Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) will serve as the next chair of the House’s Select Committee on Strategic Competition.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made the selection on Monday, with Moolenaar set to take over leading the panel following inaugural chair Rep. Mike Gallagher’s (R-Wis.) upcoming exit from Congress next month.
“John Moolenaar will be an exceptional chairman for the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). His leadership experience in the private and public sectors, his academic background, and his principled service in Congress have earned John the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Our country, our economy, and our national security will be well-served by his wisdom and guidance in the ongoing work of this critical select committee,” Johnson said in a statement.
The 62-year-old Moolenaar, a fifth term representative, is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the U.S.-Japan Caucus.
“I am thankful to the Speaker for this appointment, and I look forward to working with Ranking Member [Raja] Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the members of the Select Committee, House leaders, and the standing committees in the weeks and months ahead. Together, we can help our country prepare for the challenges we face from the Chinese Communist Party and win the competition against the CCP,” Moolenaar said in a statement.
Moolenaar said on March 25 that he had traveled to Taiwan last month in a congressional delegation with Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi.
After first announcing he won’t seek reelection in February, Gallagher said last Friday he plans to resign from Congress on April 19 (Defense Daily, March 22).
Gallagher, a Marine Corps veteran, has represented Wisconsin’s solidly-red 8th district since 2017 and quickly established a reputation as a national security hawk, with a particular interest in issues ranging from China concerns, DoD technology innovation, cyber security challenges and artificial intelligence.
The House established the Select Committee on China in January 2023 and named Gallagher as its chair and Krishnamoorthi as ranking member, with the two lawmakers having cited the panel’s bipartisan approach to examining issues and working on policy recommendations related to the U.S.’ competition with Beijing (Defense Daily, Jan. 11).
“Representative John Moolenaar will be an incredible leader of the Select Committee. John understands the grave military, economic, and ideological threat posed by the CCP and will continue to advance an agenda that will best position our country to fight and win the strategic competition between the United States and our nation’s foremost adversary, the Chinese Communist Party,” Gallagher said in a statement on Monday.