WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA) delivered the following opening statement during the subcommittee's hearing on the challenges facing low-income individuals and families in today's economy. "Our first hearing this year is on challenges facing low-income individuals and families in today’s economy. "Our basic purpose as a subcommittee—a purpose stated in the subcommittee’s very title—is to promote the human resources of this country.... Read more

As the Ways and Means Committee works on legislation to promote American exports, conservative, free-enterprise organizations are speaking out for an expanded U.S. trade policy. Chairman Ryan has noted that good trade deals are good for jobs, and to get the best deals, Congress has to put in place trade promotion authority (TPA). Club for Growth President David McIntosh would appear to agree. "We’re confident it’s pro-growth and believe it’s an appropriate constitutional process," he told POLITI... Read more

WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the following statement in response to the January employment situation report. "This report is welcome news. Growing our economy and creating good jobs in this country must be our top priority. Still, this recovery is too fragile for far too many. And in the long-term unemployed there's a lot of potential that we are still not tapping. "That's why the Ways and Means Committee is focused on ideas for durable long-term economic ... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA), Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX), and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) called on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to protect the American taxpayer and take commonsense steps to end fraud involving important benefits. A recent report by the Social Security Inspector General (IG) showed the agency failed to report suspicious self-employment income to the Internal Re... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen demanding answers as to why the IRS rehired hundreds of former employees who were previously terminated for performance or conduct issues, including the mishandling of taxpayer information. This discovery came as a result of a recent audit report released by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) on December 30, 2... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Chairman Paul Ryan delivered the following remarks at the Washington International Trade Association on his vision for expanded U.S. trade. "Hi, everybody. I want to thank Steve for the introduction. And I want to thank all of you for joining us here today. As you know, this is my first time at WITA [Washington International Trade Association]. And this is a very distinguished crowd. I mean, the last time there were this many people talking about trade policy was when Brett F... Read more

WASHINGTON — This morning, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will deliver an address at the Washington International Trade Association about his vision for expanded U.S. trade. Below are excerpts from his remarks, as prepared for delivery. "So, trade is good for America. People have legitimate gripes with the global economy. But let’s be sure we’ve grabbed the right culprit. The problem isn’t when other countries play by the rules. It’s when they break the rules. Or rather... Read more

"We need to fix our tax code—for everybody." That was the message from House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) yesterday. And today, the committee is turning words into action by moving forward on bills to provide tax certainty for those too often forgotten about in tax policy: Everyday Americans and small businesses. Yes, larger businesses need certainty to grow. But families and small businesses need certainty too. They deserve a simpler, flatter, fairer tax code that helps them plan fo... Read more

WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) delivered the following opening statement during the Ways and Means Committee markup of several tax bills designed to bring tax certainty for families and small businesses. "I just wanted to say a few words about what we’re doing here. Look, we all know that businesses need certainty to grow. They need a tax code that’s clear, straightforward, easy to understand. But here’s the thing: Families need certainty too. Small businesses need... Read more

Congressman Charles Boustany (R-LA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing series on moving America’s families forward. The first hearing will focus on Challenges Facing Low-Income Individuals and Families in Today’s Economy. Subsequent hearings are expected to focus on engaging low-income adults in work and training, coordinating benefit programs, reviewing lessons learned in other countries,... Read more