WASHINGTON — Sen. Peter Welch announced that he will be chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee during the 118th Congress.
Welch will also serve on additional subcommittees on the Agriculture, Judiciary and Commerce committees, including the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, and the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing.
“Vermont families are facing an affordability crisis, with housing in short supply and high costs for essentials, like prescription drugs and health care. Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, you’re affected by these challenges, and you deserve support from Washington,” said Welch in a statement. “In my role as chair of the Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee and through my other subcommittee assignments, I’m committed to strengthening our rural communities and cutting costs for working families.”
The senator said these subcommittee assignments position him to continue working to address issues that matter to Vermonters, including fighting climate change, expanding broadband access, and pushing back against market abuse.
As chairman of the Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee, Welch will play a role in the preparation of the 2023 Farm Bill, which affects families and rural communities. The Subcommittee on Rural Development oversees many of the programs in USDA’s Rural Development mission area, including renewable energy, economic development and housing, pressing issues for many Vermont communities.
