Fetterman gets plum Ag Committee seat, co-sponsors assault weapons ban bill

J.D. Prose
·2 min read
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Freshman U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is co-sponsoring several bills, including one to ban assault weapons, and received his committee assignments, which includes a seat on the powerful Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

Fetterman will also sit on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, as well as serving on the Joint Economic Committee and the Special Committee on Aging, which is chaired by fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey.

“Agriculture is a huge economic driver in Pennsylvania, and I’m excited to keep fighting for our farmers and their families,” Fetterman said in a statement.

“On the Banking Committee, I am going to protect consumers and take on corporate greed,” he said, “and on Environment and Public Works, I’ll work to ensure we keep our environment clean and our highways, roads, and bridges well-maintained.”

Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry, including farming, forestry, landscaping and food manufacturing, had a direct economic output of $81.5 billion in 2021, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard, was recently tapped as to chair the House Agriculture Committee, giving Pennsylvania an even stronger voice in Congress as the Farm Bill gets negotiated for renewal this year.

Fetterman, who released his official Senate portrait Monday, co-sponsored four bills in his first week back in the U.S. Capitol after being sworn-in, including:

  • The Better Care Better Jobs Act, spearheaded by Sen. Casey, that would increase funding for Medicaid home and community-based services for seniors and disabled Americans.

  • Legislation to ban assault weapons.

  • The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, which gives federal employees an 8.7% raise in 2024.

  • The Washington, D.C., Admission Act, which would make the District of Columbia the 51st state.

Fetterman said in a statement that he was “proud to hit the ground running” by co-sponsoring the bills.

“These bills all deliver on promises I made during our campaign, to combat gun violence, expand health care services, improve wages, and increase voting rights and representation for people across the country,” he said.