Norcross Selected to Chair House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) was selected by his colleagues on Wednesday to chair the House Armed Services Committee’s Tactical Air and Land Forces (TAL) Subcommittee.

“We live in an uncertain world where there are serious threats to our country and our democracy, and as we continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic, our military needs to be equipped with technologies to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Congressman Norcross. “New Jersey is home to a number of defense facilities and industries that provide high-tech jobs and play an important role in the security of the United States, including Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. In this leadership role, I will continue supporting our missions at these facilities and others across the country.”

The TAL Subcommittee authorized over $117.8 billion of Department of Defense spending last year, which is the largest development and procurement amount of any Armed Services Subcommittee, and plays a critical role in ensuring that our men and women in uniform have the best equipment possible to safeguard our nation.

He added: “I want to thank my colleagues for entrusting me with this important role on the Committee for the second consecutive Congress. I look forward to continuing our work in a bipartisan manner to make sure our military is equipped to meet mission requirements and deter potential adversaries, while ensuring the Department of Defense’s acquisition programs are fiscally responsible and working closely with the Biden-Harris Administration. As the father of a veteran, serving on the House Armed Services Committee has always been personal for me, and this Subcommittee Chairmanship allows me to lead efforts to ensure our military can execute, innovate and modernize.”

TAL is responsible for the authorization of funding for equipment across the services (Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps), National Guard and Reserves. Specifically, the Subcommittee authorizes funding for and conducts oversight of all military tactical aviation and helicopter platforms; Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps combat and tactical vehicles, servicemember equipment, and electronic warfare programs among others. Above all the Subcommittee is tasked with ensuring that our military’s modernization strategies and programs meet core military equipment requirements, our military is equipped to meet mission requirements and deter any hostile threats, and that the Department of Defense is fiscally responsible and accountable to the nation’s taxpayers.

Norcross also serves on the House Committee on Education and Labor and the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. In addition to his three House committee assignments, Norcross was unanimously elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and was reselected to be the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee’s Parliamentarian for the 117th Congress. In November, Norcross founded the Labor Caucus, intended to advance the needs of the labor movement, combat the issues facing working families and connect legislators directly with unions and union leaders. Norcross is also the co-founder of the Building Trades Caucus and Vice-Chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

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