E&C Republicans Block Amendment to Pass Bipartisan End-of-Year Agreement that Lowers Costs for Americans

Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats offered an amendment to take up and pass the bipartisan, bicameral end-of-year legislative package during a full Committee markup today. Committee Republicans voted against the amendment, which included the same legislation that bipartisan Committee leaders signed off in December before Elon Musk intervened and killed the agreement.

“Today we had a real opportunity to lower costs for the American people at a time Trump is destroying our economy and stretching people’s paychecks to the breaking point,” Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) said. “It’s clear Republicans are more interested in aligning with billionaires and Elon Musk than standing up for the American people.”

The Pallone amendment included provisions from the government funding agreement that was set to pass in December. The legislative package included a number of important provisions negotiated by the Energy and Commerce Committee, such as:

• Community Health Centers: would have expanded funding to ensure continued access to lifesaving care for millions of Americans annually at an increased funding level of $4.5 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2025 and $4.6 billion for FY 2026.
• Teaching Health Centers Program: would have provided five years of increased funding to expand training programs for primary care providers, increasing annual funding to $300 million by FY 2029—a 71 percent boost from current levels. The program supports the training of the next generation of health care providers in underserved communities.
• Public Health Program Reauthorizations: would have reauthorized funding for pandemic response, including medical countermeasures and hospital readiness programs through 2026.
• Prescription Drug Reforms: would have banned abusive pricing practices by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), increased transparency in drug pricing, and addressed patent abuses to lower costs for patients.
• Medicare Enhancements: would have provided a temporary payment increase for physicians.
• Support for Vulnerable Populations: would have expanded maternal health initiatives, supported individuals with disabilities, continued Traumatic Brain Injury research, and ensured children with special health care needs could receive timely specialized care.
• Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Therapies: would have supported development of new therapies for pediatric cancer patients.
• Pediatric Therapies: would have advanced policies to promote the development of safe and effective treatments tailored to children and hold drug manufacturers accountable to complete pediatric clinical trials.
• Year-round E-15: would have ensured Americans had access to homegrown biofuels that save drivers money at the pump and help insulate people from dramatic global price fluctuations. Dropping this provision only serves to line the pockets of Big Oil CEOs at the expense of everyday Americans.
• Safe Drinking Water: included funding to improve the resilience of drinking water systems, such as addressing vulnerabilities to cybersecurity threats. This program is especially vital amid growing cyber threats to our water systems, especially from foreign adversaries.
• Diesel Emissions Reduction: would have reauthorized the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program for another five years, guaranteeing that we get more dirty diesel engines off the road.
• Recycling: would have enacted critical resources to study and improve our recycling capabilities and our nation’s recycling system. 

###