Tagged: fred upton

Congressman Fred Upton says he’s in favor of getting rid of federal subsidies for the oil and gas industry.

He made the comments during a debate last Monday night in Kalamazoo. The debate was hosted by The Kalamazoo Gazette/Mlive.com and public radio station WMUK. You can hear the entire debate on their website.

During a discussion about renewable energy, Upton said the country “doesn’t need tax subsidies” for any energy companies.

Upton railed against President Obama’s investment in failed solar panel company Solyndra.

“We don’t need subsidies like this, particularly when the taxpayer losses every dime in their pocket. So I’m for putting all of these on an even footing. Let’s look at the oil and gas subsidies. Let’s taken them away. Let’s let them compete just like everyone else at the same level. We can do that with the tax code to take those special provisions away,” Upton said.

Republican Congressman Fred Upton and his primary challenger Jack Hoogendyk talked mostly about health care the federal deficit and energy issues during a debate Tuesday afternoon. The two Republicans debated for an hour on WKZO.

Their talking points were about the same but Hoogendyk says he’s more conservative than Upton, who’s been in Congress 25 years now.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) - The 19-year-old niece of a Congressman from southwestern Michigan is on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

Kate Upton was born in Michigan but raised in Florida. Her uncle is Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton of St. Joseph.

The magazine cover was unveiled Monday.

Asked Tuesday about her selection as cover model, Fred Upton's office says it doesn't comment on family.

Updated 5:09p.m.

The conservative PAC "Club for Growth" has a new television ad targeting Michigan Congressman Fred Upton's "liberal" voting record.

From a Club for Growth press release:

“Fred Upton voted to bail out Wall Street, supported billions in wasteful earmark spending and has voted to raise the debt limit by trillions while raising his own pay by thousands,” said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola. “Michigan Republicans can do better than a Congressman who has consistently voted to balloon the size of our already bloated government. After twenty-five years of Fred Upton and his liberal policies, it’s time for a change.”

Here's the ad:

Fritz Klug of the Kalamazoo Gazette reports that Upton might have a primary challenger in Jack Hoogendyk—Hoogendyk lost against Upton in a 2010 primary:

“I’ve got a lot of people asking me about it,” Hoogendyk said in an interview with the Kalamazoo Gazette. “Fred is a great guy, and I respect him, but I think a different direction is needed in Washington.” Hoogendyk, who represented Michigan's 61st House District from 2003 to 2009,   ran against Upton in the 2010 primary and lost with 43 percent of the vote. But he spent only $62,000 on the race, compared to Upton’s $2 million.

The Michigan contingent of the so-called Congressional "Super Committee" hosted a media call today to discuss the failed deficit reduction talks between Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Dave Camp (R-Midland) and Fred Upton (R-St.Joseph) were part of the twelve-member bipartisan panel officially known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

The Committee's task: Come up with a way to reduce the nation's deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next ten years.

Congressman Fred Upton is looking for your ideas on how to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Upton is one of twelve lawmakers selected to serve on a special Congressional committee that will try to come up with a compromise on long-term spending.

Seven of the twelve lawmakers on the special committee will have to agree on a proposal in order to get it to the full Congress for approval. Last month, Upton called it “an enormous task.”