Good afternoon.  I would like to welcome all of you, especially Panamanian Ambassador Jaramillo, to our hearing on the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.  Today’s hearing is the second in a series of hearings we will hold on the pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.  As I’ve said before, I strongly believe that we should consider all three… Read more

Good morning.  I would like to welcome all of you, especially Colombian Ambassador Silva, to our first Trade Subcommittee hearing of the 112th Congress.  Today’s hearing is the first in a series of three hearings we will hold on the pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.  This continues the examination the full Committee began in its hearings on January 25 and… Read more

The Committee will now consider H.R. 1034, the “Airport and Airway Trust Fund Financing Reauthorization Act of 2011.”  This bill provides a clean extension of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund authority and of the associated excise taxes at their current rates, through September 30, 2014. We all can agree that funding operations and improvements to the nation’s airports and air… Read more

The Ways & Means Committee derives its jurisdiction from Article One, Section Seven of the United States Constitution, which provides that, “All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.”  Furthermore, Rule 21, clause 5(a) of the Rules of the House allows a point of order to be raised against any bill containing a tax or tariff measure that is reported… Read more

I want to welcome everyone to the first hearing in the Subcommittee on Health for the 112th Congress.  Today, we will be hearing from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) on the recommendations in their March 2011 report on Medicare payment policies. During this Congress, we must come together to address a fiscal crisis of monumental proportions.  Every program, no matter… Read more

Today's hearing is about how the government can use data and information technology to better prevent fraud and abuse, increase the efficiency of benefit programs, and produce savings for U.S. taxpayers. That’s an ambitious set of goals.    We will start by asking about how current efforts to use data and technology are working to improve program administration and benefit accuracy. … Read more

I want to welcome our witnesses to this hearing to discuss the taxation of small businesses and pass-through entities as part of a broader discussion on tax reform. There is a window of opportunity to enact comprehensive tax reform, and we must take advantage of it. Last November, the American people sent a strong message to Washington.  They told Washington to stop putting off tough… Read more

Good afternoon.  I want to begin this hearing by welcoming our guests, who are here to join a very important discussion about health care fraud.  For our first panel, we welcome Dr. Peter Budetti, who serves as a Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and is Director of its Center for Program Integrity.  We also welcome Lewis Morris.  Mr. Morris serves as… Read more

Washington, DC - Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) today delivered opening remarks at the Committee on Ways and Means Markup of H.R. 4  and H.R. 705.  Below is an excerpt, followed by the full remarks. 1099 Repeal is a Win for Small Businesses, Individuals and Families "In my judgment, this is a win-win-win for taxpayers – it is a win for small businesses who won’t suffer under… Read more

Washington, DC - Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) today delivered opening remarks at the Committee on Ways and Means Hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the President’s 2012 Budget.  Below are excerpts, followed by the full remarks. The Democrats’ Law is a Mess “Some in the Administration have said that the 1099 reporting provision is too… Read more