Committee. Live coverage on cspan2. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] the committee will come to order. Before we began i now, i know speak for anyone here when i wish our Ranking Member a belated happy birthday yesterday. And lets have some cake later so lets celebrate. But late happy birthday. We appreciate serving with you. Thank you, commissioner werfel, for appearing before the ways and Means Committee a little earlier than usual this year. We have a lot to go over with use appreciate you answering the request of our members to come before the Committee Early this year. First, as it pertains to the current 2023 tax Filing Season i want to thank you and your team for the Technical Work to ensure the quick and without delay implementation of provisions of the tax relief for American Families and workers act. We particularly appreciate the steps the agency is taken right now to be ready to immediately implement the legislation once the Sena
And dont you think this is an unforeseen consequence of congress interjecting itself into the markets . Senator, thank you. I would say we are seeing what ducks unlimited and others are calling a crisis in the prairies. We certainly, if you think about the states of north dakota and south dakota, which are really the heart of water fowl production for the United States of america, we have Energy Development in the balken oil fields squeezing from the west and we have Agricultural Development squeezing from the east, and so there is no doubt that we are seeing widespread and unprecedented conversion of habitat that is and if i can interject, because that clock is ticking. Part of that reduction in habitat is putting more of the land into corn to to respond to this Public Policy decision that the federal government has made. That is a fact, is it not . Certainly a part of the demand is related to use for ethanol. But the market is a Global Market for corn and soybean, and the Global Mark
Assessment, and then yesterday the epa proposing acceptable and effective regulation of Greenhouse Gas emissions and so i feel like our country finally has the information and the wherewithal and is finding the will to address this great challenge. And hunting and fishing are vital components of the nations economy especially in many rural areas. In 2011 americans spent 145 billion on wildlife related recreation, nearly 1 of the nations gross domestic product. And the changing climate system is affecting hunters and anglers today. And it is darkening the prospect for hunters and anglers tomorrow. Shorter winters and earlier springs are disrupting delicate water fowl migrations that have evolved over eons. Drought and water scarcity are increasing, jeopardizing populations of native fish and aquatic species. In dozens of watersheds, rising water temperatures are reducing habitat and altering breeding and spawning opportunities for many species of fish. Milder winters are increasing the
Some procedure was frustrating in terms of getting information you may need. But nonetheless we have the protection and we have that walther that protects the surveillance. Its not what you would find in any other country. I spoke to a company who had been working closely with the fbi and as a result of the intel that they were gathering in the cyberworld they were able to basically figure out the 500 million had been siphoned off from various Bank Accounts across the globe. One of the things that this individual was siding was the cooperation there between a private company and in this case the fbi. Is that how the fbi but is that how we go after the cybercriminals . Lets take the private sector the exchanges for instance. What we want to do is as we have done in other areas to go out and develop relationships with the security individuals in those particular exchanges are Financial Institutions so that they know who in the fbi has proficiency in this area and it named with a face in
Ecosystems which provide clean air, clean water, food, shelter and employment for the worlds human population. How and whether we choose to respond here and now will determine the kind of world we leave to our descendants, including whether we pass them a world that has a place for the great traditions of angling and hunting that we are able to practice today. Mr. Chairman, i want to thank you and the subcommittee for holding this hearing, and calling attention to this important and pressing issue. Thank you. Well now have five minute periods for questions, comment, and just to summarize, what youre seeing from your expertise within the fish and Wildlife Service are effects on the ground right now. Theres no doubt, senator, that were seeing the effects of changing migration patterns in our water fowl. Were seeing changing increasing parasiteism and decreasing reproductive rates in big game species like moose in the southern extent of their range. Were seeing rising water temperatures,