from protecting residents from the known risks of new technology. Their constituents demand it. The next generation demands it. Our AI future demands it.
Japan Today
01-07-2025
- Health
- Japan Today
HHS layoffs were likely unlawful and must be halted, U.S. judge says
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) A federal judge ruled that recent mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were likely unlawful and ordered the Trump administration to halt plans to downsize and reorganize the nation's health workforce. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose granted the preliminary injunction sought by a coalition of attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit filed in early May. DuBose said the states had shown 'irreparable harm,' from the cuts and were likely to prevail in their claims that 'HHS's action was both arbitrary and capricious as well as contrary to law.' 'The executive branch does not have the authority to order, organize, or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress,' DuBose wrote in a 58-page order handed down in U.S. district court in Providence. Her order blocks the Trump administration from finalizing layoffs announced in March or issuing further firings. HHS is directed to file a status report by July 11. An HHS spokesperson said the administration is reviewing the decision and considering next steps. "We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient and resistant to change," Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement. The ruling applies to employees in four different parts of HHS: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Center for Tobacco Products within the Food and Drug Administration; the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families and employees of regional offices who work on Head Start matters; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. eliminated more than 10,000 employees in late March and consolidated 28 agencies to 15. Since then, agencies including the CDC have rescinded layoffs affecting hundreds of employees, including those monitoring HIV, hepatitis and other diseases. The attorneys general argued that the massive restructuring was arbitrary and outside of the scope of the agency's authority. The lawsuit also says the action decimated essential programs and pushed burdensome costs onto states. DuBose wrote that states have lost access to 'funds, guidance, research, screenings, compliance oversight, data, and, importantly, the expertise and guidance on which they have long relied.' The cuts are part of a federal 'Make America Healthy Again' directive to streamline costly agencies and reduce redundancies. Kennedy told senators at a May 14 hearing that there is 'so much chaos and disorganization" at HHS. But the restructuring had eliminated key teams that regulate food safety and drugs, as well as support a wide range of programs for tobacco, HIV prevention and maternal and infant health. Kennedy has since said that because of mistakes, 20% of people fired might be reinstated. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Int'l Business Times
24-06-2025
- Health
- Int'l Business Times
RFK Jr Admits He 'Did Not Fact Check' MAHA Report Before Non-Existent Sources Were Found in the Paper
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted that he neglected to fact check his "Make America Healthy Again" report after it was revealed that several of the over 500 sources cited by the report did not exist. Seven of the studies cited by the MAHA report were never published or could not be found, according to NOTUS investigation from May. The secretary appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a hearing on Tuesday, during which he got into a heated exchange with Democratic Rep. Raul Ruiz. "You're listed as the chair of the commission. Did you read the report and fact-check its sources prior to publication?" Ruiz asked. "I did not fact check," RFK Jr. responded. "Why then did the report include citations to sources that don't even exist? How does that happen under your leadership, sir?" Ruiz continued. "All of the foundational assertions in that report are accurate," said RFK Jr. "They did not exist. How can they be accurate if they did not exist? In fact, my understanding is that even once the report was updated, more authors and researchers came forward stating that their research was misconstrued. This is quite unbelievable sir," Ruiz stated. "My concern here is that you and this administration are undertaking vast changes to our federal public health system and using purported facts and gold standard evidence that you claim to have as justifications for your decisions, actions and frankly your dissipation of our nation's public health infrastructure. But what you're relying upon isn't real. It isn't data driven and it isn't based in facts or reality. It's wrong," Ruiz continued. Social media users also proceeded to ridicule RFK Jr. for his responses to Ruiz' hard-hitting questions. "The Vaccine Whisperer just said he didn't fact-check—then claimed sources that DON'T EXIST are somehow accurate?? This is what happens when a Facebook comments section is HHS. He's not a truth-teller—he's a conspiracy karaoke machine with a Wi-Fi signal. Unfit. Embarrassing," one user wrote. "The scary part about this guy is - unlike Hegseth - nobody is babysitting him, which means he can do some serious damage. I'd be more comfortable with a witchdoctor as Sec of HHS," another added. "Look, we all know RFK Jr's brain worm fact checks everything, and that brain worm has a degree in 'doing it's own research' from Trump University," one user joked. "If a student turned that fraudulent document into my alma mater, they may have been referred to the university for expulsion, at the VERY least removal from the college of engineering," another user chimed in. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House Reconciliation Bill Locks in Trump's Energy Dominance Agenda
