U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means

The Committee on Ways and Means is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of entitlement programs including:

Role of the Committee on Ways and Means

In recent times, Ways and Means has been one of the most important committees in a policy sense, due to its wide jurisdiction. While it lacks the prospects for reelection help that come with the Appropriations Committee, it is seen as a valuable post for two reasons. First, since its range is so broad, members with a wide array of policy concerns often seek positions, simply to be able to influence policy decisions. Major issues that have gone through this committee read like a laundry list of important bills, including welfare reform, a Medicare prescription drug benefit, President George W. Bush's tax cuts, and NAFTA and other free trade agreements. Second, given the wide array of interests that are affected by the committee, a seat makes it very easy to collect campaign contributions.

Related Topics:
Welfare reform - Prescription drug - President - George W. Bush - NAFTA - Campaign contributions

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