The election of Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) to lead the House Energy and Commerce Committee will likely be a pivotal step in advancing the health policy goals of the incoming Republican trifecta, including rolling back altering Biden-era Medicare policies and implementing oversight reforms of federal health agencies.
The Kentucky congressman, who has served in the House since 2009, is expected to play a vital role in shepherding key pieces of President-elect Donald Trump’s healthcare agenda through the House, which could be done as part of a reconciliation bill early in 2025.
“I am humbled and excited to get to work next Congress to deliver on President Trump and House Republicans’ America First agenda,” Guthrie said in a statement, adding that one of his top priorities is to “protect access to life-saving treatments while lowering health care costs.”
The Energy and Commerce Committee, previously headed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), has jurisdiction over Medicare, Medicaid, and public health policy as well as federal health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Guthrie, the former chairman of the Health Subcommittee and Republican Deputy Whip, won the contest for the committee chairmanship position Monday evening against Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), the most senior Republican on the committee.
His campaign for the position largely revolved around efforts to amend the healthcare provisions of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which allows CMS to negotiate prescription drug prices.
In February, Guthrie introduced legislation that would amend the IRA to extend the length of time new drugs could be on the market without being subjected to price setting from CMS.
Currently, the IRA enables CMS to select small-molecule drugs for drug price negotiation after seven years on the market but allows large-molecule drugs, or biologics, 11 years before eligibility for the negotiation process. Guthrie’s bill would amend the IRA by ensuring both small- and large-molecule drugs have the same 11-year exemption period, which he said will incentivize cutting-edge pharmaceutical investment.
For his 2024 reelection campaign, Guthrie received over $1.1 million in donations from pharmaceutical companies, health professional groups, and health services organizations, according to OpenSecrets.
Guthrie is also a staunch advocate of Medicare Advantage, the private insurance alternative to traditional Medicare. Trump and his nominee for CMS administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, are also supporters of expanding the Medicare Advantage program.
As Health Subcommittee chairman, Guthrie also played a central role last term in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s oversight of federal health agencies, particularly the NIH, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reforming federal public health agencies is a central plank of Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, spearheaded by his nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Guthrie did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment on his support of the MAHA agenda.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in a statement that Guthrie “already has the experience and know-how required to hit the ground running.”
“The Energy and Commerce Committee, which possesses one of the broadest and most important jurisdictions in Congress, will be in good hands under Brett Guthrie’s leadership,” said Johnson.