Brooks, Tiberi, Walden selected for key House chairmanships

U.S. Reps. Susan Brooks (R-IN), Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Greg Walden (R-OR) were tapped to lead key House committees in the 115th Congress.

Brooks will chair the House Ethics Committee, Tiberi will serve as chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and Walden will chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Brooks, who has served on the House Ethics Committee since arriving in Congress in 2013, said restoring confidence in Congress has been one of her goals since taking office.

“With 2016 Congressional approval ratings hovering between 11 and 20 percent, transparent, responsible and ethical government is critical to rebuilding public trust and confidence in Congress,” Brooks said.

“The House Committee on Ethics has an important role to play in holding members, officers and staff accountable to the American people and to our colleagues. As chairwoman, I am committed to holding our members to a high standard of conduct, to conducting fair investigations into allegations and questions brought before the committee, and to effectively and transparently communicate the congressional ethics rules and standards to members, staff and the American people.”

Tiberi, who previously served as vice chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, will be the first Ohioan to lead the committee since the 80th Congress.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to promote pro-growth policies and ideas that foster a strong environment to create jobs, boost wages and allow Americans to keep more of their hard-earned dollars,” Tiberi said.

Meanwhile, Walden, as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will play a lead role in overseeing the nation’s telecommunications, consumer protections, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality, energy policy, and interstate and foreign commerce.

“Americans are looking for big improvements out of Washington, and that’s just what we’re going to give them as we work with the Trump administration, the Senate and the governors, to move forward on the Better Way agenda,” Walden said. “Our work will focus on what’s best for consumers, on creating better paying jobs and providing patient-centered health care.”

Since 2011, Walden had served as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.