Congressman Dave Reichert (R-Auburn, Eighth District) today was selected to be the chairman of the House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee.

“I am honored to serve as chairman of this important Subcommittee which oversees key human service programs,” Reichert said. “I entered public service because I wanted to answer the call to protect and serve those most vulnerable and help build a better America in which families are able to provide a successful future for themselves and their children.

“As chairman, I look forward to leading the effort to improve these programs designed to help Americans who have fallen on difficult times,” he said. “As the oldest of seven kids growing up in a home of scarce means, I ran away on several occasions. There were times I attended high school out of my car in order to escape difficult family circumstances. Yet, there were those along the way who prevented me from falling through the cracks.

“I know what it’s like to struggle, and I know the vital role that hope plays when trying to find a pathway to a better tomorrow,” he said. “As former Sheriff of King County, and now, as chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee, I am humbled by the opportunity to continue my work protecting those in need from also not falling through the cracks.”

The Human Resources Subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means has jurisdiction over the public assistance provisions of the Social Security Act, including temporary assistance for needy families, child care, child and family services, child support, foster care, adoption, supplemental security income, and social services, among other forms of assistance. The jurisdiction of the subcommittee also includes the federal-State unemployment insurance program, including the federal programs for extended and emergency unemployment benefits.