House Energy
& Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said Friday he has no intention
of turning down the heat on oversight of the administration and government
agencies, including the FCC.
That came in
response to objections by committee ranking member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to
info and document requests on healthcare, which has been the committee's early
priority.
But Upton has
also signaled his committee and subcommittees will be investigating
the FCC's process in codifying net neutrality rules that the Republicans,
including Upton, strongly opposed and now want to overturn.
"Seeking basic
information about how federal agencies are spending billions in taxpayer
dollars and reshaping our health care system is hardly a fishing expedition,
but if the minority insists on such metaphors, I will be the first to declare
that this committee intends to cast its net far and wide," he said.
"From health care reform and energy security to communications freedom and
consumer protections, we will root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government,
expose abuses under the law, and provide accountability for taxpayers'
hard-earned dollars."
Upton's
committee has been issuing regular e-mailed press releases on oversight with
plenty of red-meat language. For example: 'Members Probe Regulations Czar
Cass Sunstein for Answers on Job-Destroying Regs' read one 'promo' for
video of one hearing. "Energy and Commerce Leaders Probe HHS on
Health Care Slush Funds," read another.
