This hearing will be the first in a series of hearings exploring tax-exempt issues and related IRS compliance efforts. Tax-exempt organizations, especially charitable organizations, serve an important role in our society.  From the local little league to non-profit hospitals to major universities, tax-exempt organizations are intertwined with our communities and economy.… Read more

We are here today to assess the impact of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment competitive bidding program.  Our intent is to understand the program’s impact on beneficiaries, suppliers, and Medicare expenditures, and the implications for program expansion.   Congress mandated the use of competitive bidding to establish payment rates for high cost and high volume DME in the… Read more

As our nation ages, more Americans are depending on Social Security’s benefits and services that they paid for through their hard earned wages.  These days, Social Security increasingly relies on technology to deliver the services that Americans deserve and expect.   As you all know, I take the technology needs of Social Security very seriously.  At times it seems like… Read more

Welcome to this morning’s joint Subcommittee on Oversight and Subcommittee on Social Security hearing on identity theft and tax fraud.  I am pleased to join Chairman Johnson again as our Subcommittees focus on fraud, waste, and abuse, and how the federal government might better protect taxpayer dollars.  The subject of today’s hearing is not a new one, but evidence suggests it… Read more

Chairman Boustany, I want to thank you for holding this hearing regarding identity theft and its role in the growing crime of tax fraud.   Earlier this year, the Subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing on Social Security’s death records, including the so-called Death Master File, a publically available listing of the personal information of those who have died, including… Read more

We are meeting today to examine proposals to reform Medicare through Premium Support and the bipartisan support for such proposals. First, I think we should make it abundantly clear, that despite what some on the other side might say, Republicans support the Medicare program.  The program serves a critical function in our society, ensuring that America’s seniors and people with… Read more

I commend Chairman Camp for his leadership in working to overhaul the tax code.  As he said in the first hearing of this congress, tax reform will be a long process.  In the meantime we must continue our work on the current tax code. And unfortunately, the current tax code is riddled with scores of provisions that have been enacted on a temporary basis. I say riddled not… Read more

As we all know, we have been paying record Unemployment Insurance benefits for years now.  Despite characterizations by some on the other side that this is the best stimulus money can buy, we know that the U.S. labor market remains in near-critical condition today: There are 5 million fewer jobs today than the Administration predicted there would be at the end of 2010; … Read more

Welcome to this afternoon’s hearing on the limitations the Democrats’ health care law places on consumers’ use of tax-advantaged plans to purchase over-the-counter medication. Millions of Americans use tax-advantaged plans to save for medical expenses. Plans such as flexible spending arrangements, health reimbursement arrangements, and health savings accounts allow consumers to set… Read more

Welcome to the most recent installment in this subcommittee’s ongoing efforts to promote the standardization of program data within and across public benefit programs. One of the key purposes for today’s hearing will be to review the progress that has already been made with relevant agencies and outside experts, as well as consider next steps. It was just thirteen months ago that this… Read more