Washington, D.C. — Today, the Senate Republican Conference ratified Sen. Ron Johnson as the 4^th Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, following a vote by his fellow committee members on Wednesday.  After ratification, Sen. Johnson made the following remarks:

“I am honored by the support of my colleagues, and I look forward to working with Democrat Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware as Ranking Member of the committee.  As committee chairman over the last two years, Senator Carper has set an excellent example by running the committee with a spirit of bipartisan teamwork, respect, integrity and professionalism.  I fully intend to continue that tradition.

“Under my leadership, the committee’s mission will be the following: ‘To enhance the economic and national security of America.’   We will strive to fulfill that mission by using the committee to identify, define and prioritize problems that put America's safety and security at risk, stifle economic opportunity, or result in ineffective and inefficient government. We will use committee hearings to highlight issues, gain insight, clearly define reality, and then garner public support for legislative solutions.

“Under the committee's homeland security jurisdiction, our initial priorities will include border security and enforcement, cybersecurity, the protection of critical infrastructure, and assisting the Department of Homeland Security to succeed in achieving its important missions.

“Under the committee's governmental affairs jurisdiction, our priority will be to conduct oversight hearings to promote common-sense, bipartisan measures to reduce the regulatory burden on the U.S. economy, to help make America more competitive in the global economy, and to identify, then eliminate, duplication, waste, fraud and abuse in government.

“During my 31 years as a manufacturer in the private sector, I found it was always more productive to seek common ground with others by working on areas of agreement and pursuing shared goals.  Regardless of political affiliation, every American wants a safe and prosperous country. I intend to work with all of my colleagues to find ways of pursuing that shared goal.”

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