U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) has been appointed to the House Armed Services Committee and the Agriculture Committee for the 118th Congress, allowing her to continue her work to strengthen defense supply chains, re-shore American manufacturing, and expand the nation’s economic and food security.
“I’m thrilled to continue advocating for Michigan’s interests on the Armed Services Committee and now, for the first time, on the Agriculture Committee as well,” Slotkin said. “With the new 7th district, I represent more farmers and producers than ever, and I’m eager to get to work on strengthening our food supply chain, opening economic opportunities, and protecting our environment through the committee’s work in a year when the Farm Bill is up for renewal. In Michigan, our bread and butter is growing things and making things, so I’m looking forward to supporting that work in my committees.”
A former CIA intelligence analyst and a top official at the Department of Defense, Slotkin served three tours in Iraq alongside the military and has been a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) since arriving in Congress. In the spring of 2021, she led a bipartisan task force to examine vulnerabilities in our national security supply chains and made subsequent amendments to the NDAA to begin addressing them. On HASC, she has focused on reducing our reliance on foreign countries like China for critical supplies and manufacturing, making new investments in our military capabilities, and addressing PFAS exposure near and around active and decommissioned military installations.
On the Agriculture Committee, Slotkin will play a large role in shaping the critical Farm Bill, which must be reauthorized in the 118th Congress and plays a key role for Michigan’s agricultural community in areas like commodity programs, rural development, agricultural research, and nutrition programs. The current Farm Bill is set to expire in September of this year. Slotkin’s provisions adopted as part of the FY 2023 NDAA (among others) included:
• PFAS exposure: Directing DoD to offer servicemembers alternative gear that is not laden with forever chemicals.
• New manufacturing in Michigan: Allocating $10 million to develop Michigan-based production of aircraft engines for small unmanned aerial systems.
• Bolstering the National Defense Stockpile: Requiring the National Defense Stockpile to gather enough rare earth elements and critical minerals to sustain three years of major conflict and correcting stockpile shortages.
• Ensuring Supply Chain Transparency for Rare Earth Elements: Requiring contractors who supply magnets containing rare earth elements for use in DoD weapon systems to disclose their sources of supply.
• Restrictions on Russia’s gold reserves: Closing a loophole in current sanctions against the Russian Central Bank to prevent Moscow from using its gold reserves to fund the war against Ukraine.
• Strategic materials study: Establishing a DoD program to identify and acquire the highest priority materials, minerals, or equipment, including semiconductors, to sustain the United States in a high-end conflict with a strategic competitor for at least one year.
