Ways & Means
With its broad jurisdiction, the Ways and Means Committee impacts our pocketbooks, and in turn, nearly every aspect of our daily lives. The countries where Nebraskans can buy and sell goods, the taxes we pay, and the Social Security benefits some may receive are just a handful of the topics which fall under the committee's influence.
Learn more about how the Committee on Ways and Means impacts you by visiting the links below.
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Americans are rightfully concerned about the direction of our economy. While inflation is no longer at nine percent, prices remain high, and the inflation rate remains double where it was when President Biden took office. According to Consumer Price Index analysis by the Joint Economic Committee, American families are facing an average of $11,400 more in annual expenses compared to prices when Joe Biden took office.
Economic growth and opportunity in Nebraska’s Third District is powered by agricultural trade. While the United States makes up approximately 5 percent of the world’s population, America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers create enough surplus to export $200 billon in food, fuel, and fiber annually while utilizing fewer and fewer acres each year.
This week, thousands came to Washington to participate in the 51st annual March for Life and celebrate Sanctity of Human Life Day. Sanctity of Human Life Day was first recognized in 1984 by President Reagan, marking the 11th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision and commemorating the right to life for the unborn. When handed down in January of 1973, Roe v Wade assigned federal protection for abortion access to an arbitrary point in pregnancy and unjustly struck down state laws which protected unborn children.
In life and legislative work, a new year brings new opportunities and new undertakings. As we enter 2024 and the second session of the 118th United States Congress, there is much work to do, and I’m optimistic we can achieve results for the American people. Commonsense policies promoting economic growth and productivity in our communities can benefit our country as a whole. With no shortage of obstacles to overcome to curb wasteful spending, deliver tax relief, and manage federal programs, it is time to get to work for the American people.
This week in the House, I supported a resolution empowering a full inquiry into President Biden’s interactions with his family’s foreign business dealings. Records obtained by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability reveal the Biden family and their business associates have received over $20 million in payments from entities in foreign countries including Russia, China, and Ukraine dating back to 2013.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Adrian Smith (R-NE), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) introduced the Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act. This legislation aims to restore accountability for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) through commonsense guardrails.
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee’s Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement after the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released their bipartisan report.
Washington, D.C. – Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Annie Kuster (D-NH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Kim Schrier (D-WA) introduced the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity and River Restoration Act, legislation extending a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) to American hydroelectric investments to improve power production, provide environmental benefits, or remove outdated dam infrastructure through 2031.
The members released the following statements:
Serving on the House Committee on Ways and Means, my work covers a wide range of policy issues. The longest-running committee in Congress, Ways and Means derives its authority over all tax, revenue, and trade matters directly from Article I, Sections VII and VIII of the Constitution, which place jurisdiction for the origin of revenue-raising bills in the House of Representatives and the “Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises” before the federal legislative branch.