WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that they have introduced their Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2015 and working to pass it this Congress. The bill would establish a 15-member commission to study how best to expand the use of data to evaluate the effectiveness of federal programs and tax expenditures. The commission would also study how best to protect the privacy rights of people who interact with federal agencies ... Read more

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) today announced that the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing on expanding American trade with accountability and transparency. The hearing will take place Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at 3:00 PM in Longworth 1100. A list of witnesses will follow. Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for ... Read more

WASHINGTON — This afternoon on CNBC’s Closing Bell, House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) discussed the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015. During the interview, Ryan reiterated the importance of reaching a trade agreement with 12 Pacific nations and explained why the United States should be writing the rules for the global economy, rather than China. Excerpts of Chairman Ryan’s responses follow. Video of the interview is accessible here. Advancing... Read more

Trade Agreements Are Good For American Workers, Job Creators, and Our National Security One in five American jobs is tied to trade. That’s 38 million jobs in total. And jobs that are tied to trade pay, on average, 18 percent more. If we want to grow our economy, we need to sell more American-made goods and services abroad. More than 95 percent of the world’s customers live beyond our borders, and good trade agreements allow us break down barriers to American exports. Good trade agreements make ... Read more

What is TPA? Trade Promotion Authority—or TPA—is a partnership between Congress and the administration that helps secure the most effective trade agreements possible. It has three main components: a list of congressionally-prescribed negotiating objectives that sets priorities for the administration to follow; robust consultation and transparency requirements that give Congress adequate oversight of negotiations and give the public a full understanding of what an agreement would mean; and a str... Read more

Today, the House will vote on a bipartisan bill to permanently repeal the death tax. In recent weeks, the Ways and Means Committee has heard from a wide range of people—from family farmers and ranchers to small- and minority-business owners—on why we need to get rid of this unnecessary and unfair tax. All of these stories reaffirm what Rep. Kevin Brady said when he introduced this legislation: “It’s the wrong tax at the wrong time and hurts the wrong people.” In case you need a refresher, here a... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, the House passed H.R. 622, the State and Local Sales Tax Deduction Fairness Act. Upon passage, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement: "Making this deduction permanent will level the playing field for taxpayers in different states and give them the certainty they deserve. Doing your taxes is already stressful, and we don't need to add to it by setting the rules one year at a time. We need to give people more predictability and ... Read more

WASHINGTON — This morning, the House voted to permanently repeal the unnecessary and unfair death tax. This bill, authored by Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX), will repeal the estate tax and the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax for all future transfers. After the bipartisan vote, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement: "The death tax can be a nightmare for some Americans—from family farmers to small- and minority-business owners—who have worke... Read more

The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act (TPA) will help deliver the strongest possible trade agreements that will boost American exports and benefit American workers, manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, and job creators. Ninety-six percent of the world’s customers are outside the United States. If we want to create more opportunity and more high-paying jobs here at home, we need to sell more American-made products and services overseas. That means tearing down barriers... Read more

Trade Promotion Authority—or TPA—is a partnership between Congress and the administration that ensures the United States secures the most effective trade agreements possible. TPA also brings greater transparency to the negotiating process by empowering Congress to conduct vigorous oversight and hold the administration accountable. Transparency TPA guarantees Congress a meaningful role in all trade negotiations. Under TPA, every member of Congress will be able to: Read Negotiating Text: Allows ev... Read more