Topeka Capital-Journal photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Newly sworn-in Second District Congressman Derek Schmidt has been appointed to serve on the House Armed Services Committee and House Judiciary Committee for the 119th Congress.
“Both of these committee assignments will be important to keeping our country and our communities safe and secure,” Schmidt said. “As I have said many times, my priorities in Congress will always be to put the needs of the Second District and of America first.”
Schmidt sought the Armed Services assignment to support America’s national security and because the Second District is home to numerous military interests including the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley and the U.S. Army’s Combined Arms Center and 35th Infantry Division at Fort Leavenworth. Schmidt’s district is also home to the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas National Guard at Forbes Field in Topeka, and both the Kansas Army National Guard and Kansas Air National Guard Headquarters, with authority over nearly 7,000 Kansas soldiers and airmen.
Schmidt emerged from a three-way Republican primary in the 2nd District to handily defeat former 2nd District Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, a Democrat. Schmidt said it was fitting that Kansas maintain a strong-America presence in the 2nd District.
“I believe in President Reagan’s philosophy of peace through strength and am determined to support America’s warfighters as these dedicated men and women protect our nation in a dangerous world,” Schmidt said. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), welcomed Schmidt to the committee.
“Derek will be a fierce advocate for the men and women at Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth. I look forward to working with him to strengthen our military,” Rogers said.
Schmidt said he sought the Judiciary assignment to help support the Trump Administration’s work to secure U.S. borders and to fight back against the intrusion of big government into Americans daily lives through overregulation.
“As the only former state attorney general in the U.S. House, I will bring the experience of our state’s chief law enforcement official and a commitment to holding our federal government accountable,” Schmidt said. “This committee will play a central role in President Trump’s work to secure our borders, fight corruption, and reform the federal bureaucracy. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance these priorities.”
“Congressman Schmidt is a strong addition to the House Judiciary Committee,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. “His experience as Kansas’s Attorney General will be crucial on the Committee as we work with President Trump to end the crisis at our southern border, protect the First Amendment, and stop the soft-on-crime policies plaguing our country. We look forward to collaborating closely with Congressman Schmidt and delivering results for the American people.”
Schmidt is a fifth-generation Kansan from Independence who previously served 12 years as the 44th Attorney General of Kansas. During his service as attorney general, Schmidt successfully argued three Kansas cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also led successful efforts to build a modern forensic science laboratory for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and to strengthen state human trafficking and consumer privacy laws.
Dane Hicks is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He is the author of novels "The Skinning Tree" and "A Whisper For Help." As publisher of the Anderson County Review in Garnett, KS., he is a recipient of the Kansas Press Association's Boyd Community Service Award as well as more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.
