Overview of House Armed Services Committee Organizational Meeting

The House Armed Services Committee came to order yesterday with Chairman Ike Skelton presiding. The organizational meeting is the proverbial first step of the journey. It is in the organizational meeting in which Members ratify the Committee rules and the oversight plan for the 110^th Congress. The Committee rules include the legislative jurisdictions for Subcommittees during the 110^th Congress. Establishing a Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations was immediatly undertaken, restoring a panel that was eliminated in the Republican Revolution of the 103rd congress in 1995.

“As our agenda moves forward, we will restore the House Armed Services Committee’s historic commitment to robust oversight of the Pentagon and of the Administration’s military policies. Other priorities include, but are not limited to: taking care of the troops and their families; rebuilding military readiness, particularly for the Army and the Marine Corps; a comprehensive examination of our current policy in Iraq and identifying options for the future; refocusing attention on the war in Afghanistan; and placing greater emphasis on preventing nuclear proliferation,” said Skelton.

I, for one, am glad to have the grown-ups back in charge. I'll be back later, once the minutes of the hearing with SecDef Gates are posted...