U.S. Congressman Fred Upton

Washington, DC, Sep 23 -

Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, today released the following statement after House Republicans presented A Pledge to America—a new governing agenda focused on addressing the American people’s top priorities.  The Pledge is the culmination of a months-long engagement with the American people in which House Republicans sought their ideas and priorities for Congress.  The agenda offers concrete solutions that can be implemented immediately to tackle the issues that are most important to the nation, including job creation, spending restraint, national security, health care, and reform to Congress itself. The full agenda, A Pledge to America, can be viewed here.  

“Actions speak louder than words and it is clear that the administration and Democrat Congress are not listening to the American people.  There has been a severe disconnect between those in power in Washington and families across the country.   

“Folks deserve better.  America deserves a Congress that listens and respects the opinions and priorities of its citizens.  Through this pledge we are presenting a set of fresh, bold solutions, renewing a commitment to our founding principles, and offering a new way of doing business in Washington. 

“Jobs must be priority number one.  With so many folks in Michigan unemployed and desperate for a job, we offer a plan to end the economic uncertainty for American small businesses and make America more competitive.  As massive debt threatens the livelihoods of our kids and grandkids, we have a credible plan to immediately cut spending and rein in the budget deficit, putting Michigan and the nation back on track. 

“Folks in Michigan and across the nation spoke out, and we heard them loud and clear.  This pledge is an important first step in fulfilling our commitment to America’s families.”

NOTE: The preamble to A Pledge to America reaffirms Republicans’ commitment to principles of smaller, more accountable government; economic freedom; lower taxes; fiscal responsibility; protecting life, American values, and the Constitution; and providing for a strong national defense.  This new governing agenda is comprised of five specific policy plans that could be implemented right now if the Administration and Democratic Leaders would allow it:

Creating Jobs - A Pledge to America reflects Americans’ demand for immediate action on policies that will end uncertainty for small businesses and help our economy get back to creating jobs.  This new governing agenda contains a plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America competitive – including stopping all tax hikes, reining in red tape, and repealing the health overhaul’s “1099 mandate.”

Cutting Spending - A Pledge to America embodies Americans’ rejection of the now-thoroughly discredited notion that we can simply tax, spend, and borrow our way to prosperity.  This new governing agenda contains a plan to cut spending and reduce the size of government – including cutting government spending to pre-‘stimulus’, pre-bailout levels, imposing a hard cap on future discretionary spending, and ending TARP once and for all. 

Reforming Congress - A Pledge to America acknowledges that we cannot get our arms around the issues of the day when we have a government that refuses to listen to the people and ignores their priorities.  This new governing agenda contains a plan to reform Congress and restore trust – including implementing “read the bill” reform, allowing for more open and fair debate, and requiring that every bill contain a citation of Constitutional authority. 

Repealing and Replacing the Health Care Overhaul - A Pledge to America recognizes that the American people continue to squarely oppose the government takeover of health care, with its higher costs, higher taxes, job-killing mandates, and Medicare cuts to pay for a massive new entitlement.  This new governing agenda contains a plan to repeal and replace the job-killing health care law with common-sense reforms focused on lowering costs and protecting American jobs. 

A Strong National Defense - A Pledge to America reinforces Congress’s responsibility to help provide for a strong national defense and fashion a coherent strategy to confront and defeat the terrorist threat.  This new governing agenda contains a plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad – including passing clean troop funding bills, keeping terrorists off American soil, and fully funding missile defense.