Americans voted for lower energy costs. President Donald Trump's administration followed through on the promise in record time with gas prices reaching their lowest levels in years. Now Congressional Republicans are codifying his energy policy agenda as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The administration is expanding drilling on federal lands, expediting approvals for natural gas exports, and streamlining bureaucratic red tape that too often strangles energy exploration and extraction. Taken together, these actions will begin unleashing the private sector to bring about American energy dominance. Already, oil prices have reached a four-year low, and prices at the pump are down about 50 cents per gallon over the past year. That's major progress, but there is only so much an administration can do solo. Thankfully, congressional Republicans have passed plan to give President Trump an expanded arsenal of tools to achieve his energy policy agenda. Their energy plan is a core part of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' that will also extend the expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from Trump's first term. The entire package will deliver pro-growth tax relief, save trillions of taxpayer dollars, and avoid a massive $4.5 trillion tax increase in 2026. While there are a lot of taxpayer-friendly provisions in the reconciliation package, part of the bill's mission is to fix America's broken energy policy. It repeals billions of dollars in wasteful Green New Deal-style funding and drives certainty for energy companies to invest over the long-term. The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee should each be commended for crafting some of the most important provisions of this tax and budget savings package. The core focus of the Natural Resources Committee's plan is to promote energy production. It does so by finally establishing a predictable schedule for the consideration of public lands and waters that can be tapped for resource extraction. The private sector will have long-term certainty thanks to quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales, and biannual offshore lease sales. President Biden infamously halted these sales and issued the fewest leases since the 1960s. Opening a competitive and responsible bid process for federal acreage will ensure a steady pipeline of future energy projects. Their proposal also focuses on bringing down production costs by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act's misguided fee increase on oil and gas produced on federal lands. It delivers a 25% cut to that fee, making production less expensive and more attractive for drillers to extract fossil fuels—likely yielding downstream consumer benefits. Higher taxes and fees ultimately disincentivize activities, and the inverse is also true. The Energy and Commerce Committee's portion of the bill will expedite the construction of energy infrastructure by cutting government red tape and allowing the private sector to bring energy from the ground to market more quickly. It accelerates permitting with a one-year timeline for carbon dioxide, oil, and hydrogen pipeline projects and for liquefied natural gas export facilities. It would also exempt most of these projects from frivolous, activist litigation to avoid 'delay-to-die' schemes. And while the Biden Administration emptied the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for political purposes, the Republican bill begins the process of responsibly refilling it. The Reserve currently sits at historically low levels, a scary reality in today's uncertain world. Its purpose is to safeguard against real emergencies, like natural disasters or major supply disruptions, not political worries. It's refreshing to see Congress engage on sensible energy policy after the boondoggles of the Biden years. Urgency on this issue is crucial since energy is a building block of our modern society and is woven into every facet of our lives. We need oil and natural gas to help grow crops, transport goods, power our factories, energize our homes, and much more. Without it, our entire way of life would be threatened. More energy, lower costs, and a reliable electricity supply: that's the vision Republicans and President Trump are hoping to accomplish with their reconciliation bill. The right course of action, and the necessary one, is for policymakers to keep these provisions in the final proposal that reaches the Oval Office. Praise be to Republicans for advancing a strong America-first energy policy. Thomas Aiello is Senior Director of Government Affairs at National Taxpayers Union
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pueblo citizens urge Hurd to vote ‘no' on Medicaid cuts
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — Some community members in Pueblo came together on Sunday, May 18, to urge Representative Jeff Hurd to vote 'No' on any bill cutting funds to Medicaid. On Saturday, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee pushed forward a plan aimed at saving $880 billion by cutting Medicaid funding. The proposal would end funding methods that many states rely on and penalize states covering people who entered the U.S. illegally. Some in Pueblo say Jeff Hurd has been quiet on matters about the policy, and are asking him to speak up. 'Jeff Hurd needs to understand that he is working for us and not Donald Trump,' said Center for Health Progress Kebin Abernathy. 'He was elected by Colorado Congressional District 3, maybe not by all of us, but he does represent all of us, and he needs to listen to all of us.' The plan could leave more than 10 million people without Medicaid and 7.6 million more by 2034. 'Working at the Department of Human Services for almost 20 years, Medicaid isn't just a program, it's faces, it's people,' said Josette Jaramillo. 'It's the people that rely on Medicaid for their treatment, for their medications, for their behavioral health programs.' Those who rallied together on Sunday are asking Hurd to speak up and vote no on the proposed Medicaid cuts that would allegedly put 228,000 working people in Colorado's Third Congressional District at risk, along with several healthcare and public service workers' jobs. FOX21 News reached out to Jeff Hurd's Office for comment and is still awaiting a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
