• 07/17/2008

    Small Market Drugs, Big Price Tags: Are Drug Companies Exploiting People With Rare Diseases?

    U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) will convene a hearing of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) to examine the skyrocketing prices of certain prescription drugs and the impact on the pharmaceutical market, hospital’s budgets and patient’s medical bills. The hearing entitled, "Small Market Drugs, Big Price Tags: Are Drug Companies Exploiting People With Rare Diseases?" will be held Thursday, July 24 at 10am in Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, has been a staunch advocate of lower priced drugs and a competitive pricing market. The panel of experts will explore causes of recent price increases for treatments for rare diseases and the negative impact on affected families’ fiscal stability and access to care.
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  • 07/17/2008

    Amidst Recession, JEC Examines Tightening Squeeze on U.S. Middle Class Families

    U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) will convene a hearing in order to examine the serious impact of rising household costs and stagnant wages in a slumping economy. The hearing entitled, “How Much More Can American Families Be Squeezed By Stagnant Wages, Skyrocketing Household Costs, And Falling Home Prices?” will be held Wednesday July, 23 at 10am in room 608 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. As the American family continues to suffer from slow wage growth and rising household costs in the declining Bush economy, the JEC will invite leading experts to discuss the stranglehold these conditions place on middle class households and examine troubling data found in a new report measuring the economic, education, and health well-being of Americans.
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  • 07/16/2008

    Schumer: Economic Danger on Both Sides with High Inflation

    Sen. Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, released the following statement in reaction to today’s Consumer Price Index data for June indicating that inflation is up over 1 percent, the highest monthly rise in 26 years:

    “We’re now seeing danger for the economy on both sides -- growth is too slow and inflation is too high. We hope that the President will work with us in these very difficult and dangerous times to pass some mainstream, bipartisan solutions for our economy. For the first time worries about stagflation are getting real.” – U.S . Sen. Charles E. Schumer
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  • 07/10/2008

    UPDATE: The Subprime Mortgage Market Crisis Timeline

    The JEC has compiled a timeline of events tracking the subprime crisis from December 2006 to the present. Although it does not include every event in the markets, in Congress, or in the Administration, it provides a fairly comprehensive background guide to the current housing crisis and the steps taken to avoid further deterioration of the subprime market.
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Joint Economic Committee