Commentary by Rep. Susan Brooks
As your representative in Congress, my goal is to make life better for you. That’s why I’m looking forward to serving on the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the 114th Congress. This impactful committee is focused on indentifying solutions that will make us stronger and more secure as a state and as a nation.
The Energy and Commerce Committee is the oldest standing committee in Congress. It has a broad jurisdiction that includes oversight of policies related to healthcare, energy, manufacturing, telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, environmental quality and trade.
All of these questions are intrinsically connected to goals 5th District Hoosiers have spoken to me about time and again: healthcare reform, job creation, energy security and government accountability.
The Energy and Commerce Committee has already taken several powerful steps to address these concerns, and many others. On healthcare, its bipartisan 21st Century Cures initiative is focused on maintaining and extending America’s edge in medical innovation by finding new and improved treatments for some of our most devastating diseases. This collaborative endeavor will bridge the gap between the science of cures and the way we regulate them by carefully examining the three stages of bringing new treatments to market: discovery, development and delivery. Through an extensive information gathering and outreach process, the hope is to identify real policy changes that can extend and save lives.
On energy, the committee is working to build the Architecture of Abundance needed to harness the benefits of our rich energy resources. The committee has fought tirelessly for the Keystone XL Pipeline, a project with wide bipartisan backing that will support up to 40,000 jobs and produce 830,000 barrels of domestic oil each day. Construction of the pipeline, and other energy infrastructure projects, will also make gas and electricity more affordable for Indiana families and will mean more equipment orders for our many Hoosier manufacturers.
On the oversight front, committee members have been consistent and powerful advocates for taxpayers, working to identify and fix government waste, fraud and abuse. As we seek to lower our $18 trillion national debt and confront mounting national security and public health challenges, this mission is more critical than ever. Our government can and should be more efficient and accountable.
I encourage you to visit HYPERLINK “http://www.energyandcommerce.house.gov” www.energyandcommerce.house.gov to learn more about the committee’s history, role and work. I want to hear your thoughts on the issues we’re tackling. It’s an honor to serve my fellow Hoosiers and I will take on this new assignment with a keen focus on making a positive impact in your lives and jump-starting a new era of growth and innovation for our nation.
To read the full column, visit www.currentxxx.com.
Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks represents Indiana’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She may be contacted at 848-0201 or http://susanwbrooks.house.gov.
