News Releases
Today Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman released the following statement in response to the FCC’s draft Open Internet Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:
Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse sent a letter to Koch Industries, following up on their letter last month regarding Koch Industries’ financial stake in the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Koch Industries’ Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary Mark Holden replied to the members’ letter last week but failed to provide any of the requested information about Koch Industries’ financial interest in the project.
As Secretary of State John Kerry continues to consider the fate of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse wrote to Secretary Kerry explaining why the project is not in our national interest and submitting formal comments critiquing several key elements of the State Department’s Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS). The letter and comments explain how the pipeline will contribute to dangerous climate change.
Eleven Democratic lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives today released a report that shows a dramatic recent increase in the marketing of electronic cigarettes – or e-cigarettes – with extensive resources being dedicated to social media, sponsorship of youth-oriented events, and television and radio advertisements that reach substantial youth audiences. The report, “Gateway to Addiction? A Survey of Popular Electronic Cigarette Manufacturers and Marketing to Youth,” is the first comprehensive investigation of e-cigarette marketing tactics and was compiled using responses from eight e-cigarette manufacturers received by the lawmakers from their investigation into the industry and other publicly available information.
Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman sent a letter to Tribune Company President and CEO Peter Liguori to share the concerns of media and business experts on the Tribune Company’s proposed spinoff of its newspaper unit, which includes the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan newspaper in the country, serving as the primary source of news for millions of people in Southern California.
On Thursday Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Henry A. Waxman, co-chairs of the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, hosted representatives from five major corporations that are committed to acting on climate change for a roundtable discussion in the Capitol. Each of the companies has signed onto the Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) Climate Declaration. The representatives discussed how their companies are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, taking advantage of energy efficiency opportunities, and utilizing renewable energy technologies.
Today Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman released the following statement on the resignation of Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius:
Ranking Members Waxman and Pallone, along with Committee on Ways and Means Ranking Members Levin and McDermott, sent a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner requesting that CMS adopt a more transparent regulatory approach to modify Medicare Part B physician payments. Specifically, the members requested that CMS follow a full notice and comment rulemaking process, including a proposed rulemaking followed by a final rule. This process would allow for CMS to consider feedback from providers and other interested stakeholders prior to CMS finalizing new payment codes and prior to providers being subject to those new rates. The current process utilizes an interim final rule to adopt codes, just 60 days before providers will be held subject to those codes and does not consider public feedback before codes are adopted.
The Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means prepared a fact sheet describing the impacts of Rep. Paul Ryan's budget on Medicare.
On April 1, 2014, Chairman Paul Ryan introduced the House Republican budget for fiscal year 2015, again pursuing the Republicans’ plan to end Medicare as we know it. The plan would turning Medicare into a voucher system, offering no guarantee that insurance plans would provide needed benefits or the same benefits Medicare provides today. The budget relies on costly private plans to fulfill the government’s commitment to seniors and individuals with disabilities, putting benefit decisions back in the hands of insurance bureaucrats with minimal practical oversight.
Today Ranking Member Waxman released the following statement in response to the settlement announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice to secure $1 billion to cleanup abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation:
“The pervasive uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation is an American tragedy. Over the last five years, the federal government has started to address this shameful legacy. The $1 billion now available for cleaning up abandoned uranium mines is a major step forward that will dramatically accelerate these efforts. This is a huge win for public health and the environment.”