Chronology of Committee Work

Homeland Security Contracts Waste Hundreds of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars

Ranking Member Waxman and Chairman Davis release a comprehensive report on homeland security contracting that finds pervasive mismanagement and waste. According to the report, noncompetitive contracts have soared over 700% in just three years, and the total value of the Department’s wasteful contracts exceeds $34 billion.

GAO finds EPA Failing to Protect Public Health from Toxic Air Pollution

In a new report, GAO finds that sixteen years after Congress passed the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, EPA has failed to carry out many of the Act’s requirements to protect Americans from cancer-causing toxic air pollution.

EPA Rulemaking Delay May Harm Public Health

Rep. Waxman, along with Sens. Boxer and Obama, protests an EPA plan to further delay the final Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule, which is already years overdue. Another year of delay will allow more children to be exposed to hazardous lead contamination in their homes and undermine the public health.

Federal Prosecutors Are Underfunded and Understaffed

Reps. Waxman and Conyers reveal that U.S. Attorney offices across the nation are being undermined by attorney vacancies and lack of funding, with some offices facing shortages of even basic supplies, like binder clips and envelopes. In staff interviews, Assistant U.S. Attorneys reported that the problems are affecting the outcome of both criminal and civil cases.

FDA Scientists Disclose Political Interference within the Agency

Rep. Waxman writes Secretary Leavitt about a survey that reveals that many FDA scientists have been asked "to provide incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information" to the public and elected officials.

Committee Requests Bush Administration Climate Change Documents

In a letter to the President's Council on Environmental Quality, Ranking Member Waxman and Chairman Davis request documents related to CEQ’s review and editing of government reports on global warming.

Federal Government Red Tape Soaring Under Medicare Prescription Drug Plan

A new study released by Reps. Henry A. Waxman and Stephen F. Lynch shows that the federal paperwork burden has grown to record levels under the Bush Administration, with the new Medicare prescription drug program adding over 200 million hours of government red tape.

Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers Mislead Teens about Abortion Risks

A new study released by Rep. Henry A. Waxman finds that federally funded pregnancy resource centers often mislead pregnant teens about the medical risks of abortion, telling investigators who posed as pregnant 17-year-olds that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility, and mental illness.

Rep. Waxman Statement on Administration’s Strategy in Iraq

At a hearing today, Comptroller General David Walker called President Bush's national strategy for Iraq "inadequate," particularly with respect to benchmarks for a viable exit strategy. In Rep. Waxman’s statement at the hearing, he called for "specific, substantive, and straightforward" answers from the Administration on how the Administration plans to lead Iraq and the United States out of the war.

GAO Finds Medicare Drug Plans Fail to Accurately Answer Consumer Questions

A new GAO report finds that call centers run by private Medicare drug plans provide inaccurate and incomplete information to consumers. GAO found that in most instances, prescription plan providers were unable to accurately respond to simple questions about plan costs, low-income coverage, plan formulary procedures, and plan utilization management techniques.

Waxman Requests Information About Possible Cruise Ship Contracts

Rep. Waxman today sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff regarding a recent report that DHS is considering renting cruise ships to house illegal immigrants detained in the United States. Recent experience has shown that using cruise ships for temporary housing is enormously expensive.

New Contracts to Replace Halliburton Troop Support Contract

Rep. Waxman reveals that the Defense Department is moving to terminate Halliburton’s LOGCAP troop support contract and raises questions about aspects of the Department’s plans that fail to maximize competition and create potential for serious conflicts of interest.

Committee Agrees to Waxman Request for Subpoena of Secretary Rumsfeld

Since last fall, Rep. Waxman has been investigating specific allegations of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison made by a military whistleblower, Sgt. Samuel Provance. After the Pentagon refused to respond to multiple written requests, the Committee agreed on Friday to Rep. Waxman’s request to subpoena Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, compelling him to provide documents about the abuse allegations and reports of retaliation against Sgt. Provance.

