Committee
Chairs Introduce Bill to Strengthen GAO
Chairman Henry A. Waxman and 18 other committee chairs introduced
legislation to strengthen the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and
restore GAO’s authority to pursue litigation if documents are improperly
withheld from the agency.
Committee to Hold
Hearing on Air Force Refueling Tanker Contract
Chairman Waxman announced that the Oversight Committee would hold a
hearing July 15 to examine the actions of the Air Force in awarding the
contract to manufacture aerial refueling tanker aircraft.
Committee
Holds Hearing on Governance and Financial Accountability of Rural
Cooperatives: The Pedernales Experience
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled,
“Governance and Financial Accountability of Rural Cooperatives: The
Pedernales Experience” on Thursday, June 26, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House
Office Building.
June 24, 2008
Committee Holds
Hearing on Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at K-Town: One Year Later
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing
titled, “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at K-Town: One Year Later” on Wednesday,
June 25, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
June
20, 2008
White House Asserts
Executive Privilege over Environment Documents
President Bush has asserted executive privilege over thousands of
pages of documents that would show whether the President and his staff
complied with the Clean Air Act in overruling EPA Administrator Stephen
Johnson on important environmental decisions.
June 19, 2008
Committee Holds
Hearing on Grantmaking Practices at the Department of Justice
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing
titled, “Examining Grantmaking Practices at the Department of Justice” on
Thursday, June 19, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
June 16, 2008
Agencies
Submit 5-year Action Plan for Uranium Contamination in the Navajo Nation
In response to a request by Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis,
five federal agencies jointly submitted to the Committee a five-year
action plan to begin cleaning up the widespread uranium contamination in
the Navajo Nation.
June 11, 2008
Committee
Holds Hearing on 2010 Census
The Full Committee and the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census
and National Archives held a joint hearing on “2010 Census: Assessing the
Census Bureau’s Progress,” at 10:00 a.m. on June 11, in 2154 Rayburn
House Office Building.
June 9, 2008
Committee
Releases Proposed Abramoff Report
Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis issued a proposed Committee
report on White House contacts with Jack Abramoff that concludes that Mr.
Abramoff had personal contact with President Bush, that high-level White
House officials held Mr. Abramoff and his associates in high regard and
solicited recommendations from them on policy matters, that Mr. Abramoff
and his associates influenced some White House actions, and that Mr.
Abramoff and his associates offered White House officials expensive
tickets and meals.
June 4, 2008
Chairman
Waxman Announces Second Hearing on FEMA’s Toxic Trailers
As a follow up to last year’s hearing on FEMA’s toxic trailers,
Chairman Waxman announced that the Committee will hold a hearing
Wednesday, July 9, regarding the elevated levels of formaldehyde in the
travel trailers FEMA provided to victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes of
2005. Chairman Waxman requested information from four manufacturers of
the travel trailers with significantly higher levels of formaldehyde and
has invited them to testify at the hearing.
June 3, 2008
New
Questions about Vice President Cheney’s Role in CIA Leak
Chairman Waxman urged Attorney General Mukasey to turn over the FBI
interviews of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, citing new
information from the FBI interview of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and the
recent disclosures by Scott McClellan.
May 29, 2008
Rep. Waxman's
Statement Commemorating the Armenian Genocide
May 22, 2008
House
Passes Waxman Clean Contract Amendment
The House of Representatives voted to include in the Defense
Authorization bill the Waxman Clean Contracting amendment, which is a
response to pervasive waste, fraud, and abuse uncovered by congressional,
GAO and Inspector General investigations. The Clean Contracting amendment
would (1) require agencies to enhance competition in contracting, (2)
limit the use of abuse-prone contracts, (3) rebuild the federal
acquisition workforce, (4) strengthen anti-fraud measures, and (5)
increase transparency in federal contracting.
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Committee Holds
Hearing on Accountability Lapses in Multiple Funds for Iraq
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a hearing titled,
“Accountability Lapses in Multiple Funds for Iraq” in 2154 Rayburn House
Office Building.
May 19, 2008
White House Involved
in California Waiver Denial
New documents and testimony obtained by the Committee show that EPA
career staff unanimously supported granting California’s request for a
waiver to enforce its greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and
trucks. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson also supported granting the
petition, at least in part, until he communicated with the White House.
May 15, 2008
Committee Holds
Hearing on Defense Base Act Insurance
Chairman Waxman and the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform held a hearing titled, “Defense Base Act Insurance: Are
Taxpayers Paying Too Much?” on Thursday, May 15, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn
House Office Building.
May 13, 2008
Committee Holds
Hearing on Whether FDA Regulation Should Bar Liability Claims
Chairman Waxman and the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform held a hearing titled, “Should FDA Drug and Medical
Device Regulation Bar State Liability Claims?” on Wednesday, May 14,
2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
April 23, 2008
Oversight Committee Holds
Hearing Assessing the Evidence of Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a hearing titled
“Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs: Assessing the Evidence”.
