A moderate conservative, Representative Upton fought hard to convince House conservatives after the GOP takeover in 2010 that he deserve to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee. As chairman, he has sought to block or defund the rulemaking capacity of the Environmental Protection Agency, especially on issues such as regulation of greenhouse gases. Republicans call these regulations job-killing. Democrats say he’s out to crush environmental protections and is likely to use the debt panel in that bid.
Upton is also the GOP point man for blocking implementation of President Obama’s signature health-care reform law and finding ways to cut the cost of health care. Like fellow Michiganer Rep. Dave Camp, Upton refused to be drawn into Republican Study Committee efforts to pressure Speaker John Boehner to back off negotiations for a "grand bargain" with President Obama during the debt-ceiling negotiations this summer. What’s important is “avoiding a debt crisis,” he said.
