Bilirakis to Chair Subcommittee Tasked with Protecting Privacy, Consumers, and Children While Advancing Innovation and Global Competitiveness

Washington, DC:  For the first time since its inception, the U.S. House of Representatives’ full Energy and Commerce Committee has a woman at the helm. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington state who has a long and impressive record of leading transformational change, has been selected to serve as Chair of the oldest standing legislative committee in the House which also has the distinction of being vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee.   “For 227 years, the Energy and Commerce Committee has led on solutions to keep the promise of America, where we have lifted more people out of poverty and led the world in raising people’s standard of living,” Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers.  “This Congress, Republicans will continue to honor the committee’s rich history to improve people’s lives and ensure America leads a new era of innovation and entrepreneurship.” In one of her first official acts, Rodgers has tapped Congressman Gus Bilirakis to lead the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce.  This subcommittee has jurisdiction over interstate and foreign commerce; consumer protection; data security and privacy; motor vehicle safety; regulation of commercial practices; consumer product safety and liability; and regulation of travel, tourism, and time.

 “My Republican colleagues and I made a commitment to America that we will create: an economy that is strong, a nation that is secure, a future that is free, and a government that is accountable,” said Chair Bilirakis.   “Through our work on the Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee, we will deliver on these promises by embracing innovation, promoting free markets, facilitating free speech, maximizing individual freedom, and pushing back on the Biden Administration’s egregious and continued display of government overreach. 

 With a laser-focus on protecting all Americans, the Subcommittee will pursue uniform data privacy protections, enhanced safeguards to protect children from harmful content while online, and strategies that will enhance American innovation and global competitiveness.  “Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis is an exceptionally qualified leader on our team and will help our committee deliver on the promises we made to the American people,” noted Chair Rodgers.