U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., continued his run in the congressional leadership this week as he announced his subcommittee assignments.
First elected to Congress back in 1990, Mica previously chaired the House Transportation Committee. During his two and a half decades in Congress, Mica has also led the House Aviation Subcommittee, the House Government Operations Subcommittee, the House Civil Service Subcommittee and the House Criminal Justice Drug Policy Subcommittee.
From his perch on the House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee, Mica is now wielding his sixth gavel. The Florida congressman will now chair the ORGs Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets. Mica had set his sights a little higher and had been angling to lead the OGR Committee during 2014. The Florida congressman lost out to U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who now chairs the committee.
Mica will also sit on the National Security Subcommittee under the OGRs umbrella. As the senior member on the subcommittee, Mica said on Tuesday he will focus on embassy security, reforming the Secret Service and homeland security issues.
While he no longer wields the gavel on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Mica still remains a member of it and, on Tuesday, he announced that he would serve on three of its subcommittees: Aviation, Rail and Highway. With his subcommittee assignments in hand, Mica promised to work on transportation projects both in his Central Florida base and across the nation while trying to promote cost savings.
With my Oversight and Government Reform and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee assignments, much of my work in the 114th Congress will focus on ensuring that government functions responsibly and efficiently, Mica said on Tuesday. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to make the American people's priorities our priorities by enacting common-sense legislation.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
