WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairmain Charles Boustany (R-LA) delivered the following opening statement during a hearing titled, “Expanding Opportunity by Funding What Works: Using Evidence to Help Low-Income Individuals and Families Get Ahead,” the second in a hearing series focused on ways to help move America’s families forward. "Welcome to today's hearing. This is the second in our hearing series on welfare reform topics. Today, we will explore what we kno... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement of support for the House Republican budget proposal, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. "I want to commend Chairman Price and his committee members for writing a responsible, balanced budget. This plan would get spending under control, bolster our national security, and balance the budget within ten years—all while promoting a simpler, flatter, fairer tax code. Our nation would be stronger and our ... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, the House passed H.R. 876, the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act, and H.R. 284, Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Improvement Act of 2015. Upon passage of the legislation, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement: "This legislation will give seniors more choices, higher quality, and better care. Seniors will know what Medicare covers before they sign up for treatments. And suppliers of medical equipment w... Read more

Every president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has had some mechanism like trade promotion authority (TPA) to help advance America’s trade agenda. Otherwise, it’s difficult to complete agreements and get the best deals from our trading partners. Still, some have asserted that our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, didn’t have or need TPA to expand trade. That, however, is just a myth. The fact is President Reagan had TPA for nearly the entirety of his presidency and used it to sign trade agreements... Read more

WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R–MI) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D–NJ) this afternoon released the following joint statement: "Last year, the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees came together, on a bipartisan basis, to propose a permanent alternative to the broken SGR system. We are now engaging in active discussions on a bipartisan basis—... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement in response to the Congressional Budget Office's report on President Obama's fiscal year 2016 budget proposal. "No matter how you look at it, the President’s plan is irresponsible. His proposal would raise taxes by over $1 trillion, and yet it still wouldn’t balance the budget. Hardworking taxpayers deserve better from their government. They deserve a responsible, balanced budget that will help build a he... Read more

American job creators need fair and strong rules that hold people in other countries accountable when they violate our intellectual property rights. And that’s one more reason why we need to pass trade promotion authority (TPA). A healthy economy requires strong protections for intellectual property, as a study by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows. The study finds: The entire U.S. economy relies on some form of intellectual property, because virtually every industry either produces or ... Read more

Here's a stat: 98 percent of American exporters are small- and medium-sized companies—and they represent 40 percent of the value of U.S. exporters. It’s no secret that small businesses drive a healthy economy, but less understood is that they stand to gain enormously from breaking down barriers to trade with other nations. Of course, 96 percent of the world’s customers live outside the U.S. So selling more products abroad will help our small businesses create more opportunity at home. And in ma... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the following statement in response to the February jobs report: “It’s always good news when more people find work. But too many families are still struggling to get by. So at the Ways and Means Committee, we’re moving full steam ahead on real reforms that will create more opportunity in this country, like expanding American trade and fixing our broken tax code. Our No. 1 goal is to build a healthy economy, and we won’t let up... Read more

Support for expanding American trade spans the ideological spectrum, and now a bipartisan group of former top presidential economic advisors is underscoring that fact. In a letter to congressional leaders, 14 men and women who served as chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisers are calling on Congress to pass trade promotion authority, noting that it "encourages our trade partners to put their best offers on the table." At the same time, this respected group of economists urges Cong... Read more