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MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Brett Guthrie

Republican KY 81 statements translated

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Guthrie, a Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, spends most of his floor time managing consideration of largely bipartisan bills on health (ALS, breast cancer screening, traumatic brain injury, fentanyl and xylazine) and energy (grid capacity, battery recycling, critical minerals), typically urging a yes vote. His speech is heavily procedural—the signature phrase ‘I yield myself such time as I may consume’ opens nearly every statement, and closing remarks often consist mainly of thanking bill sponsors and yielding time, so much of his airtime goes to floor mechanics rather than argument, far more than most members. When he does argue, he is concrete and mostly free of invective: he cites figures (DERA’s $2.30 in outside funding per federal dollar, 47 million seized fentanyl pills), names bill sponsors across both parties, stresses competition with China on technology and minerals, and frequently ties bills back to Kentucky, as with bluegrass music’s origins in ‘my district.’ His main recurring weak spot is staying on the question: much of his speaking time answers something other than the issue under discussion, usually procedure or thanks, and he occasionally asserts conclusions like California’s emission waiver lacking ‘meaningful, measurable decrease in emissions’ with little supporting detail.Written by AI from their statements. Updated .

Average grade
B+
81 / 100 over 41 statements
Signal 63 / 100
Relevance 97 / 100
Reasoning 87 / 100
Respect Not scored yet
Clarity 95 / 100
Averaged over the 41 of 81 statements graded so far.

In their own words

Loses points more than most for

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.1.9 times as often as most members.What the tags mean ×1.9

Loses points less than most for Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.Less often than most members.What the tags mean

Statements 81

House of Representatives ·

Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative Authorization Act of 2026

“I want the House to vote yes on this bill.”

  • Speech on a bill

    Signal 10 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

    See full analysis
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank my friend from Texas, Mr. Pfluger, and my friend from Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Landsman, just across the river from our great Commonwealth, for working together on this piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes’’ vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It officially approves and expands an EPA program that recovers useful materials from polluted sites.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, there are thousands of contaminated sites across the United States, and the waste materials present at these sites may be rich sources of critical materials that can be recovered with the right technology. That is why my colleagues, Representatives Pfluger and Landsman, have introduced the Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative, or EMRTAI, Authorization Act of 2026. The EPA already operates a similar program through general authorities, but this legislation formally authorizes the program, expands it to include other types of contaminated sites, and provides guidance to EPA in selecting which projects to support. This legislation enjoyed broad bipartisan support at the committee level, and I urge my colleagues in the House to support its passage. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It sets up an EPA program to recover critical materials from polluted sites.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9616) to establish a program for the recovery of critical materials from contaminated sites, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:

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House of Representatives ·

Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Ocean-Going Vessels At...

“I want the House to pass this resolution. It blocks California from enforcing expensive new pollution rules on cargo ships at its ports. These rules will raise prices for consumers across the country without clearly cutting pollution.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution led by Representative Vince Fong of California. It would overturn a Clean Air Act waiver allowing California to regulate tanker emissions while they are at berth in California ports. These expensive regulations on tanker ships, ports, utilities, and operators will undermine safety and the compliance costs, including installing electric charging equipment to power tanker ships, will be passed down to consumers and raise the price of all goods that move through California. Beyond the staggering costs, where is the meaningful, measurable decrease in emissions that proponents claim will follow? Yet again, California has attempted to set a national standard without demonstrating any benefits. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.J. Res. 210 to overturn the waiver and restore common sense in our environmental regulation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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“I am asking the House to immediately take up this resolution to block an EPA rule on California ship pollution standards.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1530, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 210) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to ``California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Ocean- Going Vessels At-Berth; Notice of Decision’’, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.

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House of Representatives ·

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2025

“I want the House to pass this bill. It keeps funding an EPA program that helps replace and upgrade old diesel engines. This program creates manufacturing jobs, cleans up the air, and saves fuel.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, DERA, of 2025, led by two members of our committee, Representative Matsui of California and Representative Langworthy of New York, reauthorizes a longstanding and successful bipartisan program. This EPA program provides funding assistance to accelerate replacements and upgrades for older diesel engines. It has supported U.S. manufacturing jobs through the development and deployment of a wide range of technologies, leading to improved air quality and economic growth across the country. It is estimated that for every Federal dollar received, the DERA program has leveraged about $2.30 in outside funding, resulting in over 570 million gallons of fuel saved. The program has also upgraded 76,900 vehicle engines. I urge support of this bipartisan legislation with a track record of proven results. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It keeps funding programs that help replace old diesel engines and cut down on pollution.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2140) to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize the diesel emissions reduction program. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:

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House of Representatives ·

Battery Recycling for America's Competitive Economy Act

“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes it easier for facilities to store used lithium-ion batteries before recycling them. This will help our country recycle more valuable minerals like nickel, cobalt, and copper.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, end-of-life batteries are a strategic source of nickel, cobalt, and copper, and the volume of batteries available for recycling is expected to triple over the next 10 years. The Battery Recycling for America’s Competitive Economy Act, or the BRACE Act, introduced by my colleague Representative Miller-Meeks, would address an unnecessary limitation in the EPA’s current regulations by allowing destination facilities that recycle lithium-ion batteries to store the batteries prior to recycling. The legislation would also require EPA to conduct a rulemaking to establish lithium-ion batteries as a separate category of universal waste within 18 months, providing greater regulatory clarity and certainty to support the growth of the domestic battery recycling industry. Mr. Speaker, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced this bill by a unanimous vote, 46-0. I urge my colleagues in the House to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes it easier to recycle lithium-ion batteries.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9615) to support the recycling and recovery of lithium-ion batteries, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:

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House of Representatives ·

Coordinating and Harnessing America's Recovery of Minerals Act

“I want everyone to vote yes on this bill. Both parties worked hard on it, and it is very important.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hard bipartisan work and can’t overstate how important this is and how important the lead of the gentleman from Alabama has been on this issue. I strongly encourage a ``yes’’ vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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“Most critical minerals are processed in China. Representative Palmer has led the work to fix our dependence on China for these minerals.”

