House Democrats have named Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) as the new ranking member of the space subcommittee as they finalized the roster of members who will serve on that subcommittee.
The Indian American third-term Congressman Ami Bera, D-California, has been appointed ranking member of the space subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He succeeds Donna Edwards, a Maryland Democrat who previously had served as the top Democrat on the subcommittee. Edwards chose not to run for reelection to the House in 2016, unsuccessfully running for the Senate instead.
“As a kid who grew up during the height of the space race dreaming of what lay beyond us, it’s an honor to be selected to serve as the ranking member for the subcommittee on space,” Bera, 51, said in a Feb. 14 statement about his selection as subcommittee ranking member. His district, which covers part of the Sacramento area, includes a major Aerojet Rocketdyne facility.
House Democrats announced the new appointments to the various subcommittees, Feb. 14. This is the first subcommittee on which Bera has been made the top Democrat. He is also among the Democratic members of the Research & Technology Subcommittee of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Bera was also named vice ranking member of the full House Committee on Foreign Affairs, a new deputy position, a significant step-up from being a member of the committee since he came into office.
Bera’s District 7, covers Sacramento County that includes a major space technology company, Aerojet Rocketdyne in Rancho Cordova, apart from other space research facilities around the state. The Space Subcommittee is led by Republican Rep. Brian Babin of Texas whose district houses the NASA’s Johnson Space Center.