On Monday, U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., was named as the top Republican on the U.S. House Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee.
U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., the lead Republicans on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, named his subcommittee chairs, including Webster, on Monday.
“I’m grateful for the broad array of talent, proven leadership capabilities, and legislative expertise our subcommittee ranking members bring to the table,” said Graves. “We’ve got an excellent team of effective returning leaders, as well as two new ranking members to bring new ideas and perspectives to the committee’s important work. These ranking members are all ready to hit the ground running, and we will work together to ensure a stronger, safer, and more efficient transportation and infrastructure network for our country.”
“I thank Ranking Member Graves for this opportunity to serve in this capacity. From ensuring the proper management of government facilities to improving emergency management procedures and enacting policies that promote economic development, I’m excited to get to work on behalf of hard working Americans. I look forward to working with my colleagues to develop and pass legislation that saves taxpayer money, protects communities across the United States, boosts our resilience, and strengthens our economy,” Webster said.
Now 71, Webster has had something of a dramatic ride during his time in Congress. While he crushed then-U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., in 2010, Webster had a tough time beating Democrat Val Demings in 2012 after redistricting. After another round of redistricting, Webster set his sights away from I-4 to a GOP-leaning district to the north.
Before serving in Congress, Webster put in decades of service in the Florida Legislature. First elected to the Legislature in 1980, Webster was the first Republican to lead the Florida House since Reconstruction and served as majority leader in the state Senate. However, Webster flopped in some of his efforts for higher office, including failing to become state Senate president and in a U.S. Senate bid back in the 2004 election cycle. After the 2014 election, Webster offered a leadership challenge to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, but came up short and was thrown off of the powerful U.S. House Rules Committee. After Boehner stepped down in 2015, Webster made another attempt to grab the gavel but lost out to then U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
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