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, and parts of the city of Los Angeles.
Henry Waxman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 30th district | |
| Assumed office January 14, 1975– | |
| Preceded by | Xavier Becerra |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Janet Waxman |
With the Democrats' victory in the 2006 midterm elections, Waxman became chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, the principal investigative committee of the House. He has been this committee's ranking Democrat since 1997.
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.
The Government Reform Committee
Waxman had a reputation as a vigorous investigator long before becoming ranking Democrat on the Government Reform 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]
Waxman and the Red Line
In 1985, Waxman sponsored a bill to ban federal funding for the Red Line subway in his district supported by affluent homeowners groups in response to a methane gas explosion in the Fairfax District. In 2005, a robust real estate market, multi-dwelling construction boom, and lack of public mass transit planning on the westside caused by Waxman's bill caused gridlock in much of Waxman's district.[1] At the request of Los Angeles Mayor and LACMTA Board President 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.[2]
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."[3]
Jewish identity and politics
Waxman, who represents a dominantly liberal district with a relatively high concentration of Jews in number and proportion, is proud of his "strong Jewish identity" and has drawn political conclusions from his exploration of the religion. "Judaism is about acting and doing the right thing, not simply believing in it or mindlessly following ritual," he said in a speech presented by the University of Southern California's Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life.[4] Waxman said he applies Jewish ethical values to his congressional service. He further said that the "Jewish values" of "human rights, social justice, and equal opportunities [...] are synonymous with American values," and that such values "are in my opinion closer to a democratic position." Saying it suffers from "a culture of corruption" and "has become obsessed with secrecy," he accused the American government of having abandoned these values. "(The) Republican leadership ignores presidential rules and norms and has no consideration for custom," he said.
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.
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
References
- ^ http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/red-line-to-somewhere/881/ Christine Pelisek, Red Line to Somewhere, LA Weekly, 3 March 2005
- ^ "In boost to LA subway extension, House lifts tunneling ban". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Henry Waxman (2006-01-03). "The facts about Red Line safety". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2006-01-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Meier, Gretchen (2006-04-24). "Congressman lambastes Bush, Republicans on ethical issues". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
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
Biographies and profiles
- "Waxman: Democrats' Eliot Ness" - Profile by David Corn from The Nation