By U.S. Reps. John D. Dingell and Fred Upton - With the many challenges facing our nation, Americans are looking for bipartisan leadership in Washington. That is especially true here in Michigan, where unemployment has hovered above 10 percent for nearly three years and the recent economic downturn has further magnified problems for our state's manufacturers and small businesses. People want their elected leaders to find common ground where they can, producing tangible results that will benefit ... Read more

Every October, we come together as a nation of patients, survivors, family, and friends in an effort to increase awareness of breast cancer. We have made tremendous progress through the years in the fight against this disease. The breast cancer death rate in the United States has largely decreased since 1990. The continued decline in the mortality rate is an important indicator of success in the fight against cancer, made possible in large part by advances in early detection and treatment. Yearl... Read more

In 1963, the Great Train Robbery was committed in England. It will forever be remembered as one of the largest heists ever in British history, and because of its cleverness, the legend continues. The sum stolen was greater than 2.6 million pounds sterling. Now, we have our own, modern-day great train robbery. In 2009, a $535 million Department of Energy loan guarantee was made to Solyndra, a California-based solar energy company. The company was the first to receive such a loan guarantee through... Read more

By Rep. Fred Upton - President Obama has sent his proposed $447 billion spending bill to Congress, which he promises will revive our economy from its chronic state of sedation. The President pledged that his new jobs plan “will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services.” Regulations Stifle Job Growth Yet, while the President continues to preach job creation, his administration ... Read more

By Rep. Fred Upton - When Republicans regained a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, we embraced the parallel goals of job creation and energy security. Both are essential to America's long-term economic competitiveness, and both can be achieved by expanding the production of American energy. By embracing a strategy that is open to all-of the-above energy sources, House Republicans have successfully passed legislation to tap into America's vast energy resources and prevent regulations... Read more

Ask any person from Michigan what the greatest challenge facing our country today is and you will hear – not surprisingly – the same response again and again: jobs and the economy, jobs and the economy, jobs and the economy. As Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and more recently as a member of the bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, I echo that sentiment, which is why job creation and American competitiveness have remained my focus here at home and back in ... Read more

By Rep. Fred Upton Over the past decade, the continued loss of middle-class jobs has stoked anxiety and shattered dreams of many Americans. Factors largely outside of policymakers’ control — like globalization’s spread and technology-based efficiency gains — contribute to some of today’s anemic employment conditions. But there’s more. Overzealous and burdensome regulations — produced right here at home — also play a role in our stubbornly high unemployment rate and lackluster business growth. Th... Read more

This September marks the eighth annual National Preparedness Month, a nationwide campaign sponsored each year by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to encourage all Americans to take simple steps to ensure that their families and commu-nities are prepared when disaster strikes. In recognition of the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, this year’s official preparedness slogan is “A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare.” Emergencies come is all forms – from hurricane... Read more

Small businesses are leading the way for job creation and innovation here in southwest Michigan. That fact is evident to me nearly every week when I am able to return home from votes in Washington. This August has been no exception, as I have had the privilege of traveling to all corners of our district, visiting with local companies and speaking face-to-face with the men and women who are working to put our state and region back on track. From area home builders and realtors to our region’s far... Read more

By Rep. Fred Upton (MI-06) - Michigan’s working families and manufacturers have faced enormous challenges in recent years, as we now enter our thirty-first consecutive month of double-digit unemployment. While much has been done to turn our struggling economy around, last week’s Department of Labor jobless figures underscore the reality that we still have a ways to go on the road to recovery. American automakers in particular have faced more than their fair share of obstacles, but seem to be eme... Read more