Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) announced today that he will serve on the Homeland Security and Budget committees for the 110th Congress.
He will be the only N.C. member on the Homeland Security Committee.
Etheridge announced earlier that he will also serve on the Agriculture Committee, where he will chair a subcommittee.
Etheridge will continue to serve on the Homeland Security Committee, on which he has served since its creation following the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks. He will serve on the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response, which oversees FEMA, first responders, emergency management and communications, and federal, state, local and private sector preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts. He will also serve on the Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology Subcommittee, which handles chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, agroterrorism, cybersecurity, and science and technology issues at the Department of Homeland Security.
“Homeland security begins with hometown security, and that is where I plan to focus my efforts on the committee,” said Etheridge. “It is critical that local communities and first responders have the resources they need to keep our families safe.”
Etheridge has also been appointed to the House Committee on the Budget. The committee is responsible for drafting Congress’s annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the federal government. Budget resolutions are agreed to annually, and cover the upcoming fiscal year, and sometimes more. The committee also has jurisdiction over the Congressional Budget Office.
“A budget is a statement of our national priorities, and serving on the Budget Committee will allow me to ensure that the federal budget reflects North Carolina’s common-sense values,” said Etheridge. “The federal government currently spends three times as much money on the interest on the national debt as it does on education. It is time that Congress work towards a balanced budget so that our children and grandchildren will not be left to face that crushing burden.”
On the Agriculture Committee, Etheridge will serve as Chairman of the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee of the Agriculture Committee has jurisdiction over programs and markets related to cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains, soybeans, oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, lentils, the Commodity Credit Corporation, crop insurance, and commodity exchanges. Etheridge served as the Ranking Member of the subcommittee in the 109th Congress. Etheridge will also serve on the Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Subcommittee. The panel has jurisdiction over fruits and vegetables, honey and bees, marketing and promotion orders, plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds, and insect pests, and organic agriculture.
“Serving as Chairman of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management will help me effectively serve the farmers in the Second District,” said Etheridge. “One in five North Carolinians makes a living through agriculture. As Congress prepares to write a new farm bill this year, the Agriculture Committee will play a pivotal role. I plan to work to maintain our successful agriculture policies and look for opportunities to improve on that record of success.”