Leadership in a Changing World
During his 40 years in Congress, Representative Waxman established himself as “one of the most prolific legislators in Congress” (The Washington Post) and left office with a long record of legislative and oversight accomplishments. In spite of obstacles and oppositions on both sides of the political aisle, Rep. Waxman had the rare ability to push against the tide to pass important legislation. In this passionate speech, he discusses the leadership skills that made it possible for him to be such a powerful player in Washington, no matter how tumultuous the political climate. He offers insight into the current issues plaguing Washington and the solutions he believes will make a difference.
Our Energy Future: The Evolving Landscape
What does our energy future look like? Rep. Waxman draws from his experience as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce Committee and as Chairman and Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on Health and the Environment to address alternative energy, environmental sustainability, climate change issues, and technologies to meet our energy and economic needs.
Looking Ahead: 2016 and Beyond
Ahead of a critical political year, Rep. Waxman offers insight into how the major political battles will unfold. Who will be the front-runners of the presidential election? What critical legislation is anticipated over the next few years? Will the Republican party stay in control of Congress? In this speech, Rep. Waxman shares what we can expect from Washington over the next few years.
Representative Henry A. Waxman has a long record of legislative and oversight accomplishment. For forty years, he played a leading role in the enactment of major health, consumer protection, environmental, telecommunications and good government laws. He has also been one of the masters of congressional oversight.
Rep. Waxman’s legislative skill has been widely recognized. His work and tenacity earned him recognition as “one of the most accomplished legislators of our time” by The Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson and “tougher than a boiled owl” by Senator Alan Simpson when pushing for passage of the landmark Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
Some of the major legislation that Rep. Waxman wrote or played a leading role in enacting includes health (The Affordable Care Act, Waxman-Hatch Generic Drug Act, Orphan Drug Act, Ryan White CARE Act, National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act and FDA User Fee laws), consumer protection (The Nutrition Labeling Act, Food Quality Protection Act, Food Safety Modernization Act, Cigarette and Smokeless Tobacco Health Warning laws and Safe Medical Devices Act ), environmental protection (The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, laws reducing childhood lead exposure and laws reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and telecommunications (spectrum reforms and The 21st Century Video and Communications Accessibility Act).
Additionally, Rep. Waxman’s oversight record includes major investigations that probed waste, fraud, and abuse (identified over $1 trillion in wasteful and mismanaged federal contracts), misleading intelligence (exposed over 200 misleading statements by senior Administration officials about the threat posed by Iraq), the tobacco industry (revealed decades of industry concealment of the dangers of smoking and the addictiveness of nicotine), steroids in baseball (uncovered the extent of players’ illegal drug use during baseball’s “steroids era” that prompted major reforms in steroid policies in baseball and other sports), the Wall Street collapse (examined the fall of Lehman Brothers and AIG, the failure of the credit rating agencies, and the negligence and mistakes of market regulators) and the Gulf oil spill (disclosed a series of overlooked warnings and risky decisions made by BP to reduce costs and save time.)
During his time on Congress, Rep. Waxman had the distinction of serving as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce Committee and Committee on Oversight & Government Reform. He also served as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and the Environment.
Rep. Waxman currently serves as Chairman at Waxman Strategies, a public affairs and strategic communications firm. He advises clients on public policy and continues to focus on the issues he championed while in Congress. In addition, he serves as a Regent Lecturer for University of California, Los Angeles, and as an advisor and lecturer at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Rep. Waxman is the author of The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works.
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