There is great unease today about currency manipulation abroad—and rightfully so. Some countries—particularly China—have distorted exchange rates to gain an advantage in the world market, hurting American exports by making their goods cheaper and ours more expensive. It’s a legitimate problem that deserves a real response. The United States holds the world’s reserve currency. We have… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 644, the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act, legislation that makes permanent certain tax provisions that encourage charitable giving. Upon passage, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement. "Our charities do tremendous work fighting poverty in our country, and the last thing we should do is make… Read more

The results are in, and experts across the political spectrum agree: Trade is good for America. First, there's a new report from the center-left organization, Third Way, which concludes that "nearly all recent trade deals have improved our balance of trade in goods, and in the aggregate the gains have been substantial."1 The authors note that because the U.S. consistently runs… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) delivered the following opening statement during the subcommittee's hearing on the IRS’s use of civil-asset forfeiture laws to seize the bank accounts of law-abiding small businesses and the settlement tactics used by the agency. "Welcome. This is the Oversight Subcommittee’s first hearing of the… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA) delivered the following opening statement during the subcommittee's hearing on the challenges facing low-income individuals and families in today's economy. "Our first hearing this year is on challenges facing low-income individuals and families in today’s economy.  "Our basic purpose… Read more

As the Ways and Means Committee works on legislation to promote American exports, conservative, free-enterprise organizations are speaking out for an expanded U.S. trade policy. Chairman Ryan has noted that good trade deals are good for jobs, and to get the best deals, Congress has to put in place trade promotion authority (TPA). Club for Growth President David McIntosh… Read more

WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the following statement in response to the January employment situation report. "This report is welcome news. Growing our economy and creating good jobs in this country must be our top priority. Still, this recovery is too fragile for far too many. And in the long-term unemployed there's a lot of potential that… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA), Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX), and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) called on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to protect the American taxpayer and take commonsense steps to end fraud involving important benefits. A recent report by the Social Security… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen demanding answers as to why the IRS rehired hundreds of former employees who were previously terminated for performance or conduct issues, including the mishandling of taxpayer information. This discovery came as a result of a… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Chairman Paul Ryan delivered the following remarks at the Washington International Trade Association on his vision for expanded U.S. trade. "Hi, everybody. I want to thank Steve for the introduction. And I want to thank all of you for joining us here today. As you know, this is my first time at WITA [Washington International Trade Association]. And this is a very… Read more