Sessions pledges to use chairmanship to 'give voice to those whose voice has been shut out'

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) officially announced on Thursday that he has been named chairman of a key subcommittee on each the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees.

On the Armed Services Committee, Sessions will chair the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which is particularly important to the large defense and aerospace sectors of Alabama’s economy.

Sessions said that his focuses as chairman will include “ensuring a modernized nuclear arsenal, strengthening our ballistic missile defense programs, advancing our space program, producing an American-built rocket engine to end U.S. dependence on Russia’s RD-180, and developing the technology and strategies necessary to deter any aggression, including cyber-attacks, against the United States or her interests.”

“America faces a litany of global threats and emerging dangers,” said Sessions. “It is more important than ever to have the most sophisticated and cost-effective defense programs that deliver the capabilities promised.”

Sessions’ Alabama colleagues Mike Rogers (R-AL3) chairs the same subcommittee in the House.

On the Judiciary Committee, Sessions will chair the Immigration Subcommittee, which, as Yellowhammer’s Elizabeth BeShears reported earlier this week, will give him a prominent perch to continue advancing his staunchly conservative immigration policies.

“My focus as Chairman of the Immigration subcommittee will be to advance the core interests of the nation and its people,” he said.

Upon releasing news of the appointment, Sessions immediately made waves by announcing plans to change the subcommittee’s name to “Immigration and the National Interest,” because “on no issue have special interests had a tighter grip than on the issue of immigration,” and he wants to declare “to the American people that this subcommittee belongs to them.”

“This subcommittee will give voice to those whose voice has been shut out: the voice of the dedicated immigration officers who have been blocked from doing their jobs; the voice of the working families whose wages have been reduced by years of record immigration; the voice of the American IT workers who are being replaced with guest workers; the voice of the parents who are worried about their schools and hospitals; and the voice of all Americans who believe we must have a lawful system of immigration they can be proud of and that puts their interests first,” said Sessions.

“Our first urgent task in this regard is for the Senate GOP to rally the nation behind an effort to halt the President’s unlawful amnesty. Additionally, there is a great deal of misinformation about what actions must actually be taken to create a sound immigration system. Our subcommittee will seek to serve all members, and the public, as a hub for the facts, data, statistics, and evidence they can rely upon for honest information. I became a prosecutor believing that there is a truth, and that a proper analysis of the facts will lead us to that truth. The challenge is large but the task is just, and rests on the solid moral foundation of our citizens’ legitimate demands. I look forward to working with my colleagues towards this end.”

Sessions’ chairmanship appointments are effective immediately.