US Sen. John Fetterman Gets Committee Assignments, Including Agriculture

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) when he was ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris for the 118th Congress in the Old Senate Chamber at the Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 3, 2023. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has received his committee assignments, which will help set the tone for his freshman year.

Fetterman, a Democrat, will serve on the Committee of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; and Environment and Public Works Committee.

Fetterman will also have a seat on the bipartisan and bicameral Joint Economic Committee and the Special Committee on Aging, which deals with programs and issues related to senior citizens, particularly Medicare and Social Security.

“I’m excited to dive in and use these influential assignments to get to work delivering results for the people of Pennsylvania on these important issues,” Fetterman said in a written statement from his office.

“Agriculture is a huge economic driver in Pennsylvania, and I’m excited to keep fighting for our farmers and their families. On the Banking Committee, I am going to protect consumers and take on corporate greed.

“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 is a large agriculture state with 7.2 million acres of farmland and 53,000 farms, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Broader Than Just Farming

But the Agriculture Committee’s work is broader than farming alone. It covers food security issues such as animal health, food and livestock inspection, and invasive species. The committee also covers school nutrition programs, rural development, and food access such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps; and WIC, nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris ceremonially swears in U.S. Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, for the 118th Congress in the Old Senate Chamber at the Capitol in Washington, DC, Jan. 3, 2023. At center is Fetterman's wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

His wife, Gisele Fetterman, partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at times when she was Pennsylvania’s Second Lady in efforts to combat hunger. She has said in speeches that she grew up “food insecure,” and that is why she is passionate about the issue.

Fetterman replaces Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who was on the Senate’s Banking, Budget, and Finance committees.

The Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee makes policies for anti-predatory lending regulations, the regulation of financial institutions, and oversight of the Federal Reserve. The committee is involved in nursing home construction; public and private housing; foreign trade; urban development and urban mass transit; renegotiation of government contracts, and control of prices of commodities, rents, and services, among other things.

The Environment and Public Works Committee deal with the nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy; flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors, including environmental aspects of deepwater ports; public works, bridges, and dams; solid waste disposal and recycling and a host of other environmental issues.