House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) announced the subcommittee gavels, with the new leadership being one of the most historically diverse as the panel looks to utilize the expertise of its members.
McCaul noted the committee’s growing importance amid the increase in global threats while announcing the new subcommittee chairs, touting their credentials and arguing that the panel has “never been more relevant with the global challenges and the threats we face from our foreign adversaries.”
MTG SAYS TRUMP WOULD NOT HAVE LET CHINESE SPY BALLOON ENTER US, OFFICIALS SAY OTHERWISE
Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), the former ambassador to Luxembourg, will serve as vice chair; freshman Rep. John James (R-MI), the first Black Republican elected to the House in Michigan, will lead the Subcommittee on Africa; Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), who was born in South Korea, is slated to chair the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific; and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), the bureau chief at the Central America division of Univision, who covered an array of issues including the war in El Salvador before being elected, is set to chair the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
Rep. Tom Keane (R-NJ) will lead the Subcommittee on Europe; Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) will chair the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia; and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) will hold the gavel on the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.
With threats from China and North Korea, Kim is expected to play a key role in helping shape vital policy related to relations with the region.
“America’s national security ensures our way of life and protects the American dream for future generations. This requires our nation to be trusted by our allies, feared by our adversaries and followed by strong, decisive action by our leaders,” she told The Washington Examiner in a statement.
“U.S. foreign policy decisions in the Indo-Pacific region will be pivotal in determining America’s future and standing on the world stage. I am humbled to serve as chair of this important subcommittee and will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to promote global human rights, support fellow freedom-loving countries, strengthen free trade with our allies and hold our adversaries accountable,” Kim said.
Salazar said her experience as a reporter and familiarity with issues that impact the Latino community will be beneficial in helping her succeed in her new role.
“I am deeply grateful to lead the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on House Foreign Affairs. My parents are Cuban exiles and I have spent my life as a Spanish-language journalist listening to Hispanic Americans about the concerns of our communities,” she said. “My constituents in Miami, who come from diverse backgrounds, can be assured I will use this position to be a strong voice against tyrants and dictators, and advocate for democracy and prosperity.”
James said he looks forward to working on issues including combating human rights abuses and the CCP’s impact in the region in his new position.
“I am honored to lead the subcommittee on Africa as its chairman because the African continent is the cradle of Chinese Communist Party economic colonization and military dominance,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“The human rights abuses in the critical mineral mining industry and growing terror networks which threaten the United States are just two current examples. I look forward to working with the committee at large to increase the health and wealth of all God’s children — both in America and abroad.”
In addition to having diverse leaders heading subcommittees, McCaul’s senior staff has also expanded diversity on the panel with 55 percent of the committee’s full-time staff being female, four of the seven subcommittee staff directors being women, two of which are women of color. The Texas Republican’s communications director and his deputy staff director are also women.
