WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) released the following statement in response to the release of the report of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking:

“Taxpayers deserve to know that the programs they fund are working—especially when those programs are meant to help lift people out of poverty. But too often, Washington measures success based on how much government programs spend or how many people they serve, without knowing whether these programs are really making a difference. By implementing the Commission’s recommendations to better share data and more rigorously evaluate our efforts, Congress can make sure we’re funding anti-poverty programs that work, that we’re helping those truly in need, and that taxpayer dollars are being spent in a way that makes a real difference in people’s lives. I look forward to working with my colleagues to implement these recommendations because doing so will help us hold programs accountable to deliver real results for the American people.”

Background:

The Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking was established by the bipartisan Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-140), sponsored by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2016. The 15-member commission, consisting of individuals with expertise in program administration, data analysis, privacy protection, and academic research, was tasked with developing a strategy to increase the availability and use of data to build evidence about the effectiveness of government programs.

CLICK HERE to read the full report.