Come up with good best practices, and implement them widely to make sure our networks are more secure. Did the Congressional Review Act rescinding the fccs broadband privacy rules have any effect on the fccs Cybersecurity Authority . Thats a good question. I think the primary problem right now with cybersecurity is that my colleagues dont agree with me, in addition i think theres a fact that our Communication Security reliability and interope interoperaability, in its current iteration, its not part of their agenda. Finally, how did the cra impact the security of consumers private information . I think were going to only time will tell but im worried about that as well. Thank you. Let the record reflect i cosigned. Thank you. Thank you, madam chair. The gentleman yields back. Theyre going to call votes in about 15 minutes. Miss rogers is seeking to be ucd to the committee for purposes of asking a question. Without objection, so ordered. Youre recognized. Thank you, chairman, blackburn, for giving me the opportunity to join you today. The internet has revolutionized the lives to millions of americans and vital to an individuals economic potential in the 21st century. Unfortunately, many in Eastern Washington live with a Digital Divide that is limiting employment, educational, health and economic opportunities. Ensuring that hard working families in Eastern Washington have reliable access to Broadband Technology is a top priority of mine. And we must use every tool in the toolbox to provide greater opportunity. Thats why im excited in the opportunity to build out from the broadcast incentive auction to provide to rural america. Many individuals and families in the most rural parts of my district struggle to get a signal for cell phone, let alone connect to the internet. Im encouraged by the commitment private sectors made in purchasing this spectrum and the practical effect it will have in Eastern Washington. Deployment of infrastructure and technology as a result of the auction will support millions of jobs and generate billions in Economic Opportunity in rural america. An increased broadband will help the u. S. Continue its leadership in technology and innovation, by providing an on ramp for 5g network deployments. Thats why i wrote a letter in a Bipartisan Group of 54 of our colleagues urging the fcc to continue supporting the current time line for the repac resulting from the auction. This issue is too important, ensuring that the repac remains on schedule will mean many in Eastern Washington will gain reliable Broadband Access in a matter of months, not years. I wanted to thank the fcc for putting a renewed emphasis on closing the Digital Divide. And im encouraged by the engagement of the commission in looking for new innovative ways to provide access to millions of americans. We have the opportunity to provide every american the opportunity they deserve regardless of where they live. I look forward to you making that reality. At this time i would like to submit to the committee this letter that congresswoman eschu and i led with the 54 colleagues. So ordered. I would also like you, chairman pi, on title 2. Until the last fcc chairman acted late in the Previous Administration to upend really decades of bipartisan work in fostering broadband infrastructure, providers of this service were subject to a light regulatory touch. Are you concerned about achieving the level of broadband investment necessary to deploy broadband deeper into rural areas if the u. S. Does not go back to the light regulatory touch model . And can you tell us whats on the horizon to remove this uncertainty for investment for folks who just want fast and Reliable Internet Service . Thank you for the question, congresswoman. For the way you captured i think both the peril and promise of bringing connectivity to folks in Eastern Washington, we are as mentioned earlier engaged in open proceeding to figure out what is the best Regulatory Framework to preserve as much Infrastructure Investment as possible, especially in parts of the country that dont have it. So weve taken a fair amount of Public Comment at this point, and were studying the record and trying to figure out the appropriate way forward. And what i can tell you is that we want to make sure, not just in this proceeding, but in every proceeding, that we have first and foremost in our minds closing the Digital Divide. There are far too Many Americans who are on the wrong side of that divide. Individuals who dont have the opportunities that others have. There are families who dont have the chance to thrive. Communities that will eventually wither on the vine. The country is weaker. And that is why the first day i was in office, i said this would be our top priority. And its going to remain so, so long as i draw a paycheck at the fcc. Great. I thank you for that commitment. And with that, ill yield back. The gentle lady yields back. There being no further members wishing to ask questions of the panel, you all have been generous with your time for the over past three hours. I thank you all for being here today. I ask unanimous consent to enter the following letters into the record. The five documents offered by mr. Doyle, mercada center paper offered by mr. Pallone, the letter from the lptv coalition and mcmorris repac letter. Without objection, so