The Shadow
The 118th Congress served as a launching pad for numerous actions taken in the 119th Congress.
House Republicans reintroduced commonsense policies that first secured House passage in the 118th Congress.
One bill, the Laken Riley Act which I repeatedly voted for, makes it easier for law enforcement to arrest criminal illegal aliens for certain crimes. This bill received swift consideration and passage in both the House and Senate.
A second bill is the HALT Fentanyl Act. I was the proud House sponsor of this legislation to permanently designate lethal fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. The bill also made researching Schedule I drugs easier so that we can work to better understand the impacts of these substances on human health.
Like the Laken Riley Act, this bill received swift consideration in both chambers of Congress.
Both of these bills not only won support in the 119th Congress, but from the President as well. President Trump signed these bills into law to help protect American communities.
Some of my actions in the 118th Congress have influenced further action at the federal level.
During that time, I served as the Chairman of the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Moreover, I was a leading Energy and Commerce member on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
During my leadership on these panels, I routinely participated in oversight of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with particular interest in American public health agencies engaged in risky research and gain-of-function research projects.
Our investigative work demanded answers from public health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci.
My findings led me to introduce the Risky Research Review Act. This bill outlines key reforms to make American-funded research more safe, more transparent and more accountable.
To continue momentum on this front, I reintroduced the bill in the 119th Congress with Senator Rand Paul. But the Trump Administration is actively responding to my concerns.
In July 2026, the Trump Administration announced a new government policy for stopping high-risk life sciences research.
The federal policy prohibits American funding of dangerous gain-of-function research in both domestic and foreign settings and aims to establish stronger oversight for life sciences research that could present significant risks to human health.
The Trump Administration further limits federal support for research in countries or institutions that lack appropriate biosafety, biosecurity and oversight standards.
While I will still push for my legislation to enshrine necessary guardrails into law for federally funded risky research, these federal actions are steps in the right direction.
A separate health care policy I investigated under my Chairmanship in the 118th Congress concerned the implementation and oversight of the organ donation and transplant system.
I led a hearing to spotlight issues with our organ transplant programs and discuss the failures of the groups responsible for the procurement of organs, Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs).
In particular, I highlighted alarming allegations that were previously raised to my Subcommittee’s attention.
We received reports that an OPO had planned to operate on prospective organ donors who showed signs of life!
Another allegation claimed that somebody mouthed the words “help me” just before doctors were ready to commence an organ harvesting procedure.
The patient survived, but this disturbing detail reinforced Congressional desires to make the organ transplant process more safe and less risky.
These reports reflected concerns about Network for Hope, one federally designated OPO, and its management and operating procedures.
Upon hearing these troubling allegations, my Oversight Subcommittee brought in medical experts to understand the organ transplant health care landscape and determine the frequency at which these incidents happen.
Following my investigation on the issue, the Trump Administration has worked to protect prospective organ donors and patients awaiting lifesaving treatments.
In August 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made steps to decertify Network for Hope! This means the OPO can no longer do business with the federal government, and it loses a primary source of income.
This action is another critical federal step in working to ensure the safety and integrity of organ donation and securing U.S. health care programs to better protect patients.
I am proud to have been an early advocate on these issues to help sway federal action. I will continue to shine a light on issues that deserve attention from Congress, the President and the American people.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at https://morgangriffith.house.gov/. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
