Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger has announced his return to the House Appropriations Committee for the 114th Congress, where he will serve on the Defense and State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs subcommittees. The Appropriations Committee is responsible for allocating hundreds of billions of federal dollars each year.
Ruppersberger previously served on the committee from 2007–10, when he took a leave of absence to serve as Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee. His term on that committee expired this month after a record 12 years.
“I have been honored to work with the dedicated and courageous men and women of our nation’s intelligence agencies and armed services. That will continue on the Appropriations Committee,” Ruppersberger said. “Defense Appropriations [Committee] and the Intelligence Committee have parallel interests — one authorizes the money, one dishes it out — and I look forward to continuing my work on national security issues, especially cybersecurity and terrorism.
“My subcommittee assignments — particularly defense — are ideal match-ups for the Second District,” he said. “We are home to Fort Meade [and] Aberdeen Proving Ground, as well as many intelligence and defense agencies and contractors that employ hundreds of thousands of Marylanders. My district is the cybersecurity capital of the world.
“Our country will continue to face economic challenges over the next two years, and all members of the Appropriations Committee share a tremendous responsibility to allocate precious tax dollars as efficiently as possible,” Ruppersberger said. “This is a responsibility I take seriously.”