In his August 1953 message to Congress, President Eisenhower referred to retirement systems as “a reflection of the American heritage of sturdy self-reliance which has made our country strong and kept it free; the self-reliance without which we would have had no pilgrim fathers, no hardship-defying pioneers, and no eagerness today to push to ever widening horizons in every aspect of our… Read more

This Motion to Recommit on H.R. 5618 adds a provision to pay for the extended unemployment benefits proposed in the underlying bill. We think it makes sense to help long-term unemployed people and we want to do it without adding another $34 billion to the nation’s $13 trillion debt. We know that Stimulus hasn’t worked – in its wake nearly 3 million private sector jobs were lost,… Read more

Below are statements from Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) regarding H. Res. 1465, a resolution reaffirming the longstanding friendship and alliance between the United States and Colombia. The statements congratulated Colombia on its democratic election and noted that the United States should strengthen its alliance… Read more

Fathers play an enormous role in their children’s lives, every day of the year.  Yet an increasing number of fathers are absent from their families, contributing to school dropout, poverty, crime, and other ills, as we will hear today. To counteract those trends, 1996 reforms let States spend welfare funds on “healthy marriage” and “responsible fatherhood” programs; and 2006 amendments… Read more

Thank you, Chairman Levin. I believe there is a clear and unified message this Committee and this Congress would like to send to China, and it is this: China is not acting in good faith and is aggressively engaged in a series of troubling and downright protectionist policies that put our economic relationship at risk.   Unless China immediately begins to eliminate trade barriers and end… Read more

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is broad agreement that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) needs to do far more to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare.  In fact, fraud is such an issue in Medicare that the Chief Counsel to the HHS Inspector General, who is testifying on the second panel today, said that, “a lot of career criminals and organized criminals have… Read more

Chairman Stark, thank you for yielding time.  And thank you Chairman Lewis and Ranking Member Herger for your thoughtful statements.  Medicare fraud has been and continues to be a very serious problem.  It costs the American taxpayers billions of dollars every year.  It depletes the Medicare trust funds of money that is desperately needed if we hope to continue providing adequate health… Read more

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I agree it is important for the Ways and Means Committee to periodically review tax law related to particular industries to ensure it is consistent with other sections of the Code, advances in technology, and current industry practices.  I expect we will hear broad support today for some of the changes related to Regulated Investment Companies that have been… Read more

Today’s hearing is on “responding to long-term unemployment.”  The real topic should be “why have current policies caused long-term unemployment.” Americans were promised the 2009 stimulus plan would create 3.7 million jobs.  Instead it was followed by another 2.7 million private sector job losses.  Vice President Biden recently admitted that at best we would fall 6 million jobs short of… Read more

Mr. Chairman, thank you for yielding time.  We are here today to investigate the magnitude of the problem posed by evasion of federal excise taxes on tobacco.   It goes without saying that the smuggling of cigarettes to avoid federal taxes is wrong. It was also wrong of Democrats to inadequately fund the children’s health insurance program with these taxes.  Cigarette taxes are an… Read more