Energy and Commerce Committee
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest continuous standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was originally established in 1795 to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
Congresswoman Trahan is a member of the subcommittees on Health, Consumer Protection & Commerce, and Oversight and Investigations.
Health:
The Health Subcommittee has key jurisdiction as the federal government continues working to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over legislation addressing public health, mental health, health insurance, hospitals, biomedical research, drug abuse and addiction treatment, and more.
Consumer Protection and Commerce:
The Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee has direct jurisdiction over the Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for regulating commercial practices and large mergers that require antitrust scrutiny. As a critic of large digital platforms, Trahan will have a seat on the panel with the power to demand accountability for the dangerous spread of disinformation that has proliferated online. Other online areas of jurisdiction include privacy, data security, and consumer protections. The Subcommittee also has oversight over sports-related matters, including professional baseball changes and decisions by the NCAA regarding student-athletes’ ability to profit off their own name, image, or likeness. Additional information about the Subcommittee can be accessed here.
Oversight and Investigations:
The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is tasked with conducting oversight of all agencies, departments, and programs that the full Committee has versight of. When warranted, the Subcommittee spearheads investigations and publishes reports on its findings.
Trahan’s appointment to the Energy and Commerce Committee was recently applauded by many prominent industry and nonprofit leaders who understand the importance of maintaining the region’s and the Commonwealth’s voice at the table on these timely issues.
Today, the Committee has the broadest jurisdiction of any authorizing committee in Congress. It legislates on a wide variety of issues, including:
- health care, including mental health and substance abuse
- health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid
- biomedical research and development
- food, drug, device and cosmetic safety
- environmental protection
- clean air and climate change
- safe drinking water
- toxic chemicals and hazardous waste
- national energy policy
- renewable energy and conservation
- nuclear facilities
- electronic communications and the internet
- broadcast and cable television
- privacy, cybersecurity and data security
- consumer protection and product safety
- motor vehicle safety
- travel, tourism and sports
- interstate and foreign commerce
The Committee also oversees several federal departments and agencies, including:
- Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institutes of Health
- Food and Drug Administration
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Indian Health Service
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Department of Energy
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Federal Communications Commission
- Federal Trade Commission
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Homeland Security
Natural Resources Committee
The House Committee on Natural Resources advances the interests of the indigenous peoples and residents of the territories of the United States, and considers legislation and oversees federal conservation and species protection programs under the leadership of Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva.
Congresswoman Trahan is a member of the subcommittee on National Parks Forests and Public Lands.
National Parks, Forests, And Public Lands:
Formerly chaired by Congresswoman Deb Haaland, who has since taken the role of Interior Secretary, the Subcommittee has oversight of the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, all of which employ a total of nearly 60,000 workers nationwide to fulfill their respective missions to protect, preserve, and maintain federally protected lands. It also has jurisdiction over the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which Trahan has been a strong supporter of, and the National Wild Scenic Rivers Program, which will be key for the continued preservation of the Nashua Wild and Scenic River and the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Wild and Scenic River. Finally, Trahan will also be able to use her seat on the Subcommittee to continue her support for the Essex National Heritage Area, as well as other National Heritage Areas across the Commonwealth.
The Committee’s responsibilities include the following:
Full Committee, Insular Affairs
- Fostering political and economic development of the insular areas.
- Providing oversight of the Puerto Rico, Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, (PROMESA) and the Oversight Board.
- Seeking to improve the economies, local financial management and a process for the orderly political development of all the territories.
- Continuing efforts to advance economic self-sufficiency of the Freely Associated States
- Enhancing America’s National Parks
- Protecting wilderness and conservation sites
- Fostering opportunities for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation
- Developing environmental regulation and public participation
- Protecting tribal sovereignty authority over lands and natural resources
- Empowering tribal governments with enhanced self-governance authorities
- Ensuring that tribal communities have access to resources they need and are legally entitled
- Monitoring the development of oil and gas onshore and offshore
- Establishing renewable energy sources - solar, wind, geothermal, and ocean energy
- Overseeing coal and hardrock mining regulations
- Ensuring a fair return for the American people for energy & mineral development
- Protecting our oceans, coasts and vulnerable sea life from pollution, climate change, and other threats
- Growing sustainable fisheries and resilient coastal and ocean economies
- Creating new water supplies to aid communities affected by the drought
- Securing water supply certainty for tribal communities
- Preparing communities for climate-change impacts on water supplies
- Conserving and recovering American species and their habitats
- Protecting our ecosystems and growing the outdoor recreation economy
- Enhancing international wildlife conservation efforts
- National wildlife refuges
- Administering congressional oversight
- Evaluating the committee’s efforts to ensure effective management of our limited natural resources
- Ensuring policies are grounded in science that is free of financial conflicts of interest
Congressional Caucus Membership
New Democrats
Progressive Caucus
Portuguese-American Caucus
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
LGBT Equality Caucus
Black Maternal Health Caucus
Diversifying Tech Caucus
Air Force Caucus
Small Brewers Caucus
Army Caucus
Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus
Freshman Working Group on Addiction
Autism Research and Education Caucus
Baby Caucus
Blue Collar Caucus
Building Trades
Cambodia Caucus
Caucus on the Deadliest Cancers
College Affordability Caucus
Community Colleges
Congressional Peace Corps Caucus
Fusion Energy Caucus
Latino-Jewish Congressional Caucus
Lung Cancer Caucus
Multiple Sclerosis Caucus
National Guard and Reserve Caucus
Pandemic Preparedness Caucus
Pro-choice Caucus
Save Minor League Baseball Task Force
Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus
Skin Cancer Caucus
Women in STEM Caucus
Women Veteran Task Force
