Congressman Garamendi Honored to Serve on Armed Services & Natural Resources Committees in New Congress

Garamendi Believes Northern California Needs
Representative on Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Walnut Creek, CA), a former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Interior Department, has been chosen by the House Democratic Caucus to serve on the Armed Services and Natural Resources committees. While he looks forward to serving on both committees, Garamendi, who served on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee in the last 111th Congress, is concerned that Northern California, one of the nation’s most congested regions, will lack a representative on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for the first time in recent memory.

Garamendi issued the following statement:

"I am honored to be chosen by my peers to serve on two committees critical to the future of our country.

"On the Armed Services Committee, I will focus on making sure that America’s military is both efficient and capable of meeting the defense requirements of our nation. I will also do everything in my power to make sure that we meet the needs of the people whose livelihoods depend on our district’s largest employers – Travis Air Force Base and the Livermore labs. I will also continue asking the tough questions that need to be asked about the conflict in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history.

"On the Natural Resources Committee, I bring decades of experience fighting to preserve America’s vital natural treasures, both a leader in California and as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Interior Department under President Clinton. I will fight for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, champion job-creating clean energy, and resist any efforts to weaken our protections for wildlife and habitats.

"Armed Services and Natural Resources are great committees, and I will be fully engaged in the debates and deliberations on the committees that determine how policies are crafted.

"Northern California needs a representative on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where I served in the previous Congress. The Bay Area has the second worst traffic conditions in America, and we need someone fighting for our region on the committee that determines America’s transportation priorities. I’ve asked Democratic leadership to make Transportation & Infrastructure my third committee if there is a vacancy."