Chronology of Committee Work

Chairman Waxman Requests Details of AIG Event Spending and Bonuses

In response to reports that AIG spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on extravagant employee events after receiving an $85 billion rescue package, Chairman Waxman requested a detailed listing of all conferences, events, or retreats paid for by AIG this year as well as bonuses paid to AIG executives.

Questions Raised about Iraq Fuel Charges

The International Oil Trading Company, which is owned by Harry Sargeant, charged prices that were not “fair and reasonable” to deliver fuel through Jordan to Iraq, according to internal Defense Department documents.

White House Orchestrated Taxpayer-Funded Trips to Help Republican Candidates

A draft Committee report circulated by Chairman Waxman finds that in the months before the 2006 elections, the White House Office of Political Affairs “enlisted agency heads across government in a coordinated effort to elect Republican candidates to Congress,” directing them “to make hundreds of trips – most at taxpayer expense – for the purpose of increasing the electability of Republicans.”

Chairman Waxman Raises Concerns About Rapidly Increasing Costs of Medicare Drug Coverage, Misleading CMS Statements

Chairman Waxman wrote to CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems about Medicare Part D premiums that are increasing by over five times the inflation rate, and about CMS statements that appear to mislead seniors about the impact of these increases. A new staff analysis shows that in 2009, Part D premiums will increase by an average of 22%, and that 92% of all Part D drug plan enrollees will pay higher monthly premiums.

Bipartisan Committee Report Criticizes President’s Assertion of Executive Privilege

A bipartisan report circulated today by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Ranking Member Tom Davis finds that President Bush made a “legally unprecedented and an inappropriate use of executive privilege” when he directed Attorney General Mukasey to withhold Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s interview of Vice President Cheney from the Committee. A separate report circulated by Chairman Waxman criticizes the President’s assertion of executive privilege in the Committee’s investigation into recent climate change and Clean Air Act decisions. Both reports will be considered by the full Committee next week.

Chairman Waxman Requests Information on Health Insurance Recissions

As part of the Committee’s ongoing investigation, Chairman Waxman wrote to several insurance companies and each of the state insurance commissioners seeking information about the practice of companies retroactively cancelling individual health insurance policies after policyholders submit expensive claims.

Oversight Committee Hearing Rescheduled

The Oversight and Government Reform Committee today announced that the hearing on hedge funds previously scheduled for Thursday, October 16, 2008, has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 13, 2008. The Committee has postponed the hearing in order to accommodate the schedules of witnesses.

Committee Holds Hearing on the Causes and Effects of the AIG Bailout

The Committee held a hearing to examine the regulatory mistakes and financial excesses that led to government bailout of AIG. The hearing was held at 10:00 a.m. on October 7, 2008, in Rayburn House Office Building room 2154.

Committee Holds Hearing on Causes and Effects of the Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy

The Committee held a hearing to examine the regulatory mistakes and financial excesses that led to the bankruptcy filing by Lehman Brothers. The hearing was held at 10:00 a.m. on October 6, 2008, in Rayburn House Office Building room 2154.

Committee to Hold Hearings on Collapse of Lehman Brothers and AIG

Chairman Henry A. Waxman announced that the Oversight Committee will hold two days of hearings to examine the regulatory mistakes and financial excesses that led to the bankruptcy filing by Lehman Brothers and the government bailout of AIG.

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Identified by Oversight Committee Investigations

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has held dozens of hearings and conducted numerous investigations into waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending. This work has identified billions in misspent or mismanaged funds.

Chairman Waxman Announces Hearings on Financial Meltdown

The Oversight Committee will hold five hearings in October on the causes and impacts of the financial crisis on Wall Street. In addition to two hearings next week on the collapse of Lehman Brothers and AIG, the Committee will hold hearings on the regulation of hedge funds with fund managers who earned over $1 billion (October 16 November 13); on the breakdown in credit ratings with the CEOs of the major rating agencies (October 22); and on the role of federal regulators with former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, former Treasury Secretary John Snow, and SEC Chairman Christopher Cox (October 23).

Members Support Principles for Global Warming Legislation

152 Members of Congress, led by Rep. Waxman, Rep. Markey, and Rep. Inslee, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi detailing a set of principles to guide Congress as it produces legislation to establish an economy-wide mandatory program to address the threat of global warming.

Congress Passes Defense Base Act Insurance Reforms

Following a May 15, 2008, Committee hearing revealing that the top four insurers made nearly $600 million in excess profits from coverage provided under the Defense Base Act (DBA) program, Congress passed legislation requiring that the Department of Defense develop a more cost-effective strategy for obtaining DBA insurance for agency contractors.

Chairman Waxman Presses for Lehman Documents

In a letter to Lehman CEO Richard Fuld, Chairman Waxman asks why CEO documents for the past six months have been “discarded” and asks the company to voluntarily expand its search.

Chairman Waxman Requests a Briefing Regarding a Former Albanian AEY Subcontractor

In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Chairman Waxman requests a briefing on the State Department’s knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Kosta Trebicka’s death, a former Albanian subcontractor for AEY.

Clean Contracting Act Passes House

The Clean Contracting Act passed the House of Representatives as part of the National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 392 to 39. The Clean Contracting Act compiles important federal contracting reforms to protect taxpayers from waste, fraud, and abuse.

Chairman Waxman Introduces Legislation to Open Telecom Networks Subsidized with Public Money

Chairman Henry A. Waxman introduced legislation to require that recipients of federal universal service fund subsidies open their telecommunications networks to roamers on just and reasonable terms.

Committee Oversight Leads to “National Action Plan” to Address Healthcare-Associated Infections

Following an April 2008 Committee hearing on healthcare-associated infections, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a “national action plan” to reduce the preventable deaths and illness that result from infections contracted by hospital patients.

Chairman Waxman Expresses Serious Reservations About Bailout Plan

Chairman Waxman released a statement about the Administration’s $700 billion proposal to rescue financial institutions.

Survey of State Hospital Associations: Practices to Prevent Hospital-Associated Bloodstream Infections

Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis issued a report on hospital-associated infections. This report summarizes the results of a staff survey of state hospital associations which shows that the majority of state hospital associations have not adopted a program which could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Committee Seeks Lehman and AIG Records

Chairman Waxman wrote to Lehman Brothers and AIG to seek the communications of the CEOs and board members of the two companies over the last 180 days, as well as information about the compensation of the CEOs and board members.

Chairman Waxman Requests Information on Oil Company Involvement in Interior Scandal

Chairman Waxman wrote to the Department of the Interior Inspector General to request further information about the oil companies’ improper gifts to Mineral Management Service officials in Denver.

Chairman Waxman Questions FDA Priorities

Chairman Waxman wrote to FDA Commissioner von Eschenbach to request answers to questions raised by internal FDA emails, which suggest that political appointees at the agency may be promoting industry priorities at the expense of FDA’s core public health mission.

Committee to Hold Hearing on Implementation and Enforcement of the Clean Water Act

The Committee will hold a hearing on September 24, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. to examine the implementation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. To date, EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have failed to provide the Committee with important documents. Chairman Waxman invited both agencies to testify and requests that documents be provided prior to the hearing.

Update: This hearing has been canceled.

Displaying Items 101 to 125 of 1458:

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