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U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has been named to five subcommittees of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Most significant, Schatz (D-Hawaii) will serve on the Defense Subcommittee and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which could prove key as the military considers troop reductions in Hawaii and across the country. Hawaii is home to about 78,000 active-duty and reserve troops, and 117,000 veterans.
"I am grateful to Chairman (Thad) Cochran and Vice Chairwoman (Barbara) Mikulski for the opportunity to help shape the Department of Defense’s priorities, especially as it relates to the Asia-Pacific region," Schatz said in a news release. "These are challenging times, and we operate in a difficult budget environment, but this puts me in a position to help Hawaii move forward."
Schatz will also sit on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee; the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee; and the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, where he is ranking member.
This is the first session Schatz will serve on the Appropriations Committee, which allocates funds to government agencies and is also responsible for supplemental spending bills throughout the year.
Schatz will also retain seats on the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Committee on Indian Affairs. He was also one of three Democrats named to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
Earlierthis month U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) was named ranking member of the Senate Armed Service Committee’s Subcommittee on Seapower, which oversees a vast majority of programs of the Navy and Marine Corps.
U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Mark Takai also announced subcommittee assignments this week.
Gabbard (D-Hawaii) will continue to serve on the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittees, and will also now serve on its Readiness Subcommittee. "Serving on both the Seapower and Readiness subcommittees give me a solid platform to advocate for maintaining strategic readiness for our troops based in Hawaii," she said in a release.
Gabbard will also serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats, and the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Freshman Takai (D-Hawaii), meanwhile, was named to two subcommittees of the House Committee on Natural Resources: the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, and the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. Takai said in a release that the assignments will help him accomplish his goals of "moving Hawaii toward a more sustainable energy model" and ensuring that there is funding available to maintain federal parks in the state.
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