ordered. Pursuant to committee rules, i remind members they have ten Business Days to submit additional questions for the record, and i ask that witnesses submit their responses within ten Business Days upon receipt of the questions. Seeing no further business, before the subcommittee today, without objection, the subcommittee is adjourned. This week marks 50 years since senator john mccains capture in vietnam, and the beginning of his time as a p. O. W. We spoke to him about his service, his imprisonment and the legacy of the vietnam war. You can watch this starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan, online at cspan. Org, or on the free cspan radio app. Last week, cspan2s book tv sat down with Hillary Clinton to talk about her book what happened. She addressed criticism from sean hannity on her handling of a u. S. Russia uranium deal while she was secretary of state. Heres a look. Sean hannity on his program has been very critical of the uranium one deal, the president saying with regard to russia, thats the real story in all of this. What would you say to those critics . I would say its the same baloney theyve been peddling for years, and theres been no credible evidence by anyone. In fact, its been debunked repeatedly. And really, i have to give them credit. You know, trump and his allies, including fox news, are really experts at distraction and diversion. So the closer the investigation about real russian ties between Trump Associates and real russians, as we heard Jeff Sessions finally admit to in his testimony the other day, the more they just want to throw mud on the wall and im their favorite target, me and president obama. Theyre the ones they always like to put into the crosshairs. So yes, im not surprised, but i think the real story is how nervous they are about these continuing investigations. That was part of an hourlong interview on her recent book what happened. You can find the full interview with book tv on our website cspan. Org book tv. Up next, a hearing to assess the federal Governments Public Health preparedness for Hurricane Season. Recent hurricanes caused major damage to parts of texas, florida, and puerto rico, which is the home to several drug manufacturers. Whose facilities were severely damaged by the storm. The house energy and commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations heard from fda commissioner dr. Scott gottlieb. Its 2 hours and 35 minutes. Go ahead and get it started. Thank you, everybody. Appreciate it. We are here today to examine the department of health and Human ServicesPublic Health preparedness for and response to the 2017 Hurricane Season. In the last two months, texas, florida, puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands have been devastated by hurricanes. I first want to express our heartfelt sorrow for the millions of americans impacted by these devastating storms, and say that all members of this committee on both sides of the aisle stand with those affected by these hurricanes. I would also like to thank dr. Burgess and dr. Ruiz who each recently visited puerto rico to assess the impact these hurricanes have had, and continue to have on our fellow americans. This committee has been conducting oversight of the federal response to the recent hurricanes since shortly after harvey made landfall in texas. Unfortunately, i expect that our work here will continue for years to come. The committees jurisdiction involves not just the Public Health issues well be discussing today, but also rebuilding the electrical grid, addressing environmental cleanup and restoring telecommunications, to name only a few. The people of puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands continue to face a long road to recovery, and many are living without power and Running Water. I believe we are going to be joined today by representative Jennifer Gonzalez collone from puerto rico. Thank you for being here at this important hearing. From coordinating the overall federal Health Care Response to ensuring that individuals have the medical treatment they need, to protecting the blood and pharmaceutical supply, to granting emergency waivers and everything in between, hhs has been working tirelessly to provide medical care, and services to individuals affected by the storms. The overwhelming majority of Health Care Facilities in the impacted areas went above and beyond to protect and treat those in harms way. Yet media reports indicate that somehow care providers failed in their duty to protect their patients. There was a tragic situation at a nursing home in florida, where 14 residents died after the facility lost its air conditioning, and this despite a hospital across the street that never lost power, or cooling. The response in puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands has involved numerous federal agencies working together with each other, and state and local officials. Before Hurricane Maria made landfall in puerto rico and every day since, hhs, the department of defense, the department of veterans affairs, and fema have been working with local Emergency Response officials to provide medical care and help reestablish the health care infrastructure. Hhs has worked with puerto ricos dialysis facilities and coordinated with femfema. Similar efforts are ongoing in the u. S. Virgin