Owens joins Armed Services Committee

WASHINGTON — Northern New York will maintain its representation on the House Armed Services Committee.

Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, was named Wednesday to the Armed Services and Homeland Security committees and said they would give him a voice on two issues critical to the 23rd Congressional District: Fort Drum and the region's long border with Canada.

The Armed Services assignment sets him on the footsteps of two predecessors, former Reps. John M. McHugh and David O'B. Martin, who became senior members of that panel and found it central to their efforts to expand and maintain the home of the 10th Mountain Division.

The Homeland Security assignment is new to north country members of Congress but fits with priorities such as the need to balance security with Northern New Yorkers' reliance on open and relatively easy travel between the United States and Canada.

In a press release, Mr. Owens said, "Fort Drum is the largest employer in our district, and is critical to both our national security and our local economy. I will do everything in my power to maintain and strengthen Fort Drum as a member of Congress, and as a member of the Armed Services Committee I will fight tirelessly for the base, the surrounding community and for our entire district, all who benefit from Fort Drum's presence."

As a newcomer, he will have the least seniority on the committee, something of an adjustment for the north country following Mr. McHugh's status as the ranking Republican. But in favoring Mr. Owens for the slot, the Democratic leadership may have recognized how important an Armed Services role could be for his chances of re-election next year.

The Democratic House Steering and Policy Committee picked Mr. Owens to fill the slot vacated by former Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher, D-Calif., who, like Mr. McHugh, resigned Congress to take a position in the Obama administration, and gave her Democratic replacement, Rep. John Garamendi, positions on the Transportation and Science committees.

Mr. McHugh's slot already had been filled by another Republican.

Subcommittee assignments were not announced, but those typically are decided by the individual committees.

Two other New York lawmakers, Reps. Eric Massa, D-Corning, and Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, are on the Armed Services Committee.

The Homeland Security Committee has three members from New York. Rep. Peter King, R-Long Island, is the ranking Republican. Others are Mr. Massa and Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-Brooklyn.

Mr. Owens also had expressed an interest in the House Agriculture Committee.