Shays’ Committee Assignments Finalized
By Paul Ziobro
WASHINGTON – Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4th) has added two committee assignments to his workload: the vice chairmanship of the House Budget Committee and membership on the new Select Committee on Homeland Security.
“I am grateful for these opportunities to serve and energized by the task ahead for us,” Shays said in a statement Wednesday. “We have no higher priorities than fighting the war on terrorism and getting our economy moving again, and I look forward to working to address those critical issues over the next two years.”
Shays plans to use his new leadership position on the Budget Committee, where he had served from 1991 to 2001, to help reinvigorate the nation’s economy, which will in turn get Connecticut’s economy back on track, according to Betsy Hawkings, his chief of staff.
“Helping Connecticut’s economy is one of the most important things he can do in the next two years,” Hawkings said. “With his position on the Budget Committee, he’s in a position to help craft policies that will help our economy grow and help Connecticut’s economy grow in the process.”
Shays also serves as vice chairman of the House Government Reform Committee and as a member of the Financial Services Committee. Although four committee assignments make his days hectic, Hawkings said, Shays is handling it well.
“He’s energized, he’s excited and there’s never a dull moment here,” Hawkings said.
Shays has chaired the Government Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, which has changed its name over the years, since 1998. He will combine his expertise in national security issues with his seats on the Financial Services and Budget Committees to tackle the two key issues facing America, Hawkings said – the faltering economy and the war on terrorism. The Homeland Security Committee will focus on the new Homeland Security Department and terrorism issues..
“These are areas where Chris has worked for a number of years, and he sees it as a great opportunity to focus on two areas where he has spent a great deal of time in the past and feels there’s a critical need to focus for our nation and the future,” Hawkings said.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who appointed Shays to his committee assignments, said Shays’ knowledge would add a new viewpoint to combat the country’s economic and national security problems.
“Chris Shays’ experience and expertise in both the areas of the budget and national security will add an important perspective as we focus on creating jobs, growing our economy and winning the war on terror,” Hastert said in a statement Wednesday.
In January, Shays was passed over for the Government Reform Committee chairmanship despite being its most senior Republican. Shays, one of two primary House sponsors of last year’s landmark campaign finance reform law, said last month that he understood he was being punished for his actions but felt he was given a fair chance to present his case for the chairmanship, which went to Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.).
Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-5) feels Shays will still be influential on campaign finance reform issues, although his failure to be appointed to the chairmanship will hamper his effectiveness in the House, her press secretary, Brian Schubert, said. Both Johnson and Shays are members of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a coalition of moderate House Republicans.
“If anything, his influence will only grow in Congress as he gains seniority,” Schubert said, “and he will continue to provide his expertise on homeland security and the budget process for the nation.”
Published in The Hour, in Connecticut.
