Congressman Fattah Elevated to Ranking Member on Appropriations Subcommittee

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) Gains Top Democratic Slot for Subcommittee on Commerce Justice, Science and Related Agencies.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) has been named Ranking Member to the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS).  The unanimous recommendation by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee was ratified by his peers in the Democratic Caucus.

The CJS subcommittee oversees close to $70 billion in discretionary spending. It has jurisdiction over the budgets of the Departments of Commerce and Justice, as well as the independent agencies that include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), Commission on Civil Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the International Trade Commission.

Fattah's new position of Ranking Member means he will serve as the highest ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, advocating for the interests of working families and middle class Americans as represented in the Democratic Party initiatives.  His task will be to work with the subcommittee chairman to write legislation that governs and directs funds to the federal agencies under the panel's jurisdiction. 

Congressman Fattah said he will have a national focus as Ranking Member, but added:

"I will also concentrate my energies on local educational and health institutions that have such a defining role in the City of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania's Second Congressional District. We have some of the nation's greatest hospitals, science and health research institutions right here in Philadelphia. Continued federal support is critical to ensure these city and regional organizations are prepared to provide high quality education, superior patient care and ample research opportunities.

"As ranking member, I will champion the interest of my party while working with the chairman," Fattah said. "We're going into lean times, but that means active participation in smart choices and job-building, not just going along on what to cut. We must be sensible in our spending and precise in our priorities."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said of Fattah's election to Ranking Member: "Mr. Fattah's years of experience serving on the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee has uniquely qualified him to work with the Chairman to bring legislation to the floor that will be fiscally responsible and bi-partisan."

Fattah has been a Member of the House Appropriations Committee for nine years, and is the only Pennsylvania Democrat on the committee. Fattah retains his seat on the Subcommittee on Energy and Water, which is responsible for $34 billion of funding related to the Department of Energy and water development projects in the United States.  

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah