Chronology of Committee Work

Waxman Requests that GAO Continue K-Town Investigation

Chairman Waxman writes to Comptroller General David Walker to request that GAO continue it’s investigation into the management of the construction of the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center, known as K-Town Mall, at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. Earlier this year, GAO presented the committee with preliminary findings on why the project was experiencing scheduling delays, cost overruns, and performance problems.

The Administration’s Regulatory Actions on Medicaid: The Effects on Patients, Doctors, Hospitals, and States

The 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 (HHS). If all of these regulations were implemented, federal Medicaid funds to states would be cut by over $11 billion over five years.

Waxman Questions National Guard Education Benefit Denials

Chairman Waxman asks Secretary Gates to provide information regarding the denial of education benefits to members of the Minnesota National Guard.

White House Withholds Hundreds of Abramoff Documents

Chairman Waxman asks White House Counsel Fred Fielding to turn over more than 600 pages of documents relating to the activities of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff that are being withheld because they involve internal White House deliberations.

Oil and Gas Exemptions in Federal Environmental Protections

On Wednesday the committee will hold a hearing to examine the applicability of federal environmental and health requirements to onshore oil and gas development. The hearing will also address the potential impact oil and gas activity has on the environment and the health of populations living near production areas.

New GAO Report Indicates U.S. Trade Policy Neglects Public Health Issues

Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy release a new GAO report that finds that U.S. trade policy under the Bush Administration has paid little to no attention to public health and access to medicines.

Committee Seeks Information about Blackwater Immunity

Chairman Henry A. Waxman writes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to ask who conferred immunity on the Blackwater security guards involved in the September 16 shooting, who authorized the grant of immunity, and when did Secretary Rice and other senior State Department officials learn about the immunity.

GAO Investigation Reveals Gaps in FDA Drug Reviews for Seniors

Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy today released a new GAO report on FDA’s inclusion of seniors in clinical drug trials for prescription drugs. The report finds that in several key areas, FDA rules for drug approval fail to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of drugs for seniors.

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. The Committee discussed with the Secretary allegations of wrongdoing associated with the construction of the new U.S. Embassy Compound in Baghdad, as well as other matters under investigation by the Committee.

Members Request DOE to Explain Process for Finalizing the Draft National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors

Chairmen Waxman and Kucinich, along with Ranking Minority Member Davis, wrote to Energy Secretary Bodman requesting answers to questions regarding the Department of Energy’s process for finalizing two draft transmission corridors pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The corridors were proposed in May 2007 and finalized earlier this month. Stakeholders in the Mid-Atlantic region have reported that DOE refused to consider new data in finalizing the proposed corridor in the eastern United States. However, DOE has stated that it relied upon new information in removing Clark County, Nevada, from the finalized Southwest Area National Corridor. The Oversight Committee has requested that DOE provide an explanation for these decisions and documents regarding its decision to remove Clark County from the corridor.

Waxman Calls on CHPA Members to Remove Pediatric Cold Products from Market

Following an FDA’s Advisory Committee recommendation that over-the-counter cough and cold medications for children under six be removed from the market, Chairman Waxman calls on the member companies of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association to voluntarily withdraw these products from store shelves.

Chairman Waxman Requests Information about Medtronic’s Sprint Fidelis Leads

Today Chairman Waxman wrote to FDA requesting information about the Agency’s approval of Medtronic’s Sprint Fidelis leads, which are components used in implantable cardiac defibrillators. Medtronic voluntarily recalled the product after it was revealed that 2.3% of patients with the implanted leads would experience potentially life-threatening malfunctions.

Committee Investigates State Department Contract to Train Iraqi Police

Chairman Waxman writes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to renew the Committee’s request for documents about the State Department’s $1 billion contract with DynCorp to train Iraqi police forces.

Evidence of Tax Evasion by Blackwater

New documents suggest that Blackwater may have engaged in significant tax evasion, failing to withhold and pay millions of dollars in Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, and related taxes, and sought to conceal its conduct from Congress and law enforcement officials.

Chairman Waxman Seeks Further Information on Blackwater Contracts

Chairman Waxman wrote to Erik Prince, Secretary Rice, and Secretary Gates, requesting further information on Blackwater’s no-bid contracts, additional incidents involving their personnel in Iraq, and payments made to the families of Iraqis killed by Blackwater.

Hearing Examines Black Carbon and Global Warming

On Thursday, October 18, 2007, the Committee held a hearing to examine the climate change and other impacts of black carbon emissions. Black carbon is better known as soot and results from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. The Committee received testimony about the significant global and regional effects of black carbon, its sources, and the positive effect reductions in emissions would have on both climate change and public health worldwide.

Chairman Waxman Urges FTC to Investigate Peer-to-Peer Networks

Chairman Waxman, along with a bipartisan group of 18 other representatives, urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate recent disclosures regarding inadvertent file sharing over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and to take steps to ensure that potential risks posed by P2P networks are incorporated into the Commission’s ongoing efforts to combat identity theft.

House Rebukes State Department

On Tuesday, the House overwhelming passed the Iraq corruption resolution, H.Res. 734, which condemns the State Department for withholding information about Iraqi corruption from the Congress and the American people. The strongly worded rebuke passed by a vote of 395-21.

H.Res. 734 expresses the sense of the House that the State Department has abused its classification authority by withholding from Congress and the American people information about the extent of corruption in the Maliki government. The resolution further condemns the State Department for retroactively classifying documents that had been widely distributed previously as unclassified, and by directing its employees not to answer questions in an open forum.

Full Text of H.Res. 734
Fact Sheet on H.Res. 734

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.

Private Medicare Drug Plans: Seniors and Taxpayers Hurt by High Expenses, Low Rebates

A new report on the Medicare Part D program reveals that the high administrative costs of the private Part D insurers, combined with their inability to negotiate significant drug savings, will cost taxpayers and seniors $15 billion in 2007.

Information Requested on Oil Exploration Contract in Iraq

Chairman Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Kucinich wrote to Hunt Oil CEO Ray Hunt and Ambassador Ryan Crocker requesting information about a recent oil exploration contract Hunt Oil signed with Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government.

Chairmen Call for “Honest Answers” about Corruption in Iraq

House Chairmen Waxman, Lantos, Skelton, and Obey write the Secretary of State to express their concern about endemic corruption in Iraq and the refusal of State Department officials to answer basic questions about the impact of corruption within the Maliki government on the chances of success in Iraq.

Chairman Asks FERC About Role in Combating Global Climate Change

Today Chairman Waxman asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) about its role in combating the threat of global climate change in light of the Commission’s broad authority over many elements of the U.S. energy sector. In a letter to FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher, Chairman Waxman requested details about FERC’s climate change policy and its efforts to support state and federal actions to promote renewable energy, enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

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.

Documents Show Extensive Flaws in Iraq Embassy Construction

Documents obtained by the Oversight Committee depict widespread defects in fire detection systems, fire service mains, fire sprinklers, fire-proof construction materials, and electrical wiring throughout the Embassy complex. Other documents implicate the Managing Partner of First Kuwaiti, the prime contractor, in an illegal kickback scheme to obtain subcontracts under the Army’s multi-billion logistical support contract.

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