Ways and Means Advances America’s Strategic Interests in Africa and Haiti, Expands Medicare Coverage, Fights Fraud, Strengthens Taxpayer Rights

December 10, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Ways and Means Committee approved nine bipartisan bills touching on trade, health care, Social Security, and tax administration that will:

Continue the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference program to combat China’s growing influence on the continent.
Continue the HOPE/HELP program.
Strengthen public-private collaboration in enforcing our trade laws against intellectual property theft.
Expand Medicare coverage for innovative drugs infused at home.
Curb improper government payments to dead people.
Allow members of the clergy to improve their retirement security and voluntarily rejoin Social Security.
Create new protections for taxpayers by requiring more transparency from the IRS and reducing the need for third-party inquiries.
Strengthen taxpayer rights in the U.S. Tax Court.
Clarify that less-than-lethal weapons are not subject to Firearms and Ammunition Excise tax.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) released the following statement following the successful advancement of these bipartisan policies:

“Today the Ways and Means Committee delivered targeted solutions to real problems faced by real Americans: access to health care, taxpayer rights, ending improper payments to deceased individuals, and fair trade with our allies. The renewal of bipartisan trade programs, AGOA and the HOPE/HELP program with Haiti, serves America’s economic and national security interests. Africa alone is home to roughly one third of all the world’s critical minerals. China celebrates when America takes a step back from the continent and extending these programs ensures that won’t happen.

“Preventing improper payments to deceased individuals is a win for American taxpayers. Giving individuals the opportunity to receive lifesaving care at home versus traveling to a doctor’s office provides not just peace of mind, but greater convenience and comfort for patients. Common-sense reforms to the IRS will put the needs and rights of taxpayers first. Safeguarding intellectual property rights will ensure American innovation is not stolen by bad actors looking to profit off our country’s entrepreneurial spirit.

“These policies earned strong bipartisan support because each one is the right thing for American workers, families, seniors, patients, farmers, and producers. I want to thank my Ways and Means colleagues for continuing their tireless effort to serve the American people.”

READ: Chairman Smith’s Opening Statement

AGOA Extension Act (H.R. 6500)

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is the cornerstone of economic relations between the U.S. and sub-Saharan African nations.
AGOA has the most stringent eligibility criteria of any trade preference program; countries must meet strict standards related to rule of law and political pluralism, anti-corruption, intellectual property rights, human rights and market access. Further, the program ensures beneficiaries do not undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.
An extended lapse in AGOA would create a void that malign actors like China and Russia will seek to fill.
Africa is home to approximately 30 percent of the world’s critical mineral resources and China has invested $8 to $10 billion in Africa to try to monopolize these essential supply chains.
The Trump Administration has focused on stability in Africa, most recently evidenced by President Trump’s work to secure peace between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This bill renews AGOA for 3 years.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 37-3.

Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act (H.R. 6504)

Haiti receives U.S. trade preferences for textile and apparel products through several trade programs, including the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE) and Haiti Economic Lift Program Act (HELP).
An extended lapse in these programs could jeopardize Haiti’s apparel manufacturing industry, exacerbating the current political instability in the country and increasing security concerns in the U.S.
The bill renews duty-free treatment provided with respect to certain imports from Haiti under the HOPE/HELP program for 3 years.
Renewal of these programs supports nearshoring and onshoring goals for American trade that will benefit American workers and businesses.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 41-0.

Counterfeit Notification Act (H.R. 4930)

In FY 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized nearly 79 million counterfeit products, valued at $7.3 billion (had the items been genuine).
CBP lacks the certainty it needs to share appropriate information with trusted stakeholders about imports that violate American intellectual property (IP) laws.
The bill gives CBP the authority to share key information with relevant private sector stakeholders when a shipment contains suspected counterfeit or pirated products.
For several years, CBP has requested greater clarity about what information it can share and with whom when imported goods appear to violate American IP laws.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 40-0.

Clergy Act (H.R. 227)

Roughly 2,000 members of the clergy receive an exemption from contributing to or receiving benefits from the Social Security retirement or disability programs.
Under current law, a member of the clergy’s decision to opt out of Social Security is irreversible.
This bill creates a time-limited, voluntary open season for members of the clergy to revoke their Social Security exemption and opt into Social Security coverage to improve their retirement security.
Congress created a similar window in 1999 for members of the clergy to voluntarily opt back into the Social Security system.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 40-0.

Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act (H.R. 2716)

This bill permanently authorizes the Social Security Administration (SSA) to share its full Death Master File with the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay (DNP) service.
In 2021, the SSA received authority to share its full death data with Treasury’s DNP service to curb improper payments made to deceased individuals for a three-year period beginning in December 2023. That authority expires in December 2026.
By the end of 2026 when the current authority expires, this data exchange is projected to save $330 million across the federal government.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 40-0.

Joe Fiandra Access to Home Infusion Act of 2025 (H.R. 4993)

6 in 10 Americans live with chronic diseases and 4 in 10 have two or more, like amyloidosis.
Amyloidosis is a previously fatal disease that now has multiple treatment options, many of which are administered via infusion to prevent fatal symptoms like organ failure or neurological damage.
Currently, Medicare does not cover certain drug infusions in the home. The only option for beneficiaries is to travel to a doctor’s office for an infusion.
This bill guarantees coverage of self-administered home infusion pumps and associated drugs under Medicare, improving the quality of life for infusion patients.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 41-0.

Taxpayer Due Process Enhancement Act (H.R. 6506)

The U.S. Tax Court is a federal trial court which specializes in adjudicating disputes over federal income tax.
If someone owes federal tax and does not pay, the IRS can seize property or place a legal claim on it. Before doing this, the agency must send the taxpayer a notice that explains that the taxpayer has the right to ask for a collection due process (CDP) hearing to challenge the IRS decision.
A June 2025 Supreme Court decision ruled the Tax Court can not hear a CDP appeal if the IRS drops its attempt to seize property and instead chooses a different method to take the taxpayer’s assets.
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, this bill suspends the period of limitations for filing a claim for credit or refund during a CDP proceeding, giving taxpayers more time to receive their refunds.
The bill also blocks the IRS from applying a taxpayer’s overpayment to any tax they are currently disputing and expands Tax Court’s CDP jurisdiction.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 41-0.

Taxpayer Notification and Privacy Act (H.R. 6495)

The IRS is legally allowed to request that a taxpayer provide additional information necessary to arrive at a fair and accurate audit adjustment.
In cases where taxpayers do not fully cooperate with such requests, the IRS can seek information related to the audit from third parties, like banks or employers.
This bill requires the IRS to tell taxpayers what information it plans to request from third parties and identify which parties it intends to contact.
The bill gives taxpayers 45 days to supply the additional requested information directly from their own records, protecting a taxpayer’s reputation and eliminating the need for many third-party contacts entirely.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 41-0.

Innovate Less Lethal to De-Escalate Tax Modernization Act (H.R. 4242)

Certain less-than-lethal devices, such as tasers, are currently defined under federal regulation as “firearms.”
As such, they are incorrectly subject to the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET), a 10 percent tax on revolvers and pistols.
Current classification and regulation of less-than-lethal devices is inconsistent and harms the development and use of innovative technology.
This bill ensures less-than-lethal devices are not subject to the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax, promoting growth in the sector and keeping communities safe.

Read a fact sheet on the bill here.

The bill passed the Committee with a vote of 26-15.