Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., will be the House of Representatives' chief overseer of media and telecom mergers, the energy industry and foreign acquisitions that have national security implications. Waxman landed that charge Thursday morning after beating Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., in a battle for the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Waxman had argued that Dingell was too close to automakers and had not done enough to impose tighter emission standards on cars or to pursue other environmental initiatives.
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A big blow to Dingell came Wednesday when the House Democratic Steering Committee nominated Waxman for the Energy and Commerce chairmanship. Waxman won a 25-22 vote over Dingell in a closed-door meeting.
Dingell, 82, is the House's longest-serving member. He was 29 when he was elected to fill his father's seat in 1955.
Waxman, who has been chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee since 2006, has used that post to wage investigations and hearings into the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq War, use of executive privilege, attempts at deregulation and many other highly politicized topics. He also has pursued investigations of executive pay and other corporate practices. - Bill McConnell
Bill McConnell is The Deal's Washington bureau chief.
