Failed Obamacare State Exchanges, Burwell, and a Bill to Fix It:
“We need to use the full extent of the law to get those funds back for the taxpayer.” – Sylvia Mathews Burwell in response to a question from Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) about the hundreds of millions of dollars wasted by states to implement now failed exchanges at the […]
Wyden Statement Regarding Floor Action on the EXPIRE Act
WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement regarding today’s floor action on the EXPIRE Act. “Today the Senate voted to punish innovators, punish small businesses, punish homeowners who are underwater with their mortgages, punish returning veterans looking for jobs, and punish students already struggling to pay for college tuition. Despite […]
Hatch, Grassley Seek Answers from CMS in New Letter on Failed Obamacare State Exchanges
WASHINGTON – Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and former Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today sent a letter to CMS regarding the failed Obamacare state exchanges. Taxpayers have funded nearly $5 billion in state exchange grants. At least seven states and the District of Columbia have failed to build […]
Hatch and Alexander Highlight GAO Report Showing Majority of International Grants at the Department of Labor are Missing Documentation
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Ranking Member on the HELP Committee, today highlighted a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled, International Labor Grants: Labor Should Improve Management of Key Award Documentation, which found that the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International […]
Wyden Urges Swift, Bipartisan Confirmation of Burwell for HHS Secretary
WASHINGTON –Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged swift confirmation for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Sylvia Mathews Burwell. “Ms. Burwell has been a steady hand and an effective, communicative leader at OMB. She is tremendously well-respected, not only by her colleagues in the administration, but by both Democrats and […]
Wyden Discusses EXPIRE Act Benefits for Small Businesses on Senate Floor
Mr. President, as the Senate debates the EXPIRE Act on the floor, the country happens to be celebrating National Small Business Week. In that spirit, I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about a few of the steps this legislation takes to help small businesses. One example is that it helps small businesses […]
Wyden Statement in Support of Sylvia Mathews Burwell for HHS Secretary
The Finance Committee meets today to discuss the nomination of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. If one thing has become clear in the month since the President announced Ms. Burwell’s nomination, it’s that she is tremendously well-respected – not only by people she’s led and […]
Hatch Statement at Finance Committee Hearing on Nomination of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to Head HHS
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, today delivered the following opening statement at a committee hearing on the nomination of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): I want to thank Chairman Wyden for convening this hearing to consider […]
Hatch Calls on Democratic Leadership to Allow Amendments on EXPIRE Act
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) called on Senate leadership to allow amendments to be considered for the EXPIRE Act, which was passed by the Finance Committee in a bipartisan fashion. “While I’m satisfied with the way the Finance Committee handled the tax extenders […]
Hatch and Barrasso Introduce State Exchange Accountability Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) joined Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) to introduce The State Exchange Accountability Act (S.2339 [113th]). The bill will force states that wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on failed Obamacare exchanges to repay the federal government. If a state chooses to no longer operate their own individual […]