Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is contacting members of the Republican Conference to outline his vision as Committee Chairman.  Serving the last twelve years as a chairman and ranking member on the Oversight, Communications and Energy subcommittees, Upton has demonstrated steady leadership, knowledge and experience on the major issues confronting the nation.
  
Upton writes, “My vision for the Energy and Commerce Committee is a conservative agenda that focuses on cutting spending, removing the regulatory burden, restoring freedom, keeping government accountable through rigorous oversight, and jobs.  We are going to take a coordinated approach that involves other Committees and our Conference, and focuses on an aggressive communications strategy that effectively articulates our message to the American people.  The job-killing policies of Obama and Pelosi end here.”

In his letter to Republican Members and Members-elect, Upton pledged to the Conference that as Chairman, he:
 
    WILL work with all the members of our Conference as one team;
    WILL pass legislation to repeal ObamaCare;
    WILL conduct rigorous oversight of every program, budget, regulation and agency
    within our jurisdiction;
    WILL aggressively cut spending by adopting new Committee rules to foster spending
    cuts and eliminate government programs; and
    WILL protect the sanctity of human life by rigorous oversight and passing legislation
    to permanently ensure that no federal funds go toward abortion, including:  Rep. Joe
    Pitts’ Protect Life Act and Rep. Chris Smith’s No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.

A copy of Upton's full letter to Speaker-elect Boehner and members of the Republican Conference can be found HERE.

Upton also outlined details of spending cuts that should be made at the committee level in a joint op-ed with Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist.  The joint piece was posted yesterday online at POLITICO.com