Mr. Chairman, thank you for convening this important hearing, and thank you and your trade staff for collaborating so closely with our side of the aisle on this hearing and customs reauthorization legislation.  I hope that we will move together to pass legislation this year.  Customs issues can be technical and difficult to understand, but they are the “nuts and bolts” of trade and are… Read more

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  Due to other obligations, including work on the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, Ranking Member Camp is, unfortunately, unable to attend the hearing this morning.  I know there were many scheduling issues, and he appreciates the Chairman’s attempts to accommodate him, other members of the Committee and the witnesses. Mr. Chairman, given… Read more

Today’s hearing reviews State unemployment solvency.  States are spending and borrowing record amounts to pay promised benefits to a record number of unemployed workers.  Why record unemployment?  Because of the failure of Democrats’ trillion-dollar stimulus bill to create millions of jobs as promised.  Instead of keeping unemployment under 8%, as the Administration projected, it soared… Read more

Thank you for yielding, Mr. Chairman. I’d be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to publicly congratulate my friend and colleague, Mr. Tanner, on his becoming Chairman of this Subcommittee.  I look forward to working with you in your new capacity.  Today we’re exploring the possibility of expanded trade with Cuba.  I’m open to loosening some restrictions on Cuba.  Specifically, I… Read more

Co-chairmen Bowles and Simpson, fellow members of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform… We’ve heard from a number of people this morning…the President, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Director Orszag, former CBO directors, other members of the commission…and I know we will hear from more in the weeks and months ahead. The problem is obvious: we simply… Read more

Today we return to the issue of disability backlogs, about which the Ways and Means Committee has held now seven hearings – in whole or in part – during the past three years. Compared with the level in 2008, the past two years have seen an added $3.5 billion spent on Social Security administrative costs.  That’s an increase of over 35 percent.  A significant share of that new… Read more

  Good afternoon.      Reducing disability claims backlogs is critically important and today’s hearing provides us with the opportunity to assess the progress Social Security is making, most especially after receiving an additional $500 million in stimulus funding to address the backlogs. While there can be no doubt that these are challenging times for our constituents… Read more

Our Democrat colleagues began this Congress promising to spend $1 trillion and create 3.7 million jobs.  Vice President Biden said, without irony, “we gotta go spend money to keep from going bankrupt.”  Despite those assurances, we have lost 3 million jobs and amassed mountains of debt.  Just last week, to cover up the failure of their stimulus, the Administration released a report… Read more

Good morning.  I first want to congratulate our new Chairman as this is his first hearing in his new role.  No one understands the vital safety net Social Security provides for retirees, those with disabilities and families than Members of this Subcommittee, which is why I look forward to working with you to address issues of importance to the American people -- and none more so than… Read more

Mr. Chairman, clean, renewable energy is something every member of this committee supports.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if at one time or another every member of this committee has signed onto or voted for legislation to incentivize the production, purchase and use of alternative fuels.  It has been and remains an issue about our national security, our environment and our… Read more