We must prioritize the voices in rooms like this one, and not those of the Washington political class. And the first step is listening to Americans on the front lines of our economy, hearing their stories and their ideas for improving life for their families, their neighbors, and our country.
Chairman Jason Smith
PETERSBURG, WV – Today, at the first hearing of the Ways and Means Committee under a new Republican majority, Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) spoke about how the Committee and Congress must put the interests of American workers first by hearing directly from Americans about their struggles and their ideas to improve the lives and livelihoods of their families and communities after two years of crisis under one-party Democrat rule. Read More.
Hearing Photos
YUKON, OK – Two days before President Biden releases his budget to the American people, the Ways and Means Committee held its second field hearing in Yukon, Oklahoma to hear directly from working Americans about the state of the American economy in the heartland. Working Oklahomans told the committee they want Congress to focus on lowering taxes to fight inflation, promote policies that encourage a return to work, and end unnecessary regulation and lower taxes on farmers, ranchers, and oil and gas producers. Witnesses expressed concern about many of the forthcoming policies in President Biden’s budget that would hit small businesses, family farmers, and working families with higher taxes on top of the cost of goods spike that has already stolen two months of pay. Read More.
Hearing Photos
PEACHTREE CITY, GA – During a hearing held in an airplane parts manufacturing facility in Peachtree City, Georgia, small business owners told the Ways and Means Committee how the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has made a difference in their lives and livelihoods and Congress should immediately work to extend expiring provisions. Workers, farmers, and small businesses have all faced the same challenges of inflation, rising interest rates, chronic labor shortages, unfair competition from China, and supply chain struggles. Witnesses shared that President Biden’s proposed tax hikes and $80 billion raise for the IRS will make it harder to keep their doors open, hire new employees, and win against competitors based in China. Read More.
Hearing Photos
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – Outside at the Staten Island port, the Ways and Means Committee held a field hearing with Americans on the front line of America’s trade relationships. The conversation highlighted how China’s unfair trade practices are hurting American workers, job creators, and farmers, and how America must use trade enforcement tools to ensure farmers maintain fair access to export markets and protect workers’ roles at the center of our trade policy. Witnesses testified about China’s human rights abuses and illicit trade tactics, such as forced labor and American intellectual property theft, that the CCP is deploying to achieve its scheme of dominating the global economy. Read More.
Hearing Photos
KIMBALL, MN – In a cattle auction barn on a family farm in Kimball, Minnesota, farmers shared their frustration that the Biden Administration is not doing enough to open new export markets for American agriculture, while sharing stories of how they suffer when America’s trading partners do not honor their trade commitments. Because farmers are directly impacted by unfair trade practices, the witnesses called on Congress to ensure trade agreements are more than just handshakes and are actually enforced. Read More.
Hearing Photos
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – Inside a firehouse, local and state employees shared with the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee how Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) have threatened their retirement security. Americans affected by these unfair policies include firefighters, teachers, nurses, police officers, and trash collectors. Not only do the WEP and GPO unfairly reduce many seniors’ retirement benefits, but they also often come as a surprise. Several witnesses told the Subcommittee that retirees are not alerted that their benefits are subject to either policy until the end of their career and the start of retirement. Read More.
Hearing Photos
DENTON, TEXAS – At the site of an air ambulance service provider, patients, doctors, and emergency medical personnel shared their stories about access to emergency medical care in remote, rural, and underserved communities. Many of the stories shared by witnesses highlighted how the lack of access is especially dangerous for Americans living in remote communities, while also highlighting how innovative care delivery models like the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, community paramedicine, and freestanding emergency departments (FSED) can help bring emergency care access to more patients. Read More.
Hearing Photos
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Inside the nation’s oldest faith-based homeless shelter, witnesses shared how work made possible their journey from poverty to self-sufficiency during a Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare hearing on Tuesday. The hearing made Congressional history as the first hearing held in a homeless shelter by a House committee. A common theme among witness testimony was the power of work to provide not just an income, but also dignity, purpose, and meaning. Read More.
Hearing Photos
SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY, ARIZONA – On Friday, inside the council chambers of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Ways and Means Committee heard testimony about the concerns of Native American communities and reaffirmed a commitment to help Tribal and rural communities prosper. The hearing marked the first time the Committee has held a hearing on Tribal lands in its 235-year history. Read more.
Hearing Photos
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA – In a city that once was home to America’s poorest zip code, the Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee held a hearing with local leaders and small business owners to learn more about how key tax provisions from the 2017 Trump tax cuts are reviving communities like Erie, Pennsylvania. The Trump tax cuts spurred investments in struggling neighborhoods and boosted wages. Following their enactment in 2017, not a single American corporation has moved overseas, reversing a decades-long trend that particularly hurt cities like Erie. The hearing is part of the Committee’s broader work to build on the success of the 2017 Trump tax cuts ahead of their expiration in 2025. Read more.
Hearing Photos
