Jason Chaffetz: “I appreciate being here today. We have done this in a good bipartisan way. This is a good, strong bill. This bill has…”

“I appreciate being here today. We have done this in a good bipartisan way. This is a good, strong bill. This bill has come under a previous Congress and done quite well. H.R. 1562 will increase tax compliance by Federal contractors and grant recipients and deny contracts or grants to those with seriously delinquent tax debt. I am pleased to, again, present this bill to the House with Representative Jackie Speier, like we did in the past. I also appreciate the help of Representative John Carter in his cosponsorship. The bill has a long history of bipartisan support, including from then-Senator Obama and President Obama. While he cannot claim that he has commented specifically on this exact bill, this bill before us was something that was originally introduced by then-Senator Obama years ago. Five years ago, President Obama directed his administration to crack down on tax cheats that are seeking government contracts. The President said: All across this country, there are people who meet their obligations each and every day. You do your jobs. You support your families. You pay the taxes you owe--because it's a fundamental responsibility of citizenship. The steps I'm directing today and the steps I'm calling on Congress to take are just basic common sense. They're not going to eliminate all of the waste or abuse in government contracting in one fell swoop.…”