Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to Lead Foreign Affairs Committee

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was selected on Wednesday to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The move was widely expected as Ros-Lehtinen served as the ranking Republican.

The most senior woman in the Republican congressional ranks and the first Hispanic woman ever elected to Congress, Ros-Lehtinen was born in Cuba and earned her doctorate in education at the University of Miami. First elected to Congress in 1988, she represents parts of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, including most of Miami and all of the Keys.

It has been a remarkable honor and privilege to serve the American people throughout my time in Congress, and I am truly humbled by the trust bestowed upon me to defend and advance our nations interest as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Ros-Lehtinen. In November, the voters made it clear that if we dont take the correct approach to policy by keeping our economy foremost in our decisions, theyre going to ship us all out. Republicans got the message and are committed to making the peoples House work for the people again. As chairman of this committee, I will work to restore fiscal discipline to foreign affairs, reform troubled programs and organizations, exercise vigorous oversight to identify waste, fraud and abuse, and counter the threats posed to our nation by rogue states and violent extremists.