Reps. DeGette and Pallone Lay Out Priorities for Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-01) joined with House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (NJ-06) and offered their Republican counterparts priority issues to explore and continue the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation's long tradition of substantive, bipartisan oversight. Their letter to Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (MI-06) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation Chairman Tim Murphy (PA-18) applauded the work of the Subcommittee so far and laid out their priorities for use of the subcommittee's oversight jurisdiction.

"We have explored influenza preparedness and vaccine effectiveness, federal programs targeting serious mental illness, oversight of the Chemical Safety Board, cybersecurity, and prevention and treatment of opioid abuse. The Subcommittee has a strong legacy of effective and substantive bipartisan oversight, and we seek to continue that tradition," said Reps. DeGette and Pallone. "We therefore write to propose several important topics that merit oversight in the coming months. We believe that each of these topics represent key areas of jurisdiction for the Subcommittee. Moreover, each represents a matter that affects millions of Americans and that the Subcommittee could pursue in a bipartisan fashion."

Their letter requested the Subcommittee consider the following topics: antibiotic resistance; increasing immunization rates for vaccine-preventable diseases; challenges facing FDA's foreign inspection offices; Medicare and Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse; the rising cost of prescription drugs; rising e-cigarette use among youth; continuing examination of high-containment laboratories; auto safety oversight and legislative solutions; hydraulic fracturing: protection of water sources and wastewater recovery, handling, storage, and processing; continuation of cybersecurity: protection of personal data and critical infrastructure; wireless cramming.

To read the letter in its entirety click here.

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