Prescription for Harm: The Decline in FDA Enforcement Activity

A new report by Rep. Henry A. Waxman examines how the Bush Administration has carried out FDA’s historic enforcement responsibilities. The report is the result of a 15-month investigation that included a review of thousands of pages of internal agency enforcement records. It finds that there has been a precipitous drop in FDA enforcement actions over the last five years.

New Documents Reveal Problems with Alaska Native Contracts

Rep. Waxman today released new federal agency documents that highlight significant problems with no-bid contracts with Alaska Native companies, including political interference with the contracting process and serious performance deficiencies.

Safe Climate Act Will Significantly Reduce Global Warming

Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman, together with twelve of his House colleagues, introduced the “Safe Climate Act of 2006.” The legislation is based on what scientists have concluded the United States must do to avoid dangerous, irreversible warming of the planet and would significantly reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases.

Dollars, Not Sense: Government Contracting Under the Bush Administration

Rep. Waxman today released a comprehensive assessment of procurement spending by the Bush Administration. The 65-page report finds that spending on contractors over the past five years has ballooned, growing faster than any other part of the discretionary budget and increasing five times faster than inflation. The report also contains the first government-wide estimate of the number and value of “problem contracts” under the Bush Administration, detailing 118 contracts worth over $745 billion that have experienced significant overcharges, wasteful spending, or mismanagement.

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Mar Iraq Reconstruction

Rep. Waxman today addressed the floor of the House of Representatives to highlight waste, fraud, and abuse in the reconstruction of Iraq. Despite $50 billion in expenditures, oil and electricity production remains well below pre-war levels. The Bush Administration's gross mismanagement of the war has wasted taxpayer dollars and produced lackluster results.

Click here to view video of Rep. Waxman speaking about Iraq.

Rep. Waxman Requests Information on use of Private Air Travel

Today Rep. Waxman sent a letter to Secretary Leavitt requesting additional information regarding his extensive travel aboard a private jet that had been leased by CDC for responding to public health emergencies. Letters were also sent to request detailed information regarding chartered private air travel by other Cabinet secretaries and government executives.

Rep. Waxman Calls for Public Accounting of Rove’s Actions in CIA Leak Case

In light of reports that Special Counsel Fitzgerald will not pursue criminal charges against Karl Rove -- and does not appear likely to file a report or make other public statements about findings -- Rep. Waxman renews his request to Chairman Davis for a congressional investigation that would provide public accountability and address unanswered questions.

Rep. Waxman Concludes Principi's Actions were 'Proper and Ethical'

Rep. Waxman writes to VA Secretary Nicholson to thank him for supplying requested documents and to notify him that Rep. Waxman is satisfied that former Secretary Principi's actions with respect to QTC Management Inc. were "proper and ethical."

Rep. Waxman's Statement at Hearing on the Security of Personal Information at Federal Agencies

Rep. Waxman's Statement at Hearing on the Security of Personal Information at Federal Agencies

Democrats Ask Hastert to Ban Smoking in House Buildings

Nineteen Democrats write to Speaker Hastert asking him to bring the Capitol Complex into compliance with District of Columbia law and ban smoking in the Capitol complex. Effective on April 3, DC law prohibited smoking in any workplace or indoor public place.

Congress Has Voted More Than 50 Times to Override State Laws

Rep. Waxman releases a report evaluating how many times Congress has voted over the last five years to preempt state laws and regulations. Republican leaders in Congress and President Bush have repeatedly promised to respect the role of states as laboratories of democracy, but the report documents that the House and the Senate have voted 57 times to preempt state laws and regulations.

In addition to the report, Rep. Waxman has created a comprehensive database to track congressional actions preempting state laws and regulations. Click here to access and search the database.

Rep. Waxman Requests Update to HIV Compendium

Rep. Waxman writes to CDC Director Gerberding to ask why in seven years the agency has failed to update a crucial document identifying HIV prevention programs that have been shown to reduce risk behaviors and HIV transmission.

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