Dateline: February 3, 2005

Thornberry to chair oversight subcommittee 

WASHINGTON D.C. – US Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) has acquired additional responsibilities in his role as a member of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Committee Chairman Pete Hoekstra has chosen Thornberry to chair the newly created Subcommittee on Oversight.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to tackle some of the most serious issues facing our country,” said Thornberry. “I am also grateful for the support and understanding of my constituents as I devote time and energy to a job about which I will not be able to say much publicly.”

“I appreciate Mac’s willingness to serve as chairman of our new oversight subcommittee,” Hoekstra said. “This subcommittee has an enormous task ahead of it, and the energy and professionalism he will bring to this effort will greatly benefit the nation’s intelligence capabilities.”

Among the responsibilities of the new subcommittee is to oversee implementation of the reforms contained in the “Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004,” also known as the “9/11 Bill.”

“The ‘9/11 Bill’ that Congress approved last month offers us a great opportunity to strengthen the various elements of our intelligence community. But that bill will be beneficial only if it is implemented in as quick and effective a manner as possible.

“I am deeply honored by Chairman Hoekstra’s decision to select me for this position, and I look forward to working with the talented group of colleagues who serve with me on this subcommittee.”

Thornberry joined the Intelligence Committee last September when House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert appointed him to replace former Congressman Porter Goss, who left Congress to become the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Thornberry also serves on the House Armed Services Committee.