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New GOP leader set for House military panel

A California lawmaker is set to become the new ranking Republican member on the House Armed Services Committee, a post that will make him the House’s top critic of the Obama administration’s defense policies.

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, whose congressional district includes Edwards Air Force Base, Fort Irwin, the China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center and Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, was selected by the House Republican Steering Committee to replace Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., who is being nominated by President Barack Obama to become secretary of the Army.

McKeon will be taking on a difficult leadership role on a committee where most issues — such as improving military pay and benefits — are bipartisan.

The recommendations of the steering group must be ratified by the House Republican Conference before becoming final, which usually is a routine vote.

Even though McHugh has not been formally nominated for the Army job and remains a member of the House, his Republican colleagues are in a hurry to name his successor because the armed services committee has just begun writing its version of the 2010 defense authorization bill.

In selecting McKeon, the steering group passed over Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, who ranked just behind McHugh in seniority. Also vying for the job was Rep. William “Mac” Thornberry, R-Texas.

In a statement, McKeon said he would work with Bartlett and Thornberry, “who have both been great assets to the committee and valued colleagues.”

McKeon, 70, has been a member of Congress since 1992 and a member of the House Armed Services Committee since 1995. Most of his focus has been on weapons programs; the district he represents includes military and aerospace manufacturers.

But McKeon has become a leader in the effort to revise the way that Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition payments are calculated. He has said the current rules work against veterans who attend private colleges and universities and graduate school, or who must pay out-of-state tuition.

In a statement after the steering group recommendation, McKeon said his first priority will be to work with Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo. The committee chairman, “to guarantee our troops have the resources and equipment they need to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“To ensure this, I will work to seamlessly transition into my new role as we begin markup” of the defense authorization bill.

“I will also work with my Republican colleagues to make certain our priorities are addressed, which include restoring funding for missile defense, reaching a resolution to keep Guantanamo terrorist detainees off U.S. soil, and maintaining our military superiority for today’s needs and tomorrow’s threats,” he said.