California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman will most likely be remembered for his environmental activism and aggressive oversight during the Bush era.
The House of Representatives will lose one of its most aggressive watchdogs and environmental activists after this year.
California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman will retire at the end of his term, ending a decades-long career on the Hill.
“The reason for my decision is simple. After 40 years in Congress, it’s time for someone else to have the chance to make his or her mark, ideally someone who is young enough to make the long-term commitment that’s required for real legislative success,” Waxman . “I still feel youthful and energetic, but I recognize if I want to experience a life outside of Congress, I need to start soon. Public office is not the only way to serve, and I want to explore other avenues while I still can.”
In 1984, Waxman was one of the chief architects for the Hatch-Waxman Act, which ushered in the modern era of generic pharmaceuticals. The law sped up the FDA approval process for generic versions of brand name drugs, vastly increasing their supply. A decade later, he played a leading role in House oversight of the tobacco industry, which faced much less regulation at the time than it does now.
In 1990, he helped to author significant revisions to the Clean Air Act which his office says “comprehensively addressed the problems of urban smog, toxic air pollution, acid rain, and the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer.”
During the Bush era, Waxman became known as one of the most influential Democrats in the House for investigations into the president’s administration. As chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he aggressively pursued an inquiries and the alleged, among other scandals. Under Waxman’s leadership, the oversight committee also put together “Iraq on the Record,” a collection of allegedly misleading statements from Bush administration officials in the run-up to the war with Iraq.
Around the time that President Obama took office, Waxman became chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions 20% by the year 2020.
He was also a major player in Obama-era health care policy, fighting to pass the Affordable Care Act and to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program so that it would cover an additional four million children.
Waxman represents a heavily Democratic district in Los Angeles County, and the race for his newly open seat is unlikely to be particularly narrow.
