Congressional representatives from the Sunshine State will continue to play a major role in determining American policy in the Middle East.
With a new Congress convening this month, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., remains the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Subcommittee. U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., announced earlier this week that he would remain the top Democrat on the subcommittee.
The two South Florida representatives have often worked together on issues ranging from supporting to Israel to taking on Islamic State (ISIS) terrorism. Deutch was one of the leading Democratic critics of President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Ros-Lehtinen and Deutch also were critical of the Obama administration refusing to veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in territory also claimed by the Palestinians.
The Florida delegation continued to expand on the subcommittee as Ros-Lehtinen and Deutch announced on Wednesday that newly elected U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., was joining it. Besides Mast, other new members of the subcommittee are Republican U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Ann Wagner of Missouri and Democratic U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Ted Lieu of California, Bradley Scott Schneider of Illinois and Thomas Suozzi of New York.
“I’m happy to welcome Adam, Brian, Ann, and Brian to the MENA subcommittee and, in the coming Congress, I look forward to continuing to work with Ted and our Democratic colleagues in a bipartisan fashion as we tackle the crucial issues related to this volatile region,” Ros-Lehtinen said on Wednesday. “Many of the greatest threats to America’s national security emanate from our area of jurisdiction and it is vital that we continue with our oversight role and that we help craft solutions that can bring stability and security to the Middle East and North Africa.”
“I am so pleased to join Chairman Ros-Lehtinen in welcoming all the new members of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee,” Deutch said. “I’m proud of the bipartisan tone we’ve set for our Subcommittee, and I look forward to having Reps. Gabbard, Schneider, Suozzi, and Lieu join us as we examine some of the most pressing foreign policy and national security issues facing our country.”
There are two other members of the Florida delegation on the subcommittee as Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis and Democrat U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel are staying on it.
