(Remarks as Prepared) Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in strongly supporting passage of this legislation to implement the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.  This agreement and the others that we are considering today will give our economy a much needed shot in the arm by opening markets to our companies, workers, and farmers.  Plus, unlike some other plans that… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) As I’ve said already tonight, I’m excited to be here.  The U.S.-South Korea trade agreement is the most commercially significant trade agreement the United States has signed since I’ve been in Congress. The delay in implementing this agreement has been felt across the country.  If our exporters can’t compete because of high tariffs or non-tariff… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in strongly supporting passage of this legislation, which renews the Generalized System of Preferences program and also reauthorizes a smaller Trade Adjustment Assistance program.  This bill is a key piece of the bipartisan trade package before us today and is crucial to letting the world know that the United States is back… Read more

I rise today in support of H.R. 2943, legislation to temporarily extend the authorization of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and related programs. Since it replaced the New Deal-era welfare program in 1996, TANF has been successful at cutting welfare dependence by 57 percent through the end of last year. Even more importantly, by promoting work among single parents who are… Read more

I rise today in support of H.R. 2883, the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, a bill that continues a tradition of bipartisanship in crafting child welfare legislation. The bill we are considering today reauthorizes two important child welfare programs, incorporating a series of improvements developed during hearings held by the Ways and Means Subcommittee on… Read more

Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan legislation, which renews the nearly 40-year-old Generalized System of Preferences, is a vital part of a robust trade agenda – an agenda that makes American companies more competitive and increases American exports.  GSP is an important tool for boosting economic growth and job creation. Just last week, we learned that on the whole there was zero job… Read more

Mr. Speaker, if Congress does not act – and act now – America will default.  That would wreak havoc on our economy and make it harder for Americans to find and keep a job in an already weak economy.  Default cannot be an option, and I am pleased that the bill before us ensures that will not occur. Just as a default would threaten the economic health of this country, so would… Read more

I come to the floor today in strong support of the Budget Control Act, a legislative approach that cuts out-of-control Washington spending and is a responsible and necessary plan to avoid a default on our nation’s debt. As we all know, under President Obama we are experiencing our third straight year of deficits in excess of $1 trillion.  In four years, President Obama’s actions… Read more

Last December, the President’s own Fiscal Commission offered a plan to reign in our budget deficits and debt.  While I did not support the final package – especially the tax increases it proposed – it did contain several meaningful suggestions for ways to get federal spending under control. Yet last February, when the President submitted his budget for 2012, he ignored their… Read more

Washington, DC - Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) today delivered a statement on the House floor in support of H.R. 4 - The Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011.  Below are excerpts, followed by the full remarks. 1099 Provisions Hinder Job Creation “This previously little-known provision quickly became an item of great concern to small employers across the… Read more