Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany Jr., M.D. (R-LA) wrote to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Principal Deputy Commissioner Daniel Werfel regarding reports that the IRS accidently released thousands of Social Security numbers. The letter directs the IRS to verify the accuracy of reports published by Public.resource.org, which claim that more than 2,000 Social Security numbers included... Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, Committee on Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Ranking Member Xavier Becerra (D-CA) introduced H.R. 2720, the Alexis Agin Identity Theft Protection Act of 2013. Named after a deceased child victim of identity fraud, the legislation would end the required publication of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Death Master File (DMF). The DMF is a publicly-available extract of certain death information in the SSA’s records, in... Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) announced that the Committee is accepting public comments on bipartisan proposals to reform Medicare and Social Security. The announcement follows several hearings held by the Ways and Means Subcommittees on Health and Social Security as part of the Committee’s entitlement reform hearing series. As part of the effort to engage Americans in the discussion, the Committee will provide draft legislative text on bipartisan ... Read more

Good morning and welcome to our hearing on encouraging work in the Social Security disability insurance program. The disability insurance program provides essential income security to people with disabilities and their families. Over the past 40 years, changes in demographics, Federal policy, and the availability of jobs have driven a 300 percent increase in the number of people receiving disability insurance benefits, from 2.7 million to over 10.9 million. Within 10 years over 12.4 million bene... Read more

U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today announced a hearing on encouraging work through the Social Security Disability Insurance program. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, June 19, 2013, in B-318 Rayburn House Office Building beginning at 10:00 a.m. In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or orga... Read more

The Social Security and Medicare trustees released our annual reports last Friday, May 31. These reports set forth the state of program finances as required under the Social Security Act. There are six trustees; four of them (the Secretaries of Treasury, HHS and Labor as well as the Social Security Commissioner) serve by virtue of their government offices. The other two, of which am I one, are members of the public nominated by the President and confirmed by the US Senate. I have adopted the cu... Read more

Good morning. Today the Subcommittee will examine how Social Security protects the benefits of those who cannot protect themselves. About 14 percent of those receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits need someone to manage their payments. These are our most vulnerable, including children and those who are mentally or physically incapable of managing their benefits. Most often their payees, known as representative payees, are family members; often a parent or a spouse. H... Read more

Hearing on How Social Security Protects the Benefits of Those Who Cannot Protect Themselves _____________________________________ HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SECURITY OF THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ________________________ June 5, 2013 __________________ SERIAL 113-SS6 __________________ Printed for the use of the Committee on Ways and Means COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS DAVE CAMP, Michigan,Chairman SAM ... Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), Health Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) made the following statements upon the release of the 2013 Medicare and Social Security Trustees Report. According to the report, at the current rate Medicare will go bankrupt in 2026 and Social Security will not be able to pay full benefits in 2033. Camp: “These programs face great challenges, and addressing these challen... Read more

U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today announced an oversight hearing on the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) representative payee program. This hearing will focus on the management challenges of the representative payee program and the agency’s plans for the future, given the aging of the baby boom generation. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, in B-318 Rayburn House Office Buildin... Read more