WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) sent a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen asking him to explain why the agency recently hired CGI Federal, the same contractor that bungled the rollout of Healthcare.gov. Upon sending the letter, Chairman Roskam issued the following statement. “The American people should know why the IRS spent… Read more

Disability insurance: Not working The Economist, January 23, 2015 For years, Doug, who lives in Binghamton, New York, suffered from bipolar disorder. In 2003 he enrolled in the federal disability insurance (DI) programme. With his illness now properly treated, he has been looking for work since 2013, without much luck. Because he worked full-time in a shop a decade ago, he would lose… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) issued the following statement in response to President Obama's comments on trade during the State of the Union address. "President Obama showed a glimmer of bipartisanship last night with his support for growing the economy and promoting job creation through trade agreements and Trade Promotion… Read more

WASHINGTON — Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement in response to President Obama's State of the Union address. “The President said he wants to work with Congress, and I want to take him up on that offer. But to make real progress, we have to focus on finding common ground—not issues that only divide us. “I was glad to hear the… Read more

There’s probably no better opportunity for bipartisan achievement this year than expanding export markets for American goods and services. This starts with passing Trade Promotion Authority—or “TPA.” Last year, the President gave TPA only the most fleeting of mentions in his State of the Union address. And it took Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) fewer than 24 hours to put the kibosh on the… Read more

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) today announced that the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing on the U.S. trade policy agenda with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. The hearing will take place Tuesday, January 27, 2015, at 2:00 PM in HVC 210.  Oral testimony at this hearing will be from the invited witness… Read more

"The tax area is one area where we can get things done.”  That was President Obama just one month ago, calling tax reform an issue on which the two parties might find common ground in 2015. It was an optimistic view, but one that many Republicans shared.  Fast forward to this weekend, and that optimism has, well, eroded, as we see now what… Read more

Congress last year unanimously closed a loophole that allowed surviving Nazi war criminals to claim Social Security benefits, but that’s where the entitlement reform consensus ends. Now the political left is melting down over a modest budget change that could require Congress to be honest about the Social Security disability program’s fiscal problems and employment… Read more

The new Congress is focused on helping create jobs and giving Americans greater economic opportunity. And America’s trade agenda is critical to this effort. Expanding export markets for American businesses means more productivity and more good American jobs. Right now, the United States is negotiating several important trade agreements that will open markets to our goods and… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. attorney’s office in Puerto Rico announced additional indictments based on work begun over five years ago to bring fraudsters to justice. Upon hearing this news, Subcommittee on Social Security Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) stated: “Today’s arrests in Puerto Rico are yet further proof that the disability program is plagued by widespread fraud. While it is… Read more