On December 9, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) was elected to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the upcoming 119th Congress, succeeding Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers who announced her retirement earlier this year.
The Energy and Commerce Committee holds one of the broadest jurisdictions in Congress, overseeing health care, energy, environmental policies, consumer safety, telecommunications, and technology innovation. Guthrie’s appointment places him at the center of many anticipated policy changes as Republicans assume control of Congress and the White House.
Guthrie has expressed his commitment to restoring U.S. energy dominance, ensuring online safety for children, maintaining America’s edge in technological innovation, and protecting access to life-saving treatments while reducing healthcare costs. Guthrie was first elected to Congress in 2008 and has served on the Energy and Commerce Committee for over a decade. As chair of the Health Subcommittee for the past two years, Guthrie focused on policies related to combating the overdose epidemic, pharmacy benefit manager reforms, price transparency, telehealth, and incentivizing development and access to disease treatments and cures.
In a statement on Guthrie’s election, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said the committee will be “in good hands,” and that Guthrie has the “experience and know-how required to hit the ground running.”
Guthrie’s congressional district includes twenty counties in Kentucky and ranges from Bowling Green to parts of Owensboro and eastern Louisville.
