Chronology of Committee Work

Appointment of Director of Homeland Security

Reps. Burton, Waxman, Shays and Kucinich sent a letter to President Bush regarding the appointment of Governor Ridge to the new cabinet-level post of Director of Homeland Security.

Violence Policy Center Report on Fifty Caliber Sniper Weapons

The Violence Policy Center issued a new report, Voting From the Rooftops: How the Gun Industry Armed Osama bin Laden, Other Foreign and Domestic Terrorists, and Common Criminals with 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles. The report demonstrates the extraordinary dangers posed by long-range, fifty caliber sniper weapons.

Export of Fifty Caliber Weapons

Rep. Waxman sent letters to Secretary Powell and Governer Ridge urging a halt to the export of fifty caliber weapons to foreign nationals abroad.

Airline Industry Relief

Rep. Waxman released a statement regarding the airline industry relief legislation recently passed by Congress.

GAO Report: 2000 Presidential Election Undercount

At the request of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the General Accounting Office investigated the impact of voting equipment and the demographic characteristics of voters on the undercount in the 2000 presidential election. The report found that voters using punch-card machines had the highest percentage of uncounted ballots and that switching from punch-card machines to optical scan machines that allow voters to correct errors could prevent hundreds of thousands of uncounted ballots.

GAO Reiterates Concern Over Vice President's Failure to Provide Energy Task Force Information

GAO reiterated that it remains "very concerned regarding the failure of the Vice President to provide the information that we requested" but added that "given our current national focus on combating terrorism and enhancing homeland security, this matter is not a current priority."

Vulnerability of Chemical Facilities to Terrorist Attack

Rep. Waxman sent a letter with Reps. Dingell, Sherrod Brown, and DeGette requesting that President Bush complete an overdue study that examines the vulnerability of the nation's chemical facilities to terrorist attack.

Supplement Use and Protecting Consumers

Rep. Waxman and other members have also sent letters to other government officials and other groups asking for information about supplement use and the steps that have been taken to try to protect consumers.

GAO Declares Information for Vice President's Office "Inadequate"

GAO declared that the "limited amount of information from the Vice President's office" was "clearly inadequate in light of GAO's request." GAO also indicated that it is "preparing for possible litigation."

Bush Administration Nursing Home Proposal

According to news reports, the Bush Adminstration is considering a substantial weakening of the federal protections for nursing home residents. This proposal would reduce the frequency of nursing home inspections and eliminate automatic sanctions on substandard nursing homes. Rep. Waxman has written to the President to explain why this proposal is seriously flawed.

GAO Asked to Investigate Vaccine Supplies

Chairman Burton has focused his attentions on allegations regarding vaccine safety, many of which are not backed by scientific evidence. Vaccine safety is a critical issue that deserves ongoing oversight. However, there are other issues that need to be addressed as well. Public health experts are increasingly concerned about the fragility of the vaccine supply. At the end of 2001, the United States was experiencing shortages or delays in delivery of vaccines that prevent 10 of the 11 childhood diseases against which children are routinely immunized. Rep. Waxman, along with colleagues in the House and Senate, have asked the General Accounting Office to examine the issue of vaccine supplies.

Vice President Urged to Reconsider Decision to Not Cooperate with GAO

In response to a Los Angeles Times article detailing numerous incidents of unusual access and influence by special interests, Reps. Waxman and Dingell sent a letter to Vice President Cheney urging him to reconsider his decision not to cooperate with the GAO.

Comptroller General Issues Report on White House Refusal to Cooperate with GAO Investigation

The Comptroller General issued a formal report regarding the White House's refusal to cooperate with GAO's investigation. As stipulated in 31 U.S.C. § 716, the report was filed with the President and Congress. This represents just the fifth such report that GAO has issued in the 21 years since § 716 was enacted, and it is the first report regarding non-cooperation by the President or Vice-President.

