FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky has secured the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which wields broad jurisdiction over issues affecting the daily lives of Americans.
With the GOP set to take unified control of Congress and the White House next year, Guthrie said he's ready to work on the agenda set forth by President-elect Donald Trump and House Republicans.
Guthrie's new role puts him at the forefront of some of the nation's biggest policy discussions. The Kentucky congressman will lead a committee with jurisdiction over the country’s health care system, energy and environmental policies, consumer safety, and telecommunications and technology innovation.
“We must work together to restore America’s energy dominance and lower energy prices, protect children’s online safety and ensure America remains the world leader in technological innovation, and protect access to life-saving treatments while lowering health care costs,” Guthrie said late Monday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the committee will be in “good hands” under Guthrie’s leadership, saying the Kentuckian has the experience and know-how needed to “hit the ground running.”
The Kentucky Democratic Party took a dig at Guthrie, saying, in a statement, that while he "may have a new title, Kentuckians can only expect to see more of his out-of-touch agenda at work.”
Guthrie's rise to the chairmanship adds to the Kentucky delegation's clout in Congress.
Another Kentucky Republican, U.S. Rep. James Comer, will continue as chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Many of Trump's priorities align with the committee's jurisdiction, including his push for government efficiency, Comer said Tuesday while outlining his goals for the committee.
"We will advance solutions to make the federal government more efficient, effective, transparent and accountable to the American people,” Comer said.
The delegation's influence could expand more. Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky is in the running to chair the House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over the financial sector.
Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, a congressional mainstay from Kentucky for decades, will remain a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. He is a former chairman of the committee.
“The general election was a mandate from the American people to lower costs that are crippling family budgets and secure our borders," Rogers said Tuesday. “We must also maintain our commitment to law enforcement and fighting the fentanyl scourge, as we work to make our nation safer.”
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky will continue his push for limited government and fiscal restraint.
The lone Democrat in Kentucky's delegation, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, will be a vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. McGarvey, who represents a Louisville-area district, said he will be part of a progressive pushback against "an increasingly extreme Republican majority.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell will lead a subcommittee overseeing defense spending as he takes on new roles after relinquishing his long-running post as Senate Republican leader. The role dovetails with his belief that America needs a bulked-up military to deter threats from its adversaries.
Kentucky's senior senator also will become chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. That will put McConnell at the center of weighty topics, namely federal elections and voting rights as well as the procedures of the Senate, including the debate around the filibuster.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul will lead the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The new role will put the Kentuckian — a limited-government advocate and longtime skeptic of surveillance programs — in charge of a committee with broad jurisdiction over government operations, including the Department of Homeland Security.