Cong.-elect Westerman Named To Budget, Natural Resources Committees

Fourth District Cong.-elect Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs, will be named to the House Budget Committee and House Natural Resources Committee, according to his office.

Westerman, who will be sworn into office in January, was elected on Nov. 4 to the Fourth District seat vacated by Cong. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, who was elected to the U.S. Senate.

“It is an honor to serve the hardworking taxpayers of the Fourth District on these two committees that not only have a direct impact on Arkansas, but the nation as a whole,” Westerman said.

The House Committee on Natural Resources reviews policy on American energy production, mineral lands and mining, fisheries and wildlife, public lands, oceans, Native Americans, irrigation and reclamation, and has jurisdiction over forest reserves and national parks.

“I am looking forward to serving with Chairman Bishop and using my experience as a professional engineer and forester to bring a rational and common sense approach to solve problems and provide sound policy in the area of natural resource management–an area that is critical to jobs and the economy in Arkansas’s 4th District as well as the nation,” Westerman said in a press release.

The House Committee on the Budget is responsible for developing the annual budget resolution for Congress to consider.

“I am excited to join the effort to get our country’s fiscal house in order and put America back on track,” Westerman said. “One of my main goals as a member of Congress is to enact a federal budget for the first time since the current administration has been in power… Getting rid of our $18 trillion debt begins with passing a well-designed budget, and I look forward to the challenge.”