Medicaid Managed Care Protections

On August 13, Rep. Waxman, along with Reps. John Dingell and Sherrod Brown, sent a letter to President Bush regarding the Administration´s attempts to undermine key measures to protect against managed care abuses. On August 2, President Bush publicly endorsed H.R. 2563, a patient rights bill that calls for the same patient protections for patients covered by Medicaid as for those with privately insurance. However, just two weeks later, on August 16, the Administration moved to delay and weaken patient rights in the Medicaid program. Rep. Waxman, along with Reps. John Dingell and Sherrod Brown, exposed this glaring contradiction in a letter to President Bush. Reps. Waxman, Dingell, and Brown prepared a comparison between H.R. 2563 and pending Medicaid patient protections.

Fundraising and Potential Conflicts of Interest

Rep. Waxman has corresponded with White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, Chairman Burton, and Karl Rove on fundraising and potential conflicts of interest.

GAO Corrects Inaccuracies in Vice President's Letter

In a written statement, GAO corrected certain inaccuracies in the Vice President's letter regarding the scope of the GAO investigation: "Contrary to the Vice President's statements, we are not interested in obtaining his daily schedule or reviewing communications involving the President, the Vice President, the President's senior advisors and others. We have made this clear in several communications to the Vice President's representatives. We are simply asking for facts that the Vice President, as Chair of the National Energy Policy Development Group, or others representing the group, would be in a position to provide to GAO." GAO's statement pointed out that the Comptroller General had attempted to speak with the Vice President the previous week, without success.

Inclusion of Women in New Drug Testing

At the request of Rep. Waxman and Senators Tom Harkin, Jim Jeffords, Barbara Mikulski, and Olympia Snowe, the General Accounting Office (GAO) investigated FDA’s progress in addressing the inclusion of women in clinical drug trials.

Vice President Rebuffs GAO Demands for Information

Vice President Cheney rebuffed GAO's formal demand for information. In a letter to the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Vice President asserted that the Comptroller General has "exceed[ed] his lawful authority" and that GAO's investigation "would unconstitutionally interfere with the functioning of the Executive Branch."

Administration Seeks to Weaken Global Tobacco Accord

Rep. Waxman wrote a letter to President Bush protesting the actions of the U.S. delegation at the most recent negotiating session of the international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The letter, which is based on previously unreleased minutes of the meetings, reveals how the United States has tried to weaken or eliminate key provisions of the treaty related to tobacco labeling, advertising, exports, and other issues.

Report on Abuse of Nursing Home Residents

A nationwide report by the Special Investigations Division for Rep. Waxman has found that nearly one-third of nursing homes were cited for a violation involving abuse between January 1999 and January 2001, that many of these abuse violations caused actual harm to residents, and that the number of abuse violations is increasing.

Children's Access to Pornography Through Internet File-Sharing Programs

At the request of Rep. Waxman and Rep. Steve Largent, the Special Investigations Division examined a new and growing problem for parents throughout the United States: Internet file-sharing programs that provide children easy and free access to thousands of explicit pornographic videos and other pornographic materials.

Defense Department Advisory Committees

Eight members write Defense Secretary Rumsfeld about closed advisory committees at the Defense Department.

Comptroller General Demands "Full and Complete Access"

Faced with continued White House intransigence, the Comptroller General wrote to the Vice President "to demand full and complete access" to the information, pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 716. This represents only the 32nd time that GAO has issued a formal demand letter. By law, the Vice President had 20 days to respond to the letter.

Conflicts of Interest at EPA

At the request of Rep. Waxman, the General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted an investigation into potential conflicts of interest on the Science Advisory Boards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These boards conduct peer reviews of scientific studies and methodologies used by the agency in formulating rules and regulations. GAO's investigation found serious deficiencies in EPA's procedures to prevent conflicts of interest, and that the Science Advisory Boards thus frequently contain individuals with ties to affected industries.

Prescription Drug Discount Cards

President Bush has proposed offering drug discount cards to senior citizens, which would allow them to purchase their medications at a reduced rate. However, a report by the Special Investigations Division has found that similar programs currently being offered by private companies provide little, if any, savings.

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