April 22, 2008
Chairman Waxman,
Chairman Markey, and Rep. Inslee Release Principles for Global Warming
Legislation
Today on Earth Day, three Congressional leaders on climate and energy
issues laid out principles for any effective legislative solution to the
challenge of global warming. Chairman Henry A. Waxman, Chairman Ed Markey
and Rep. Jay Inslee released “Principles for Global Warming Legislation,”
which are designed to provide a framework for Congress as it produces
legislation to establish an economy-wide mandatory program to cut global
warming emissions.
April 17, 2008
Oversight Committee
Passes Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act
On Wednesday, April 16, the Committee passed H.R. 5781, the Federal
Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008, which would provide four weeks
of paid parental leave for all federal employees. Employees will also for
the first time be allowed to use their accrued sick leave for an
additional eight weeks of paid leave. By combining the four weeks of paid
parental leave with earned sick leave, many federal employees will now be
able to get paid for the full 12 weeks of parental leave that is their
right under the existing Family and Medical Leave Act.
April 16, 2008
Healthcare-Associated
Infections: A Preventable Epidemic
The Committee held a hearing titled, “Healthcare-Associated
Infections: A Preventable Epidemic”.
April 14, 2008
House Passes Contracting
and Tax Accountability Act of 2007
On April 14, 2008, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4881, the
Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2007, which prohibits companies
with seriously delinquent federal tax debts from receiving new contracts.
April 11, 2008
Joint Statement of
Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis
Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Ranking Minority Member Tom Davis
released a joint statement in response to an announcement by Major League
Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association that they have
agreed on an enhanced drug policy.
April 2, 2008
Rep. Waxman's
Statement on H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States
Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
Reauthorization Act of 2008
March 31, 2008
Chairman Waxman's
Statement on EPA’s Final Rule on Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting
Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a statement in
response to EPA’s issuance of a final rule on lead renovation, repair,
and painting.
March 27, 2008
Chairman
Waxman's Statement on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Decision
Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a statement in
response to a letter from EPA Administrator Johnson.
March 14, 2008
Oversight
Committee Releases GAO Report on CDC Budget
Chairman Waxman released a new GAO report, which
examines how spending at CDC changed between 2003 and 2006, following the
2005 administrative restructuring of the agency. Among the report’s
findings is that spending at the division level, where most funds go to pay
for public health projects, declined faster than at the leadership and
management levels.
March 13, 2008
GAO Report Finds
EPA Library Closures Flawed
A new report by the Government Accountability
Office (GAO) found that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
efforts to close regional and research libraries around the country have
been plagued by managerial problems.
March 12, 2008
EPA Efforts to
Regulate Carbon Dioxide Stymied
Senior EPA officials have told the Committee
that after the agency concluded in December that CO2 emissions
were a danger to the United States and proposed significant cuts in motor
vehicle emissions, the agency’s regulatory efforts were halted.
March 12, 2008
Oversight
Committee Releases Report “FDA and Fresh Spinach Safety”
The Committee released a report that found significant lapses in the
FDA’s current inspection regime for packaged fresh spinach, which is the
agency’s primary means of ensuring the safety of such products.
March 11, 2008
Chairman Waxman
Introduces H.R. 5575, the "Moratorium on Uncontrolled Power Plants
Act"
Today Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Chairman Edward J. Markey
introduced H.R. 5575, the “Moratorium on Uncontrolled Power Plants Act of
2008.” The legislation addresses the largest new source of global warming
pollution — new coal-fired power plants that are being built without any
controls on their global warming emissions.
March 7, 2008
Committee
Holds Hearing on CEO Pay and the Mortgage Crisis
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
held a hearing titled, “Executive Compensation II: CEO Pay and the
Mortgage Crisis.”
March 3, 2008
The Administration's Medicaid Regulations: State-By-State Impacts
Today Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a new
report: The Administration’s Medicaid Regulations: State-by-State
Impacts. The report details the state-by-state impacts of seven
regulations issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service
(CMS) that would make major, wide-ranging changes in Medicaid, the
nation’s largest low-income health care program.
February 29, 2008
New
Inspection Reports Reveal Deficiencies in the Construction of the U.S.
Embassy in Iraq
New documents released by Chairman Waxman identify
“critical” and “major” deficiencies in the construction of the new U.S.
Embassy in Baghdad, raising questions about the decision of the State
Department to certify in December that the Embassy compound was
“substantially complete.”
February 26, 2008
Committee
Holds Hearing on Electronic Records Preservation at the White House
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing entitled “Electronic Records Preservation at the White House.”
