COMMITTEE on WAYS and MEANS

In Case You Missed It...

WaPo Fact Check: The facts about the growth of spending under Obama

May 25, 2012-- By Glenn Kessler “I simply make the point, as an editor might say, to check it out; do not buy into the BS that you hear about spending and fiscal constraint with regard to this administration. I think doing so is a sign of sloth and laziness.” — White House spokesman Jay Carney, remarks to the press gaggle, May 23, 2012 The spokesman’s words caught our attention because here at The Fact Checker w... more

Press Release

Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Process Open to Public Comment

May 24, 2012-- Washington, DC - Today, the Ways and Means Committee posted approximately 1,300 Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (MTBs) introduced by nearly 80 House Republicans and 60 House Democrats for public comment. A key objective of MTBs is to boost the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers by lowering the cost of imported inputs that are not produced in the United States. Each bill under consideration, along wi... more

In Case You Missed It...

Fortune: Even with a High Court win, Obamacare won't work

May 23, 2012-- FORTUNE -- The Obama administration maintains that its Affordable Care Act is a complex construct that's endangered if the Supreme Court finds its central feature -- the requirement that all Americans buy health insurance -- unconstitutional. It's certainly true that eliminating the "individual mandate" will immediately expose the plan as unworkable. It can only succeed by creating a broad, univer... more

The Jobs Search

Is the Answer Really More Stimulus?

May 23, 2012-- As President Obama’s budget director in 2009 and 2010, Peter Orszag implemented a stimulus law that yielded two results – a failure to deliver the jobs promised and two of the largest budget deficits in U.S. history. After leaving the Obama Administration for Wall Street, he now admits the U.S. labor market remains “extremely weak,” even after trillions of dollars in stimulus and deficit spending.... more

Press Release

Boustany Questions Obama Administration’s Use of Taxpayer Dollars on PR Campaigns

May 22, 2012-- Washington, DC – Today, Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Charles Boustany Jr., M.D. (R-LA) requested information on how much has been spent by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for public relations, advertisements, polling and message testing since January 1, 2008. The letter follows various news reports detailing millions in taxpayer dollars going to public relations campaigns t... more

Press Release

Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) Remarks: Federal Policy Group’s 2012 Tax, Budget, and Legislative Policy Seminar

May 17, 2012-- (Remarks as prepared) As I prepared for today’s remarks, I looked back on the comments I made last year when I spoke to you. Whether it was looming tax hikes that still hang over this weak economy, stalled trade deals that have since been signed into law, or the debt limit crisis, which the Budget Control Act pushed off until at least the end of this year or early 2013, last year dealt us a lot of... more

Opening Statements

Brady Opening Statement: Hearing on Customs Trade Modernization, Facilitation and Enforcement

May 17, 2012-- Our hearing today will focus on three critical aspects of the Customs mission: modernization, streamlining and facilitation, and enforcement – as well as the accurate, timely measurement of improvement in all three. I want to welcome everyone and extend a special welcome to our guests. Just 100 years ago, the main function of Customs was revenue collection revenue. For over 125 years, customs duti... more