THEN October 2009 - unemployment rate 10.0%; debt $7.5 trillion When an extension of federal unemployment benefits was paid for, the Obama Administration supported in a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) Congress' “fiscally responsible approach to expanding unemployment benefits,” stating that, “...fiscal responsibility is central to the medium-term recovery of the economy and… Read more

Washington, DC - Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement in response to the announcement that fellow Committee member Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA) will not seek reelection. “Jim Gerlach is a respected leader on the Ways and Means Committee and in the Congress.  He is a true professional dedicated to finding real solutions for his… Read more

A new Harvard study published in the journal Science finds that expanding public insurance coverage increases a patient’s use of emergency rooms – despite claims that such action would lower the incidents of these expensive visits.  Jonathan Gruber, an MIT economist who helped the Obama Administration put together the basic principles of the health care law, says the Harvard… Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Ways and Means Committee released draft legislation to prevent and address sex trafficking of youth in foster care.  This legislation would also improve the lives of youth in foster care by ensuring they have more normal teen opportunities and experiences, while also providing them with more tools they need to become successful adults.  The draft… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, the Senate joined the U.S. House of Representatives in passing legislation which included provisions designed to improve the collection of unemployment insurance overpayments and take steps to prevent incarcerated individuals from receiving government benefits while in jail.  Both provisions built off of legislation developed by the Human Resources… Read more

Washington, DC – Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation which included a commonsense, anti-fraud provision to prevent the disclosure of recent death information and reduce incidents of identity theft and fraud.  Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Ranking Member Xavier Becerra (D-CA) have led the effort to protect… Read more

For more than a decade, Congress has had to step in and prevent Medicare from cutting physician payments.  The time has come for the temporary patches and trend of uncertainty to end.  Now Congress must move a permanent repeal of the SGR physician payment formula, which will bring security to providers and the millions of seniors who rely on Medicare for their health care.… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) made the following statement regarding reports that 365,000 Americans selected a plan in the federal and state Exchanges in October and November. "The Administration set an enrollment target of 1.2 million by the end of the November, and today’s reports show they are continuing to miss critical benchmarks,… Read more

Washington, DC - Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) made the following statement in response to the announcement by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Ministers that they made significant progress in the Singapore Round and will continue their work in January. “The headway achieved so far on TPP is positive, but more work remains.  There are long-standing… Read more

Washington, DC - Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released its unemployment report for November 2013.   “While this is a statistical improvement, it is a sad commentary on our economy that a seven percent unemployment rate is looked at as good news.  For families in Michigan, it simply isn’t… Read more