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

With oral arguments at the Supreme Court behind us, now the wait begins. In a few months, we’ll learn whether the Court has found—as any fair-minded reading of the law demands— that the Obama administration went beyond its authority by paying out Obamacare subsidies in states that used the federal health care exchange. But instead of simply standing by, Republicans in Congress are stepping up with plans to respond now. The chairmen of three House Committees with jurisdiction over health care re... 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

*UPDATE: NEW LOCATION* All other details remain unchanged Congressman David Reichert (R-WA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the burdens family businesses and farms face planning for and paying the estate tax. The hearing will take place immediately following a brief Subcommittee organizational meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2015, in Room 1310 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 A.M. Oral test... Read more

Today, Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA) announced that the subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Expanding Opportunity by Funding What Works: Using Evidence to Help Low-Income Individuals and Families Get Ahead.” This hearing is the second in a series focused on ways to help move America’s families forward. The hearing will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building. In view of the limited tim... 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