Andy Harris Named Chair Of Key Appropriations Subcommittee

HAVRE DE GRACE - Maryland Representative Andy Harris has been selected to chair a House appropriations subcommittee in the new republican controlled House.

The 65-year-old congressman represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District covering Harford County and the Eastern Shore. House Republican leaders chose Harris to head the House Appropriations panel overseeing funding for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and other agencies.

According to Open Secrets, a nonprofit political watchdog organization, the appropriations committee (and its relevant subcommittees) is the third most important House committee, behind only Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce.

Harris has sat on the Appropriations Committee since 2013. The chairmanship will give Harris considerable power to control federal investment in agriculture and advocate for the residents of Harford County.

In a press release, Harris said it was “an honor” to be named chair and called agriculture “the economic backbone” of his district.

Harris is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, the House’s farthest-right voting bloc. He joined with the 20 republicans refusing to give McCarthy their support during votes for the House speakership. Harris flipped to McCarthy on his 13th vote, with the California congressman securing enough support after 15 votes. Neither Harris nor the House Speaker has commented on whether or not the Maryland congressman's support for McCarthy influenced his chairmanship.