The panel charged with addressing farm and food policy in the House of Representatives is adding four new Democrats and bringing one more member with previous experience back to the committee.
Reps. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., Ann Kuster, D-N.H., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Lou Correa., D-Calif., and Del. Gregorio Sablan, a Democrat from the Northern Mariana Islands, are the newest members of the committee, which now has a full complement of Democrats and Republicans.
House Ag Committee Chair David Scott, D-Ga., rolled out the committee roster Wednesday and made special note of the new members at the beginning of a committee business meeting that afternoon.
"The issues facing the Agriculture Committee are as important now than ever before," Scott said in a statement. "While this roster includes an impressive diversity of region, background, and agricultural priorities, I have faith that each of these Members will work diligently to fight for the interests of our consumers, food and fiber producers, and rural communities."
In all, 25 Democrats will serve on the committee. All have previous experience in Congress; no freshman Democrats will serve on the panel. The panel's Republican ranks include 23 members and six freshman.
Rush, a Chicago-area Democrat, has been in Congress since 1993. He has previously served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a plum assignment typically reserved for specific lawmakers.
Sablan is in his seventh term as the delegate to Congress for the Northern Mariana Islands. At the hearing, Scott said Sablan is the only individual to hold that position and credited him for previous efforts to address hunger.
Correa has been in Congress since his election in 2016 and is a member of the Blue Dog coalition. His district includes the Anaheim and Santa Ana areas of southern California.
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Khanna is currently in his third term in Congress and also serves on the Armed Services and Oversight committees. He represents the San Jose area of California and has signed on as a supporter of the “Green New Deal” environmental policy offered by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Kuster is returning to the committee after leaving the panel for the 116th Congress to serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee. The New Hampshire Democrat was on the committee for the development of the last two farm bills.
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., has left the committee.
The full Democrat committee roster is as follows (listed in order of seniority according to the committee):
David Scott, Georgia, Chairman
Jim Costa, California
Jim McGovern, Massachusetts
Filemon Vela, Texas
Alma Adams, North Carolina, Vice-Chair
Abigail Spanberger, Virginia
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut
Antonio Delgado, New York
Bobby Rush, Illinois
Chellie Pingree, Maine
Gregorio Sablan, Northern Mariana Islands
Ann Kuster, New Hampshire
Cheri Bustos, Illinois
Sean Patrick Maloney, New York
Stacey Plaskett, U.S. Virgin Islands
Tom O'Halleran, Arizona
Salud Carbajal, California
Ro Khanna, California
Al Lawson, Florida
Luis J. Correa, California
Angie Craig, Minnesota
Josh Harder, California
Cindy Axne, Iowa
Kim Schrier, Washington
Jimmy Panetta, California
This story has been corrected to reflect an updated committee press release declaring Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., is still a member of the committee.
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