COMMITTEE on WAYS and MEANS

Opening Statements

Johnson Opening Statement: Hearing on the Direct Deposit of Social Security Benefits

Sep 12, 2012-- Good morning and welcome to our hearing on the direct deposit of Social Security benefits. Back in 1996, Congress passed the Debt Collection Improvement Act, which required electronic payment of federal benefits, including Social Security benefits. Not only does the direct deposit of benefits help seniors avoid delayed, lost, or stolen checks, it saves taxpayers money. Taxpayers save 90 cents for... more

Opening Statements

Johnson Opening Statement: Hearing on The Implementation Status of Health Insurance Exchanges and Related Regulations

Sep 12, 2012-- Let me first say that our thoughts are with Health Subcommittee Chairman Wally Herger as he continues to recover in California from hip replacement surgery and a recent case of the flu. I know I speak for all of us when I say that we wish him well and hope for a speedy recovery. We are here today to discuss implementation of the ObamaCare health insurance exchanges and related provisions. Perhaps ... more

The Prescription Pad

Long Time Democratic Leader Admits ObamaCare Will Force Workers to Lose their Health Coverage

Sep 12, 2012-- Last week, former Senator Bob Kerrey said that one of the pillars of ObamaCare “will accelerate an already breaking-down employer-based system.” He was talking about the employer mandate, a requirement that forces employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees to offer government-prescribed health insurance or pay a new tax. Mr. Kerrey shares the same perspective as other small business... more

Opening Statements

Boustany Opening Statement: Hearing on IRS Implementation of the Democrats’ Health Care Law

Sep 11, 2012-- Good morning and welcome to today’s hearing on the Internal Revenue Service’s implementation and administration of the President’s health care law. Before we begin this morning, it is appropriate to recall that eleven years ago, almost to the hour, our nation was savagely attacked. After these 11 years, each of can recall exactly what we were doing at that time. The horror of the day should make ... more

The Tax Tracker

ObamaCare – An Explosion of Regulatory Burdens

Sep 11, 2012-- According to former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Fred Goldberg, and supported by the Obama Administration's own figures, ObamaCare "...in its current form will be a needless administrative and compliance quagmire for millions of Americans." Based on IRS estimates approved by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget, ObamaCare will take... more

The Prescription Pad

ObamaCare Breaks President Obama’s Two Biggest Promises…Again

Sep 11, 2012-- Today’s release of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual employer health benefits study confirms that President Obama’s most often mentioned health care promises continue to go unfulfilled. More than two years after passage, health care premiums continue to increase and more than half of all workers have already lost the plan they had and liked. Losing the Plan You Have and Like Then: “Here are t... more

Press Release

House Republicans Introduce Bill to Block Obama Administration’s Controversial Welfare Waiver Scheme

Sep 11, 2012-- Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN), and Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) today introduced H.J.Res. 118, a resolution disapproving of President Obama’s effort to roll back the work requirements critical to the success of the bipartisan welfare reform law enacted in 1996. "It is unfortunate, but n... more