WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the following statement in response to Senate passage of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, legislation permanently repealing the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR).  "Years of hard work have finally paid off. Medicare is now on sounder footing, and our seniors have… Read more

"The IRS works for the taxpayer, not the other way around," as Chairman Ryan said not long ago. Or at least it should. It sure doesn't feel that way on April 15—Tax Day. And over the past few years, the IRS has sapped public faith in the institution through mismanagement and outright abuse of power: targeting people because of their political beliefs, precipitously seizing small… Read more

WASHINGTON — Representative Charles Boustany (R-LA) and Representative Dave Reichert (R-WA) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which included an extension of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs through September 30, 2017. The MIECHV programs fall under the jurisdiction of… Read more

Editorial boards across the country are speaking out in favor of expanding U.S. trade with other countries. With 96 percent of the world's customers outside the U.S., American job creators need to sell more products overseas to create more jobs here at home. And these opinion leaders understand that the first key step to expanding U.S. trade is passing trade promotion authority. The… Read more

WASHINGTON — Earlier today, the House passed a series of commonsense reform bills to ensure the IRS remains accountable to taxpayers. These seven bills were passed with bipartisan support and are part of a continued effort by House Republicans to rein in and clean up the IRS. Upon passage of these bills, House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the following… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) introduced H.R. 1800, the Guiding Responsible and Improved Disability Decisions Act of 2015 (the GRIDD Act). The legislation would require the Social Security Administration (SSA) to update the medical and vocational regulatory guidelines for determining disability, which have not been… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) delivered the following opening statement during a hearing on the individual and employer mandates and associated penalties in the president's health care law. "With the successful replacement of the flawed formula for paying local doctors under Medicare nearly complete, I want to welcome… Read more

WASHINGTON — The Social Security Administration's (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently issued a report on the determination of disability claims from applicants who cannot communicate in English. The OIG found at least 218 cases in Puerto Rico where a disability rule was applied to the advantage of a claimant who was unable to communicate in… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the following statement in response to the March jobs report: "We're still not meeting our potential. Americans are working harder than ever to get ahead, but there just isn't enough opportunity to go around. So this committee is going to redouble our efforts on the real reforms we need, like tearing down barriers… Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) issued the following statement on the Department of Justice’s announced civil asset forfeiture policy change. The new policy follows Roskam’s February hearing on protecting small businesses from having their bank accounts seized by federal authorities without due process. “I was pleased to see that… Read more