BAUCUS RETAINS KEY COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Senior Senator Heads Into 6th Senate Term As Finance Chairman
January 14, 2009
(Washington, D.C.) – Montana Senator Max Baucus is expected to retain his key committee assignments in the 111th Congress, including his powerful position as Finance Committee Chairman.
Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev.) announced anticipated committee assignments in a press release today. The list shows Baucus holding onto his important positions on the Finance Committee, the Agriculture Committee, and the Environment and Public Works Committee.
“This is great news,” Baucus said. “My number one priority is making sure Montana’s economy stays strong. I’ll keep fighting to create jobs and boost our economy in everything we do. I’m honored to continue representing our great state on these important committees.”
· Senate Committee on Finance – Chairman
The Finance Committee is often referred to as the most influential panel in Congress because it has a wide jurisdiction over all taxes and revenue, many health care programs including Medicare and Medicaid, international trade policy, and customs.
Baucus often finds himself in the middle of large, national issues that relate to the economy and health care legislation. He’s used his position to pull both parties to the table to pass common-sense legislation for the country and to ensure that Montana and other rural states aren’t discriminated against.
Baucus said this year he plans to, among other things, pass economic recovery legislation, reduce taxes on the middle-class, rewrite the nation’s health care system, and continue opening foreign markets to Montana products.
· Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry – Senior member
The Senate’s Agriculture Committee controls the farm program, school lunch programs and food stamps, and oversees the U.S. Forest Service. As a senior member of the Ag Committee, Baucus was a key architect and final negotiator on the 2008-passed Farm Bill. He’s used his position to press for a strong safety net for producers, a permanent disaster assistance fund, and to implement country-of-origin labeling. Baucus has also been a leader on timber issues and access to public lands, holding the Forest Service accountable for decisions that affect Montana.
Baucus said this year he plans to make sure the Farm Bill is implemented as Congress intended, fight for increased access to public lands for hunting and fishing, and protect Montana’s small mills and timber-dependent communities.
· Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works – Senior member
The Senate’s EPW Committee has jurisdiction over environmental legislation and agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. Baucus has used his position on the EPW Committee to fight for the people of Libby, Mont., who were exposed to deadly asbestos fibers from decades of vermiculite mining by the W.R. Grace and Co. The panel also has jurisdiction over the nation’s highway construction program, which must be renewed this year. Since 1998, Baucus has pumped more than $3 billion into Montana’s economy through the federal highways program.
Baucus said this year he’ll continue fighting to declare a public health emergency in Libby, a move that will advance cleanup efforts and provide better health care to residents, write a new highway bill to create jobs in Montana, and help address the threat of climate change.
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