Good morning and welcome to today’s hearing on the Internal Revenue Service’s implementation and administration of the President’s health care law. Before we begin this morning, it is appropriate to recall that eleven years ago, almost to the hour, our nation was savagely attacked.  After these 11 years, each of can recall exactly what we were doing at that time.  The… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Good morning.  We welcome our colleagues from the Subcommittee on Health who join us today to focus on the importance of removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards.   For many years now, protecting the Social Security number has been a priority of the Ways and Means Committee that both sides agree on.  So far this session, we have… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Thank you, Chairman Johnson. I’m pleased the Subcommittees are meeting today to discuss what I consider to be a common sense, bipartisan idea that will help protect our nation’s seniors, brought before the Committee by Chairman Johnson and Congressman Doggett. Medicare beneficiaries from across the United States are affected by fraud and identity… Read more

Mr. Chairman, it may be déjà vu all over again, but we don’t have to do the same thing all over again.  This year marks the third time in the last five years that core tax rates on either individual or investment incomes have been scheduled to expire.  That’s no way to run a country, and it’s no way to help the economy. While Congress should once again act to stop the tax… Read more

I want to welcome all of you to the markup of the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal Act of 2012.  With unemployment stuck above eight percent, we cannot miss any opportunity to help create jobs and expand our exports.  This bill is such an opportunity.   That is why this legislation enjoys such broad bipartisan support.  I am pleased that Ranking Members… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Welcome to this morning’s hearing on public charities.   This hearing is the second in a series of hearings exploring tax-exempt issues and IRS compliance efforts.  The focus of today’s hearing is on 501(c)(3) public charities, the largest category of tax-exempt organizations.   In particular, for public charities we are focused on… Read more

  (Remarks as Prepared) Good afternoon.  In today’s hearing, we will review how technology is being used to improve the administration of the Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, program.   As the nation’s largest Federal means-tested cash assistance program, SSI is sometimes called “the other welfare.”  Last month, SSI provided checks to more than… Read more

The Subcommittee will come to order. We are meeting today to hear from physician organizations who are working to improve the quality of care delivered to patients.  These initiatives have been shown to be successful and may hold promise as we seek to reform and update the Medicare physician payment formula.   For the past 18 months we’ve been seeking both formal and informal… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Good morning and thank you for joining us for another in a series of hearings examining how comprehensive tax reform can help spur economic growth.  Today’s hearing is an opportunity to look more closely at the manufacturing industry.  Specifically, we will examine how the current tax system affects U.S. manufacturers, including U.S.-based public… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Good morning.  Writing for the Majority in the ObamaCare decision handed down last month, Chief Justice John Roberts quoted the Lopez decision writing, “At the very least, we should ‘pause to consider the implications of the Government’s arguments’ when confronted with such new conceptions of federal power.”   Whether or not one agrees or… Read more