Stripped of his assignment on the Rules Committee after challenging U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to lead the chamber, U.S. House Dan Webster, R-Fla., kept his posts on the Water Resources and Environment, and Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials subcommittees of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The Florida congressman also claimed a new spot on the Highways and Transit Subcommittee.
Earlier this month, Boehner put two of the 25 congressmen who voted against him on notice, removing two Republicans from Florida -- Webster and U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent -- from the powerful Rules Committee. Largely considered an arm of House leadership, the Rules Committee determines which bills make it through the House.
Nugent and Webster were two of five congressmen from Florida who did not vote to keep Boehner as speaker. Webster garnered 12 votes against Boehner while another Republican from the Sunshine State -- U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho -- took two votes.
Despite his challenger to Boehner, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., praised Webster, even as he assigned him to the Highways and Transit Subcommittee.
Rep. Webster is a valuable addition to the subcommittee, which will draw on his engineering background and extensive experience with transportation policy at a critical moment as it develops a bill to reauthorize surface transportation programs, Shuster said on Tuesday. The Subcommittee on Highways and Transit produces legislation for the construction and improvement of safe and efficient roads, bridges and transit systems that create thousands of jobs, provide traffic relief, and make American goods and services more affordable locally and more competitive globally.
Webster sounded a positive note about his new task as well as his work on the larger committee.
Much lies in store for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Webster said. I am looking forward to continuing my current work in the committee, as well as joining the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit as it begins its work on a much anticipated highway bill. Transportation is critical to our economy and job creation in Central Florida, and I will continue to work toward improving our transportation infrastructure while ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