  • Speech on a bill

    Signal 37 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

    See full analysis
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer), the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee and my good friend who has been an absolute leader on the critical mineral issue. We have seen that most of them are developed and processed in China, and he has been waving the flag that we need to get ahead of that. We now have an administration and Congress moving forward because of the work of this man.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It directs the EPA to create a national plan to recover important minerals from waste like old electronics and mining leftovers. The EPA already knows how to do this work.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Environment Subcommittee Chairman Palmer and Ranking Member Tonko, for introducing H.R. 9617, the Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals Act, or CHARM Act. Throughout this Congress, our committee has examined opportunities to recover critical minerals from discarded materials, such as mine waste, coal combustion materials, end-of-life electronics, and produced water. The CHARM Act is a product of a lot of this work. This bill directs the EPA, in consultation with Federal agencies, to develop a national critical mineral recovery strategy in coordination with other Federal agencies. EPA already has the expertise in recovery of valuable materials from discarded materials, and the agency is well-positioned to lead these efforts. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to support the passage of this bipartisan legislation. I appreciate the hard work of Chairman Palmer and Ranking Member Tonko, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It directs the EPA to create a national plan to recover critical minerals from waste.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9617) to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: ``Sec. 2009. National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy.’’.

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House of Representatives ·

Stop Pills That Kill Act

“I want the House to pass this bill. Drug traffickers use pill presses to make fake pills filled with fentanyl and meth. Last year, federal agents seized more than 47 million of these fake fentanyl pills. This bill helps the government crack down on the machines used to make them.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 8005, the Stop Pills That Kill Act, that my good friend from Colorado (Mr. Evans) has brought forward. The threat posed by illicit pill presses has risen as drug traffickers continue to press fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other illicit drugs into drug pills. In 2025 alone, DEA seized over 47 million fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills. This bill makes important regulatory changes to strengthen DEA’s ability to stop bad actors from misusing pill presses, tableting, and encapsulating machines and their critical components to illicitly manufacture controlled substances to poison our communities. This bill will make our streets safer. I applaud the tireless efforts of my friend from Colorado to protect Americans from these threats. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill to increase penalties for making fentanyl and fake pills.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8005) to amend the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit certain acts related to fentanyl, analogues of fentanyl, and counterfeit substances, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:

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House of Representatives ·

Tyler's Law

“I want the House to pass this bill. We have worked on it for a long time, and I will vote yes.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate all of the moms who have been working with us. We really appreciate their hard work. Our sympathies are with them, and we are glad that their children are being honored tonight. This is final passage, and we have been working on this for quite a while. Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes’’ vote on the bill, I look forward to voting for it in just a couple of seconds, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It will help hospital emergency rooms better test for and treat fentanyl overdoses so more people do not die.”

  • Speech on a bill

    Signal 42 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

    See full analysis
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2004, led by the gentleman from California (Mr. Lieu) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta). Tyler’s Law is named after Tyler Shamash, who suffered from a fatal fentanyl poisoning after doctors did not test for fentanyl when he was admitted to the hospital emergency room. This bill would honor Tyler’s memory by helping prevent more tragedies and ensuring providers are able to provide the best practices when treating cases of potential drug overdoses. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill. I can’t stop, Mr. Speaker, without bringing up his mother, Juli, who has spent tireless hours flying from California to D.C.--sometimes, because of our schedule change, on a moment’s notice--to be present for hearings and bringing this story, knowing that it is not going to bring her son back but wanting to prevent other mothers and other people from going through what she has gone through. I appreciate her hard work, and I acknowledge that. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill to honor his legacy and the many families who have suffered similarly. I reserve the balance of my time.

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“I want the House to pass this bill. It tells health officials to study whether emergency rooms should regularly test overdose patients for fentanyl.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2004) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on whether hospital emergency departments should implement fentanyl testing as a routine procedure for patients experiencing an overdose, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:

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House of Representatives ·

Combating Illicit Xylazine Act

“I want the House to vote yes on this bill.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend from California’s hard work on this bill and all the other colleagues he mentioned and the committee’s work. I encourage a ``yes’’ vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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“I want Congress to pass this bill. It makes illegal xylazine a controlled drug so we can stop street sales, but it still lets vets and ranchers use it on animals.”
Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1266, the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, led by my colleagues Representatives Panetta and Pfluger. Xylazine is a veterinary drug used to sedate large animals. It has no legitimate use in humans, and it is quickly becoming one of the deadliest drugs on our streets. This bill would place xylazine in schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act while ensuring an exemption for appropriate use within the veterinary and ranching industries. The decision to place xylazine in schedule III is a product of extensive bipartisan work spanning two Congresses and two administrations, supported by both DEA and HHS. It is critical that we pass this commonsense bill to strengthen our ability to crack down on illicit xylazine distribution while preserving its legitimate veterinary and ranching uses. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

View on govinfo.gov Grade A View analysis