On Thursday, U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., announced he will co-chair the Congressional Crohn’s and Colitis Caucus as the group is relaunched.
Rutherford and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, will lead the caucus which is “dedicated to educating Congress and the American public on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)” and “ works together to raise awareness, support medical research, protect patient access to care, and educate Congress and the American public on IBD.”
“As the co-chairs of the Congressional Crohn’s and Colitis Caucus, we are committed to working together to support those living with inflammatory bowel disease. In the 117th Congress, we are looking forward to increasing our bipartisan efforts to secure research funding, raise awareness, and fight for cures. Thank you to the thousands of IBD advocates across the country working alongside us and furthering our goals,” they said in a joint statement.
Rutherford is following in the footsteps of another First Coast Republican. Former U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., was a co-chair of the caucus during his decade and a half on Capitol Hill.
A former law enforcement official, Rutherford served three terms as Duval County sheriff. In 2016, he was first elected to Congress. Rutherford represents all of Nassau County and parts of Duval and St. Johns Counties.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
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