Markup Wrap Up: Oversight Committee Advances Legislation to Lower Prescription Drug Prices, Stop D.C. Tax Hikes, and Improve Government Operations

WASHINGTON-The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a markup and advanced legislation today to lower prescription drug costs, protect patients and local independent pharmacies from predatory pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices, strengthen congressional oversight of Washington, D.C.'s taxing authority, and improve the efficiency of federal government operations. Earlier today, Chairman Comer published an op-ed in the Washington Examiner lauding the bipartisan Pharmacists Fight Back Act (H.R. 6610) to hold PBMs accountable for raising prescription drug prices to unaffordable levels for many Americans.

"Americans are paying more for lifesaving medications while PBMs exploit their control over the prescription drug market for their own financial gain. The bipartisan Pharmacists Fight Back Act reins in predatory PBM practices, increases transparency, protects patients' freedom to choose their pharmacy, and holds PBMs accountable when they break the rules. The Committee also advanced legislation today to prevent D.C. socialists from taxing residents and businesses into oblivion to pay for years of reckless spending. These commonsense bills will lower drug costs, protect taxpayers, and make government more accountable to the American people," said Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).The following bills were reported favorably by the House Oversight Committee:

H.R. 6610, Pharmacists Fight Back in Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans Act: Introduced by Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), the bipartisan bill establishes new requirements for pharmacy benefit managers participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. It requires PBMs to fairly reimburse pharmacies and apply manufacturer rebates to reduce beneficiaries' prescription drug costs. The bill also prohibits PBMs from steering patients toward affiliated pharmacies and establishes penalties for noncompliance.

"Rarely a day goes by that I do not hear from Kentuckians concerned about the high cost of prescription drugs. Over the last several years, I have worked closely with Kentucky pharmacists to learn more about the pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, that are lurking behind the scenes keeping patients from accessing the most effective medications for them. The Oversight Committee is moving the Pharmacists Fight Back Act to rein in PBMs and curb abusive practices. The bill restricts massive price markups and increases transparency in pharmacy reimbursement. While this bipartisan bill may not address every single possible cause of high healthcare costs, it represents a giant step in the right direction. This bill is supported by over 60 state and national pharmacy groups including the Kentucky Independent Pharmacist Alliance, Kentucky Pharmacists Association, the American Pharmacy Cooperative, Community Oncology Alliance, and Transparency Rising," said Chairman Comer.

H.R. 9720, D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act: Introduced by Chairman Comer, the bill requires congressional approval of any legislation passed by the District of Columbia that imposes or increases a tax or fee. Such legislation would not take effect unless Congress passes a joint resolution of approval within 60 days after it is transmitted to Congress. The bill also establishes expedited procedures for congressional consideration.

"Radical D.C. Democrats want to solve their spending problem by reaching deeper into taxpayers' pockets and driving further on the path to socialism. The D.C. Council is also planning on imposing new fees on deliveries of everyday groceries and essentials. Actions like these only serve to hurt small businesses and the District's already vulnerable residents. These are just more examples of bad policies that disincentivize investment, drive residents out, and undermine the economic competitiveness of the city. Rather than cutting spending, the ultra-progressive and socialist Democrat candidate for Mayor and the D.C. Council want to tax D.C. business and residents into oblivion to fund their unmaintainable extension of public programs. To improve the economic competitiveness of the District, I am working with Treasury Secretary Bessent to find ways to make D.C. more attractive to businesses. The D.C. Council cannot tax their way out of financial devastation that their egregious policies have created," said Chairman Comer.

H.R. 9725, Restoring Integrity and Efficiency to Inspector General Oversight Act of 2025: Introduced by Representative Clay Higgins (R-La.), the bill abolishes the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) one year after enactment and transfers certain government-wide inspector general oversight responsibilities to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It also directs the OMB Director to develop inspection standards for inspector general offices, requires the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers to maintain professional training academies for the inspector general workforce, and places the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee in the Executive Branch.

"CIGIE was created to coordinate cross-agency investigations, provide support for inspectors general, and share best practices to help IG offices root out waste, fraud, and abuse. CIGIE has ballooned into a bureaucratic mess that seeks to expand its power rather than do the job it was created to do. Some IGs have shared frustrations with being unable to get the assistance they need to investigate waste in their agencies. CIGIE has lost Congress and the public's trust. That is why I support this bill, because I believe it is time to end the Integrity Committee and transferring CIGIE's core functions is a good start to restoring trust in the IG community," said Chairman Comer.

"Maybe CIGIE was born of good intentions, but it has operated and come to be recognized clearly as a weaponized government entity. Now within CIGIE exists what's called an Integrity Committee. The Integrity Committee consists of four inspectors general chosen by the chairperson of CIGIE. The Integrity Committee has operated in a manner contrary to the constitution for a long time. The Integrity Committee have historically been biased actors with a partisan alignment. The Integrity Committee has acted against the legal interest of the United States. The Integrity Committee has unlawfully expanded its jurisdiction. I urge support for this bill," said Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.).

H.R. 9643, the Comment Integrity and Management Act: Introduced by Representative Clay Higgins (R-La.), the bill improves the management of electronic comments submitted during the federal rulemaking process. It requires agencies to verify that electronic comments were submitted by humans and requires agencies to disclose publicly their policies for handling computer-generated and mass comments. The bill also directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue implementation guidance.

"Every American deserves the opportunity to participate in our political system, which includes sharing their views on agency rulemaking. Agencies are required by statute to provide an opportunity to participate in rulemaking and to consider all submitted views or data on draft rules. While advances in technology expand the ability for the public to comment on proposed rules electronically, they also create challenges as agencies must now manage mostly identical computer-generated or mass comments. H.R. 9643, the Comment Integrity and Management Act, provides additional support to agencies navigating these challenges by allowing them the flexibility necessary to manage electronic comments. It's time that our federal agencies adapt their processes to accommodate the latest technologies. I thank Representative Clay Higgins for his ideas and work in developing this forward-thinking legislation," said Chairman Comer.

"This bill improves the management of electronic comments submitted during agency rulemaking. A few years ago, and this was before AI we started noting that during the public comment time frame of government projects that there seemed to be repetitive comments that were identical. We found that many of these comments were from false profiles like one guy grading many emails and sending the same comments. What this does is it compromises the integrity of the comment collection. We've been working on this for a long time. We have made amendments to the language in this Congress to address concerns of the minority which I appreciated that feedback and corroboration. We have included considerations for AI. We've made adjustments to this bill, and no one should oppose this bill," said Rep. Clay Higgins.