Senate Republicans have selected freshmen Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) to sit on the Armed Services Committee (SASC) in the new Congress.
The new SASC members are set to replace Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who have left the committee for other assignments.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced the Senate Republican Conference’s selections on Wednesday, noting they must still be ratified by the full Senate.
The roster of Senate Democrats on SASC is unchanged from the last Congress, with Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) remaining chair of the committee.
“I am honored to lead the committee along with Senator Roger Wicker,” Reed said in a statement on Wednesday. “He is a dedicated public servant, an Air Force veteran, and a real expert on defense and national security issues. We previously led the Seapower Subcommittee together several years ago and I know Roger to be thoughtful, resolute, and fair.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who has been a strong advocate of Navy shipbuilding programs, is set to be SASC’s top Republican following the retirement of Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe.
“Through my years of work with Chairman Reed, I have come to know him as a fair and judicious voice who is able to bring people together in support of a shared mission, and we will continue that bipartisan work. During the most dangerous time since the Cold War, it is crucial to work as partners to enhance deterrence and counter our adversaries for the long haul,” Wicker said in a statement.
Mullin was elected to Inhofe’s vacant seat and will retain a position on SASC to represent Oklahoma, which is home to military installations such as Tinker Air Force Bae and the Army’s Fort Sill.
“Being selected to represent our state on the Armed Services Committee is a tremendous privilege,” Mullin said in a statement.. “With Oklahoma’s long and distinguished history of military support, I look forward to using my position to ensure that our service men and women have the resources they need to remain the greatest in the world.”
Schmitt, who won Republican Roy Blunt’s seat following his retirement, noted he’ll represent Missouri’s Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base, which is home to the B-2 and future B-21 bomber programs.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed to serve on the Armed Services, Commerce and Joint Economic Committees in the United States Senate. There are important issues to tackle, from dismantling the alliance between the federal government and big tech to halting China’s bid for global dominance – these committee assignments enable me to do just that,” Schmitt said in a statement.
Budd, who won the seat left vacant by retiring Republican Roy Blunt, replaces Tillis as a representative for North Carolina on SASC in the new Congress.