U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., will stay as vice chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, ensuring the committee remains led by representatives from the Sunshine State.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., continues to chair the committee with Bilirakis back as his understudy. U.S Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., is the ranking Democrat on the committee.
It is an honor to serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, and I am proud to be named vice chairman once again by Chairman Miller, Bilirakis said on Wednesday. Veterans have always been a top priority of mine, and I look forward to working over the next two years to ensure our nations true heroes get the care and benefits they deserve.
Miller, the only congressman from Florida who chairs a major committee, had been angling to lead the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence but that post went to U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.
First elected to Congress in 2000, Miller rose to become chairman of the Veteran Affairs Committee in the Republican takeover after the 2010 elections. Miller has appeared more in the national spotlight in recent months as the VA department has been rocked by revelations that medical facilities altered waiting lists with at least 40 veterans dying in the Phoenix area as they waited for treatment.
Bilirakis was first elected to Congress in 2006, replacing his father, U.S. Rep. Michael Bilirakis, R-Fla., who represented Florida in the House for 24 years. Besides announcing that he was staying as vice chairman of the committee, Bilirakis noted that he was joining the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee.
I am also pleased to join the VA Health Subcommittee in the 114th Congress, Bilirakis said on Wednesday. Serving on the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Veterans Health Administration puts me in a unique position to ensure veterans receive the timely access to quality care they have earned and deserve.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
