Kingston Earns Gavel on Key Subcommittee

Press Release

Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) has been appointed Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations.

The post gives Kingston increased oversight of funding for a wide array of federal programs ranging from health programs and research to workforce safety and education policies to retirement security.

"In many ways, this subcommittee is at the epicenter of our national debate regarding the role of government, limited resources, and a high demand for services," he continued. "From Social Security and Medicare to education and worker safety, it is home to important programs that impact every American throughout the span of their lives. It is also where big government, universal services, political axes, inefficient bureaucracies, and philosophical divisions collide."

Within the subcommittee's jurisdiction are portions of the Department of Labor's budget which administers federal workforce development and worker protection programs. The Department of Education which accounts for 9 percent of education funding nationally receives its annual budget through the panel as well.

The subcommittee funds a majority of the Department of Health and Human Services, a vast agency which administers various public health and social services agencies. Included therein is the Center for Disease Control, which is headquartered in Atlanta, as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services among others.

Finally, the subcommittee funds and provides oversight to more than a dozen related federal agencies not incorporated within a larger department. Among them are the Social Security Administration, National Labor Relations Board, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

"Clearly we cannot get our country's fiscal house in order without stabilizing these programs," Kingston said. "Our subcommittee, with its diverse membership and strong personalities, is a microcosm of the challenges we face in resolving our national differences. I plan to work closely with Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and all the members to make sure we are part of the solution."

Kingston previously served as Chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Additional committee assignments for the 113th Congress are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

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