POLISCOPE
Back to feed
FEDERALhearing transcript

House Ways and Means Committee Field Hearing on U.S. Trade Policy

Original title: HEARING ON TRADE IN AMERICA: SECURING SUPPLY CHAINS AND PROTECTING THE AMERICAN WORKER--STATEN ISLAND

January 1, 2024

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

This hearing serves as a formal record of public and expert testimony that will influence future federal trade legislation, specifically regarding supply chain independence and trade enforcement against foreign competitors.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

American workers

Trade policies discussed in the hearing impact job security, wages, and the competitiveness of domestic industries.

U.S. farmers

The committee is evaluating trade barriers that affect the ability of farmers to sell products internationally.

Small businesses

Changes to trade enforcement and supply chain regulations directly impact the operational costs and market access for small businesses.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2024.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Ways and Means held a rare field hearing in Staten Island, New York, to discuss the impact of U.S. trade policies on American workers and supply chain security. The committee gathered testimony from industry leaders and labor representatives to inform future legislative efforts regarding trade enforcement and international competition.

Key Facts

  • The hearing took place on May 9, 2023, at the Global Containers Terminal in Staten Island, New York.
  • This event marked the first time in 100 years that the House Ways and Means Committee held a full committee hearing outside of Washington, D.C.
  • The total value of U.S. goods traded in 2022 was approximately $5.3 trillion.
  • The U.S. trade deficit reached $945 billion in 2022, the largest on record.
  • The committee requested public input via notebooks provided to audience members for submission into the official record.
  • Chairman Smith stated the committee's intent to reassert Congressional authority over trade policy, criticizing current administration frameworks that lack the force of law.
  • The hearing focused on reducing dependency on foreign nations for food, energy, and medicine.
  • The committee emphasized the need to enforce trade agreements and address predatory trade practices, specifically naming China.

Why It Matters

This hearing serves as a formal record of public and expert testimony that will influence future federal trade legislation, specifically regarding supply chain independence and trade enforcement against foreign competitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was this hearing held in Staten Island instead of Washington, D.C.?
The committee held the hearing in Staten Island to observe the 'front lines' of global trade at a major port and to hear directly from local workers and businesses.
Can members of the public contribute to this hearing?
Yes, the committee provided notebooks at the hearing for audience members to share their thoughts on trade policy for inclusion in the official record.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

Sponsors

Show 2 more sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Return to Field Hearings

The committee explicitly noted this as the first full committee field hearing in 100 years, signaling a potential shift toward more localized, public-facing legislative processes.

Connected Entities

personJohn AtkinsPresident of Global Containers TerminalMap →
locationGlobal Containers TerminalSite of the field hearing in Staten IslandMap →
personJason SmithChairman of the House Committee on Ways and MeansMap →
personJohn RomanoCEO of TronoxMap →
personThomas O'SheiPresident of United Steel Workers Local 135Map →
personDale HemmingerOwner/Operator of Hemdale Farms Dairy and GreenhousesMap →
personNury TurkelChair of the United States International Religious FreedomMap →
personNicole MalliotakisU.S. Representative for the district hosting the hearingMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment20
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record