Congressman Jerry Carl (AL-01) on Monday announced that he has been nominated to serve on the powerful House Armed Services Committee (HASC).
The freshman representative from Mobile will continue the streak of Alabama’s First Congressional district congressman being on Armed Services, as former Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) was also a member of the committee.
Carl will be the second member of Congress from Alabama on the committee for the 117th Congress; Congressman Mike Rogers (AL-03) is the ranking member (top Republican) on HASC.
In a statement, Rogers said, “I’m pleased another Alabamian will be joining the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Jerry Carl has a strong understanding of not only Alabama’s defense interests, but also our national interests. I’m looking forward to working together to support our men and women in uniform, and I know the committee will benefit from his membership.”
During the 116th Congress, Alabama had three members of Congress on HASC: Rogers, Byrne and Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05).
The committee’s work is important to Alabama, which has a large defense industry presence statewide; HASC’s has jurisdiction over defense policy generally, as well as ongoing military operations, the organization and reform of the Department of Defense, counter-drug programs, acquisition and industrial base policy, technology transfer and export controls, and much more.
Carl said in a statement, “I’m thankful to House Republican Leadership and Congressman Mike Rogers for their confidence in me. I look forward to serving on the House Armed Services Committee, where I will have the opportunity to be an advocate for the defense interests of Alabama and the United States as a whole.”
“I’m proud to have the chance to further strengthen our military and defense footprint the next two years on the House Armed Services Committee,” he continued. “Whether it’s Austal Shipyard in Mobile, Fort Rucker in the Wiregrass, or Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama’s contribution to our nation’s military strength and defense programs is critical to national security.”
Editor’s note: This draft was updated to reflect that Brooks served on HASC last Congress.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