February 13, 2008
Chairman
Waxman Holds Second Day of Hearings on the Mitchell Report and Steroids
in Baseball
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing entitled “The Mitchell Report: The Illegal Use of Steroids in
Major League Baseball, Day 2.” This hearing examined allegations of
steroid use by Roger Clemens and several other major league players that
appeared in Senator George Mitchell’s Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an
Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other
Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball.
February 12,
2008
Oversight
Committee Holds Hearing on Myths and Facts about Human Growth Hormone,
B12, and Other Substances
The Oversight Committee held a hearing examining
the myths and facts about performance-enhancing substances such as human
growth hormone, B12 and other substances.
January 29, 2008
Chairman Waxman Holds Hearing on
CDC Program Providing Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing that examined the National Breast and Cervical Cancer program,
which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and provides mammograms, pap smears, and other screening exams for
breast and cervical cancer to low-income women without another source of
coverage.
January 15, 2007
Chairman Waxman Holds Hearing on Steroids in Major League Baseball and
the Mitchell Report
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing entitled “The Mitchell Report: The Illegal Use of Steroids in
Major League Baseball.” This hearing examined Senator George Mitchell’s
investigation into the illegal use of steroids in Major League Baseball.
December 19, 2007
Chairman
Waxman’s Statement on EPA Denial of California Waiver Request
Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a statement in
response to EPA’s denial of California’s waiver request.
December 13, 2007
Chairman
Waxman and Rep. Davis Issue Joint Statement on Mitchell Report
Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Ranking Minority Member
Tom Davis released a statement following the release of the Mitchell
Report. Chairman Waxman has scheduled a hearing on January 15, 2008 to
further examine steroid use and the Mitchell report.
December 13, 2007
Oversight Committee Hearing
Assesses Veterans' Charities
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to examine whether all the charitable groups raising money for
the purpose of helping our nation’s veterans are genuinely serving that
need. Concerns have been raised that some charities are conducting high
volume mail and telemarketing campaigns that enrich the organizations and
fundraisers but fail to provide meaningful assistance to veterans.
December 12, 2007
Committee
Report: White House Engaged in Systematic Effort to Manipulate Climate
Change Science
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee
approved a report that concludes that the Bush Administration has
censored climate change scientists, edited climate change reports, and
misled policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming.
December 6, 2007
Speech:
“Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines: The importance of
reaching a balance between innovation and access”
December 5, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing Examining Executive Pay and Compensation Consultants
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to examine the role played by compensation consultants in
determining the pay packages of senior executives at the largest publicly
traded corporations.
November 15, 2007
One Year Later: Have TSA Airport
Security Checkpoints Improved?
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee
examined whether TSA’s airport security checkpoints have improved over
the last year. The hearing reviewed the findings of an investigation
conducted by GAO into the effectiveness of airport security checkpoints. A GAO report
detailed an undercover investigation that found significant
vulnerabilities in airport security.
November 14, 2007
Chairman Waxman Holds Hearing
Assessing the State Department Inspector General
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to assess the performance of State Department Inspector General
Howard J. Krongard following a series of allegations that the Inspector
General halted investigations, censored reports, and refused to cooperate
with law enforcement agencies.
November 8, 2007
Chairman Waxman Holds Hearing
Examining Implications of EPA's Failure to Address Global Warming
Pollutants
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing that examined the implications of the Environmental Protection
Agency’s refusal to consider the global warming effects of a coal-fired
power plant’s greenhouse gas emissions in a recent permitting decision.
November 7, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing Examining the Public Health Consequences of
Drug-Resistant Infections
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to examine the public health consequences of infections of
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) outside of hospitals
and other healthcare settings.
November 7, 2007
Rep. Waxman's
Statement in Support of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act
November 7, 2007
Rep. Waxman's
Statement in Support of the U.S. - Peru Free Trade Agreement
November 6, 2007
Rep. Waxman's
Statement Regarding H.R. 333, a Motion Recommending the Impeachment of
Vice President Dick Cheney
November 6, 2007
Rep. Waxman's Statement in Opposition to Abstinence-Only
Funding in the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill
November 1, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing Examining Regulatory Actions on Medicaid
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to examine a range of regulatory changes regarding the Medicaid
program that have recently been made by the Department of Health and
Human Services.
October 31, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing Examining Oil and Gas Exemptions from Federal
Environmental Protections
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing examining the applicability of federal environmental and health
requirements to onshore oil and gas development.
October 25, 2007
Representative Waxman's
Floor Speech on H.Res. 759, Recognizing the 40th Anniversary of the Mass
Movement for Soviet Jewish Freedom and the 20th Anniversary of the
Freedom Sunday Rally for Soviet Jewry on the Mall in Washington, D.C.
October 25, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing on the State Department and the Iraq War
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified at an
Oversight Committee hearing focusing on the State Department’s
performance on several significant issues relating to the Iraq war,
including the impact of the activities of Blackwater USA and corruption
within the Iraqi ministries on the prospects of political reconciliation
in Iraq.
