U.S. Rep. Kay Granger named chairwoman of House Appropriations Committee

U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Republican from Fort Worth, was officially named chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

The committee is responsible for federal funding. Granger was its ranking member during the previous Congress.

“Serving on the Appropriations Committee has been one of the greatest honors of my time in Congress,” Granger said in a statement. “For over two decades, I’ve worked to ensure that taxpayer money is used responsibly and that our military has the resources it needs to protect the American people. My colleagues put their trust in me as ranking member, and I am deeply humbled to serve as the first Republican woman to lead the Committee as chair.”

Granger was previously the chairwoman of the powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

She said the Appropriations Committee should look to reduce spending while prioritizing resources on national security.

“As the former chair of the defense subcommittee and as someone who has thousands of service members and hundreds of defense contractors in my district, I know how important it is that we have a strong defense,” she said.

Republican Roger Williams, whose district stretches from Tarrant County to Callahan County, just east of Abilene, was selected chairman of the Small Business Committee. Williams owns a car dealership in Weatherford and runs a calf-cow operation.

“From out-of-control inflation to broken supply chains, I have firsthand experience dealing with the current problems facing America’s job creators,” Williams said in a statement. “As the Republican majority works on solutions to these pressing issues, it is essential we have a small business owner at the helm of this committee to be the voice for Main Street America.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 3:52 PM.