(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

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, recently released three reports highlighting the economic benefits that the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea will provide.  Below are key excerpts from the reports on each of the agreements, highlighting the importance of swift passage of all three agreements. COLOMBIA Advance U.S. Jobs and… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) released the following statement in reaction to the September jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor.  A total of only 103,000 jobs were created in September and the unemployment rate remains at 9.1 percent. “The President wants to take more money from the American people so Washington can spend it.  That… Read more

Today’s hearing is on the President’s proposals to help the long-term unemployed get back to work, which are part of his latest jobs plan.   There is certainly bipartisan agreement on that goal. But we need to do a better job helping all the unemployed return to work, because today’s short-term unemployed workers risk becoming tomorrow’s long-term unemployed.   For… Read more

Now “If we don’t act, the opposite will be true. There will be will fewer jobs.  There will be weaker growth….We know that this jobs bill could grow the economy an additional 2 percent.  That would mean an additional 1.9 million jobs.” … Read more

Washington, DC - Today, Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA) sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Shulman requesting general information on the tax-exempt sector, including updates on IRS audit and compliance activities related to tax-exempt organizations.   The request follows a joint hearing of the Subcommittees on Oversight and… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Republicans sent Social Security Administration (SSA) Inspector General Patrick O’Carroll a letter requesting an investigation into a report by the Wall Street Journal disclosing intentional agency delays in deciding thousands of disability claims. Due to a quirk in the fiscal year (FY) 2011 calendar, SSA employees’ inaction was reportedly intended… Read more

At today's Human Resources Subcommittee hearing on assessing the president's proposals to help the long-term unemployed, members of the subcommittee heard testimony from their colleagues in Congress, the U.S. Department of Labor, and other State and private sectors experts as well as a current unemployment benefit recipient. In the opening Member panel, Senator Wyden (D-OR) commended… Read more

This morning, the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a markup of the three long-pending, job-creating free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.  All three agreements enjoy broad bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.  For too long, America has sat on the sidelines, losing ground to foreign competitors in nations that have already implemented… Read more

Thank you and welcome to the long-awaited markup of the three pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea today. For the past five years, we have been working towards this day.  These agreements enjoy broad bipartisan, bicameral support, and are the product of a lot of hard work from all sides.  I would also like to extend my appreciation to the… Read more