Chandler gets appointed to House Intelligence Committee

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, who recently lost his seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has landed on the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

“I’m honored and humbled to be part of the Intelligence Committee,” Chandler, D-Woodford County, said in a statement.
“This committee is charged with the difficult task of keeping Americans safe from threats to our national security. We have a long, hard road ahead in our fight against terrorism, and ensuring a solid intelligence infrastructure is crucial to that fight.”

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer congratulated Chandler on the appointment and said the committee “has some of the biggest and most important responsibilities in Congress” dealing with national security.

In addition to the Intelligence Committee, Chandler will also serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

He said he will use his membership on that committee to seek additional foreign investment in Kentucky.

Chandler noted that House leadership recently stated its intent to reappoint him “in the future” to the House Appropriations Committee without his losing his seniority status on the panel.

Chandler said he was squeezed off the committee – which decides all federal spending – when Republicans took over the House and claimed the majority of seats on the panel. Congressional committees reflect the makeup of their respective chambers when it comes to party lines.

Chandler was re-elected to a fifth term in November in a tight race over Republican lawyer Andy Barr of Lexington. He represents Central Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District.

–Jack Brammer

Filed Under: Ben Chandler • Featured • Federal Government