By Rep. Fred Upton More than 1 million Michiganders will be on the go this weekend as folks travel by road, rail, or air to spend time with loved ones this Memorial Day weekend. As we join with family and friends to enjoy some much-deserved warmer weather, let us continue to keep in mind those brave American service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. It was nearly 150 years ago this May that a proclamation was issued by an organization of Union Civil War veterans t... Read more

Nearly one-third of America’s gross domestic product (GDP) is derived from international trade and 99 percent of that trade passes through the nation’s ports. Today, by a nearly unanimous vote of 412 to 4, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bipartisan, bicameral agreement – the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014 – to maintain and modernize the nation’s water transportation infrastructure. The comprehensive legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ... Read more

Millions of children, women, and men are trafficked every year around the world for exploitation and commercial gain. Second only to drugs, the trafficking of humans generates some $32 billion per year. Today, Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, joined his House colleagues in passing a series of legislative measures aimed at ending domestic and international trafficking, and providing greater support for its victims. “Human trafficking is a heart-breaking and despicably wicked form of abuse. T... Read more

Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, issued the following statement following the U.S. Department of Transportation’s announcement that General Motors has agreed to pay a record $35 million civil penalty for failure to report the ignition switch safety defect to the government in a timely manner: “When it comes to vehicle safety, a matter of life and death, there is no margin for error,” said Upton, who is also chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “GM's admission that it failed ... Read more

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, released the following statement in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia will cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine unless it receives pre-payments. “Threatening to turn off the spigot of natural gas to Ukraine is nothing but extortion playing out on the global stage. This shameful act of defiance by Putin underscores the growing need for Congress to act on LNG exports. Passage of Rep. Gar... Read more

Rep. Fred Upton and Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow today wrote to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, encouraging the agency to follow the wishes of local officials and citizens on cleanup of the Allied Paper Superfund Site in Kalamazoo. The lawmakers note that the City of Kalamazoo supports the total removal of an estimated 1.5 million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated waste from a landfill on the site “and is concerned about restrictions that would prevent them fro... Read more

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the establishment of a 12-member select committee to conduct a full investigation of the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. "For far too long, many of us have tried to get the real story about what happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. And sadly for everyone – the families who lost loved ones, State Department employees around the globe, an... Read more

The U.S. House of Representatives voted this evening to hold former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena to provide testimony regarding the agency’s targeting of conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status. “The constitutional right to free speech is the lifeblood of our democracy, and it is the responsibility of our government to ensure that right is protected,” said Representative Fred Upton, R... Read more

This June, WWII veteran Larry Michal will travel to Normandy, France, with his son Steve for the first time since 1944. They will attend the ceremonies of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. Read more

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) today announced the launch of 21st Century Cures, a new initiative that aims to accelerate the pace of cures and medical breakthroughs in the United States. Chairman Upton, along with committee member Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), explain in a new video that over the next several months, members will take a comprehensive look at the full arc of this process – from discovery to development to delivery – to determine what steps we can tak... Read more