The new House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Republican roster has shrunk by seven in the new Democratic-led Congress, with two new members joining the powerful committee.
Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) on Thursday announced the Republican nominations to the committee, pending approval by Congress.
Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general who was elected to the House in 2016, is joining the committee for the first time. He served as commanding general of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North, and is a former naval aviator, with flight hours in the Boeing [BA] CH-46 medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopter and the Bell [TXT] UH-1 Iroquois utility military helicopter, as well as the North American T-28 Trojan trainer aircraft and the Lockheed Martin [LMT] KC-130 aerial refueler for the Marine Corps
The committee’s second addition is freshman Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a retired Army Special Forces officer who was elected to succeed Ron DeSantis, now governor of Florida. Waltz is the first Green Beret ever elected to the U.S. Congress. He has previously served as Director for Afghanistan policy within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and as a senior adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney for South Asia and Counterterrorism in the George W. Bush White House, and is a frequent cable news show contributor.
Five former HASC members have either retired or lost their 2018 reelection races. Reps. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), Steve Knight (R-Calif.) and Steve Russell (R-Okla.) were all defeated in the 2018 midterms by their Democratic opponents. Each of those opponents – Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Katie Hill (D-Calif.) and Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) — were nominated to serve on the House Armed Services Committee as part of the Democratic majority.
Reps. Frank LoBiondo (N.J.) and Bill Shuster (Pa.) both retired in 2018, while former Air Force combat pilot Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) was nominated to the Senate and now serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.) was suspended from all committee assignments in August after he was indicted for using campaign funds to cover personal expenses and for filing false campaign reports and wire fraud (Defense Daily, Aug. 22). Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) still serves in Congress, but is no longer a HASC member.
116th HASC Republicans
- Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) -ranking member
- Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)
- Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah)
- Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio)
- Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.)
- Rep. Michael Conaway (R-Texas)
- Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.)
- Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.)
- Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.)
- Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.)
- Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.)
- Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.)
- Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.)
- Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.)
- Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)
- Rep. Scott DeJarlais (R-Tenn.)
- Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.)
- Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.)
- Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.)
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)
- Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.)
- Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.)
- Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.)
- Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.)
- Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich)
- Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.)
NOTE: Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) is on medical leave from the House Armed Services Committee