October 18, 2007
Chairman Waxman
Holds Hearing Examining Black Carbon and Global Warming
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to examine the role of black carbon as a factor in climate change
and receive testimony from experts regarding its global and regional
impacts, its sources, and the risks it raises for public health.
October 16, 2007
House Passes Resolution on Iraq
Corruption
Today the House with a vote of 395-21 passed the
Iraq Corruption Resolution, introduced on Friday, October 12, 2007, by
Chairmen Waxman and Tierney. In his statement on the House floor,
Chairman Waxman called the State Department abuses of the classification
system “outrageous” and demanded answers to questions about corruption in
Iraq.
October 10, 2007
Fictitious American Spectator
Story Creates Confusion
On October 8, 2007, the American Spectator printed a fictitious story alleging that Congressman Waxman
and the House Oversight Committee were investigating conservative and
Republican talk show radio programs. The American Spectator report is
completely false and was written without any documentation or
attribution. There is not now nor has there ever been any investigation
of this subject. But even though there is no truth to the story, the hoax
has been repeated on Fox News (transcript)
and several blogs (Family Research Council, Instapundit,
RenewAmerica).
The American Spectator should immediately retract
its report and apologize for the confusion its fictitious report has
caused. Moreover, anyone concerned about the false reporting should
contact the American Spectator at (703)807-2011 to register your views.
October 4, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing on the State of Iraqi Corruption
Chairman Waxman held a hearing to evaluate the status of
corruption in the Iraqi government and to assess whether U.S. government
efforts to address this continuing problem have been adequate.
October 2, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing on Private Security Contracting in Iraq and
Afghanistan
Chairman
Waxman held a hearing to examine the mission and performance of private
military contractor Blackwater USA in Iraq and Afghanistan. Erik Prince,
the CEO of Blackwater USA, testified as well as three State Department
officials.
September 19, 2007
Rep. Waxman's
Floor Statement on the FDA Reauthorization Bill of 2007
September 17, 2007
Rep. Waxman's Statement on the
Blackwater USA Controversy
Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a statement
following press reports that Iraq revoked the license of U.S. contractor
Blackwater.
September 10th, 2007
Speech: Professional Services Council
September 6th, 2007
Speech: Generic Pharmaceutical Association's 2007 Annual
Policy Conference
August 28, 2007
Rep. Waxman's
Statement Regarding Santa Monica Airport
Rep. Waxman's statement for the August 28, 2007
meeting of the Santa Monica City Council to consider the FAA's
presentation on runway safety enhancements at Santa Monica Airport.
August 1, 2007
Chairman Waxman Holds Hearing
Regarding the Tillman Fratricide
Chairman Waxman and the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform held a hearing to examine what senior Defense
Department officials knew about U.S. Army Corporal Patrick Tillman’s
death by fratricide.
July 26, 2007
Chairman Waxman Examines
Allegations of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at the New U.S. Embassy in Iraq
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to examine the performance of the State Department and its
contractors in the construction of the new $600 million U.S. embassy in
Baghdad.
July 24, 2007
Oversight Committee Holds
Hearing on Inadvertent File Sharing over Peer-to-Peer Networks
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing to examine recent developments regarding inadvertent file sharing
over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, the impact of such sharing on
consumers, corporations and government entities, and whether such sharing
creates privacy or security risks for users.
July 19, 2007
Chairman Waxman Probes FEMA's
Response to Reports of Toxic Trailers
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing investigating formaldehyde levels in FEMA trailers provided for
victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes and FEMA’s response to these
reports. The Committee heard from current residents occupying FEMA
trailers, experts who are familiar with the health impact of
formaldehyde, and FEMA Administrator Paulison.
July 12, 2007
Rep.
Waxman's Statement Expressing Support for the Freeing of Israeli Soldiers
Rep. Waxman's statement marking the 1-year
anniversary of the killing of three Israeli soldiers and the kidnapping
of two others, Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser.
July 11, 2007
Rep.
Waxman's Statement Condemning Decision
Rep. Waxman's statement condemning the decision by
the University and College Union of the United Kingdom to support a
boycott of Israeli academia.
July 11, 2007
Rep.
Waxman's Statement Expressing Support for H.R. 2900
Rep. Waxman's statement regarding H.R. 2900, the
Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.
July 10, 2007
Chairman
Waxman Holds Hearing on Surgeon General's Vital Mission
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing focusing on the importance of the Surgeon General’s Office, the
need to preserve the Surgeon General’s independence, and recent
limitations on the Surgeon General’s ability to carry out his public health
education mission.
June 28, 2007
Chairman Waxman Holds Hearing
Investigating DoD Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at Ramstein AFB
Chairman Waxman and the Oversight Committee held a
hearing entitled “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at K-Town: How Mismanagement
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