ids as well. Has the agency been effective from the perspective of hhs . Are the federal policies causing delays, in response efforts . Are we utilizing our resources in the most efficient and effective ways to help our fellow americans in puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands in particular. Finally, it is critical that we understand the Public Health challenges ahead. As we have seen after Hurricane Harvey, theres an increased risk for the spread of Infectious Disease due to contaminated water. Media reports indicate that one month after Hurricane Maria, over 1 million americans are still without clean, safe Drinking Water. Rebuilding puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands will take years. The Health Care Systems are in dire condition and most of the operational facilities need some degree of assistance. To make matters worse, the electrical grid has been devastated, which has significantly hampered Recovery Efforts. We still dont even know the full extent of the damage, let alone when our fellow citizens will have electricity and Running Water restored. Were trying to do Everything Possible to address the short and longterm needs of the area impacted by harvey, irma and maria, especially in the Health Results that resulted and will continue to result from these storms. I would like to thank the witnesses for testifying here today. And i look forward to hearing your testimony. And with that, i will now yield five minutes for an Opening Statement to miss degette, the Ranking Member from colorado. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. This 2017 Hurricane Season has been one of the most damaging on record. Hurricane harvey broke the record for the greatest amount of rain recorded from a single Tropical Storm or hurricane in the United States. And inundated houston and south texas with more than 51 inches of rain. Hurricane irma became the strongest atlantic hurricane on record, before it hit the Virgin Islands and florida. And while these storms have been devastating, Hurricane Marias impact on puerto rico and the u. S. Virgin islands has been nothing less than catastrophic. Mr. Chairman, as you said, the scope of potential health risks thats caused by this ongoing crisis is still coming into focus, but its clearly considerable. Over a month after maria hit, the infrastructure on puerto rico and the Virgin Islands remains decimated. Nearly 80 of puerto rico still doesnt have power. Hhs reported that a substantial number of puerto ricos hospitals are either nonoperational or require generators in order to keep functioning. Over a third of puerto rican residents lack reliable access to Potable Water. Contaminated is spreading contagious diseases, and while i certainly appreciate the effort by volunteers, including physicians and nurses volunteering their time, with the hhs demat teams, im concerned poor management of the hurricane response at a federal level may be hindering response efforts. The federal government, i believe, probably does not have a complete picture of what Health Care Challenges exist, because, frankly, most of the island of puerto rico lacks adequate communication. I think that this committee needs to hold further hearings to address the status of all these Vital Services that you, mr. Chairman, talked about. And i even think as time goes on, we should have field hearings on puerto rico in particular, but also the Virgin Islands, as much of the recovery effort as you so accurately described involves the jurisdiction of this committee. I cant stress enough how important it is for us to send our staff down there to investigate this, and how important it is for members to go and investigate this. I was part of a group of members that went after Hurricane Katrina to new orleans to observe the Recovery Efforts. What we found through years of oversight on this subcommittee was that washingtons understanding regarding the situation on the ground was very different than we were able to observe firsthand. When we went into the basement of charity hospital, we saw what happened to those records. When we had our field hearings, congresswoman blackburn was there and a bunch of the rest of us, and we saw what had happened to Small Business people down there in new orleans. You just cannot substitute for that, and as we begin to think about our public response as members of congress, we need to see what were doing on the ground. Mr. Chairman, last week President Trump said the administration deserves a ten for its response to the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Given the fact that most residents lack power, nearly 1 million americans lack access to safe and reliable Drinking Water, and endless reports of near subsistence living for many, i find that statement to be breathtaking. I hope that our Witnesses Today are better prepared than that to talk about whats really happening on the ground, and what we can do to address this unfolding crisis. I hope it will be the beginning of an ongoing concerted effort to understand whats going on. And i would now like to yield the balance of my time to representative castor who wants to talk appropriately about the Health Challenges facing her state of florida. This simply was a catastrophic Hurricane Season. And we have so many challenges ahead. I want t