Henry Waxman
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| Henry Waxman | |
| California's 30th district | |
| 1975 - present | |
| Political party: | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | Xavier Becerra |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent |
| Religion: | Jewish |
| Born: | September 12, 1939 Los Angeles, California |
| Spouse: | Janet Waxman |
Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939) is an American politician. He has represented the 30th congressional district of California (map) in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1975. Waxman, a Democrat, is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress. He serves the famous cities of West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.
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[edit] Life
Waxman was born in Los Angeles. He attended college at UCLA, earning a bachelor's degree in political science in 1961. Waxman also attended UCLA’s law school, receiving his law degree in 1964. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer and member of the California Assembly before being elected to the House. In 2003, Waxman delivered the keynote address to the Political Science graduating class at UCLA in Pauley Pavilion.
Before the Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in 1995, Waxman was a powerful figure in the House as chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health and the Environment from 1979. In this role he conducted investigations into a range of health and environmental issues, including universal health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, AIDS and air and water pollution.
According to his Web site, his legislative priorities are health and environmental issues. These include universal health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, tobacco, AIDS, air and water quality standards, pesticides, nursing home quality standards, women's health research and reproductive rights, the availability and cost of prescription drugs, and the right of communities to know about pollution levels.
[edit] The Government Reform Committee
Waxman had a reputation as a vigorous investigator long before becoming ranking Democrat on the committee. In 1998, he created a "Special Investigations Division" to investigate matters that he felt the full committee had neglected. This was possible because the Government Reform Committee has broad powers to investigate any matter with federal policy implications, even if another committee has jurisdiction over it. [1] He has also harshly criticized the Republicans for ignoring their "constitutional responsibility" to conduct oversight over the government. [2].
On the day after the 2006 elections, Waxman directed his aides to draw up an "oversight plan" for the panel. He had already let it be known that he wanted to investigate Haliburton, as well as alleged malfeasance related to government contracts in Iraq. It is very likely that he could also investigate the numerous scandals surrounding Jack Abramoff. This led to concerns among Democratic aides that the Government Reform Committee under Waxman would stage a repeat of the committee's performance under the Clinton administration, when it issued over 1,000 subpoenas. However, Waxman told Newsweek that he is interested in accountability and not retaliation. [3]
[edit] Waxman and the Red Line
In response to a 1985 methane gas fire in the Fairfax District, Waxman sponsored a bill to ban federal funding for the proposed Red Line subway in his district. As congestion in the district increased, the ban became increasingly unpopular. At the request of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Waxman agreed to lift the ban if a panel of five engineers found tunneling under the Miracle Mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard to be safe. In October 2005, the panel decided that tunneling was possible, and on December 16, Waxman responded by announcing he would introduce a bill to the U.S. House which would lift the ban on federal money for subway tunneling in the district. This bill passed the House via unanimous vote on September 20, 2006.<ref>In boost to LA subway extension, House lifts tunneling ban. San Francisco Chronicle.</ref>
Waxman maintains that the 1985 bill was sponsored in the interest of public safety and not, as some allege, to hinder access of the working classes in South and East Los Angeles to his affluent district. In a letter to the Los Angeles Times, Waxman cites the 2005 study: "The panel concurred as well that in 1985, the decision to hold further tunneling in abeyance was prudent, given the circumstances and extent of information and technology at that time. Much has changed since then to significantly improve tunneling and operation safety."<ref>Henry Waxman (2006-01-03). The facts about Red Line safety. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2006-01-03.</ref>
[edit] District information
Waxman's district includes the complete cities of Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Westlake Village, West Hollywood and Woodland Hills, as well as such areas of Los Angeles as Beverly-Fairfax, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Beverlywood, Topanga, Agoura, Chatsworth and Westwood.
[edit] See also
- Hatch-Waxman Act
- Politicization of science for a brief discussion of Waxman's work on the subject
- Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 for Waxman's take on whether that bill became law or not
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Government Reform Committee website
- Democratic Commitment -- a project of L.A. PAC
- BuzzFlash Interviews Congressman Henry Waxman Part 1
- BuzzFlash Interviews Congressman Henry Waxman Part 2
- LA Weekly interview on subway proposal
- Waxman: Democrats' Eliot Ness
- Los Angeles Times Interview: Henry Waxman
- Rep. Henry Waxman on Karl Rove: "The President Said He Would Fire Anybody He Found Responsible"
- Letter from Waxman to Andrew Card asking if Bush knowingly signed into law a bill that didn't pass
- Congresspedia article on Henry Waxman
- Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
[edit] Biographies and profiles
- "Waxman: Democrats' Eliot Ness" - Profile by David Corn from The Nation
| Preceded by: John H. Rousselot | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 24th congressional district 1975 – 1993 | Succeeded by: Anthony C. Beilenson |
| Preceded by: Maxine Waters | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 29th congressional district 1993 – 2003 | Succeeded by: Adam Schiff |
| Preceded by: Xavier Becerra | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 30th congressional district 2003 – present | Incumbent |
