Kevin Brady

We need to cut more spending and generate more revenue.

If Congress fails to reach an agreement under the Budget Control Act of 2011, $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts will take place.

We should continue the payroll tax cut through 2013.

By negotiating an International Services Agreement, we can expand our services sales around the world and rev up this great engine of U.S. job creation.

I think the path that we are pursuing with the plurilateral agreement with the ISA is an opportunity to show momentum and then build outward from that.

As a result, I am very enthusiastic about the work that Ambassador Punke is doing in Geneva on services trade policy.

Let me also recognize Bob Vastine, the longtime President of The Coalition of Service Industries who stepped down yesterday and Ambassador Peter Allgeiere, CSI's newly installed President.

Good afternoon. I want to welcome everyone, extend a special welcome to Ambassador Michael Punke and our private sector witnesses.

Expanding services trade means creating good U.S. jobs. I am enthusiastic about the work USTR is doing in Geneva to move toward launch of negotiations on an international services agreement.

Thank you, Mr. McDermott.

This is important work, you are doing good work, and I appreciate and encourage you to continue the consultations with both parties.

I think Mr. Bertoni's point, there has been some movement in that direction, but fairly small.

The question is, how do we solve it?

I don't think just modest changes will save this program. I think it is financially flawed.

I think it is operationally flawed, and at the heart of it is that we are addressing a 21st century challenge looking at it through a 1950s lens.

It seems ripe for fraud. But let's keep pursuing that.

But we are telling people not to give their information over the phone call to a government official.

We have to do everything we can to put these people behind bars. And I personally hope there is a special place in hell reserved for those who prey on our seniors.

The reason we have held almost 20 hearings on this issue, having a discussion about the lowest rate possible, or pro-growth Tax Code, the cost of capital and the impact, this is all part of getting to, I think, the best Tax Code we can…

The Tax Code itself is the problem, making it harder to locate jobs, especially manufacturing jobs here in merge.

Clearly, if America wants to have the strongest economy in the world for the next 100 years, we have to get our Tax Code right.

That is why earlier this year I introduced legislation called the Promoting American Manufacturing Act, which calls for reducing the manufacturing rate from 35 to 20, for those that make things, for those manufacturers of our country.

Thank you very much, Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Keating.

I would urge that Social Security go back to its 12.4 percent rate.

This is an opportunity for a bipartisan jobs bill at a time when our companies, our farmers, and ranchers are looking for, technology companies are looking for new customers and competing around the world.