Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-Dist. 5) has been appointed to the prestigious House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he will have oversight of 17 United States government and military intelligence agencies.
“I think historically this committee has always avoided partisanship and has been focused on working to protect our nation,“ he told the Jewish Link in a phone interview last week.
Gottheimer said he expects to soon learn which of four subcommittees he will serve on. The subcommittees are: Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support; Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research; Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence and Counterproliferation, and Intelligence Modernization and Readiness. All meetings are classified and held in a secure room.
Gottheimer was appointed to serve on the committee by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and approved by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. However, because of the increasing polarization in politics, McCarthy had officially denied Democratic Congressmen Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, its former chair, seats on the panel. Both had leading roles in the impeachments of former President Donald Trump. Schiff also served on the Jan. 6 panel.
“Today, the safety and security of the United States is at a critical juncture,” said Gottheimer, from such countries as Russia, Iran, North Korea and China and other oppressive regimes as well as terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Boko Haram and Hezbollah.
The incident with the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the U.S. only exacerbated tensions with China. Gottheimer said the committee expected to be briefed later in the week by intelligence experts about the incident and any findings.
“This is not the first time the Chinese have floated a balloon over the United States and over other continents, including before this administration,” said Gottheimer. “It seeks to do harm. It was unacceptable and a provocative move by the Chinese government.”
The congressman said his own longstanding interest in supporting Israel aligns with the committee’s and the American government’s interest in stabilizing the Middle East and supporting key allies such as Israel. “We are facing evolving threats from foreign terrorists,” said Gottheimer, as is Israel. Several weeks ago the largest joint American-Israeli military exercise ever held was staged, involving more than 140 aircraft and about 6,400 U.S. troops alongside more than 1,500 Israeli troops.
“We must remain vigilant to protect our country and our democracy,” noted Gottheimer. “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on the Select Committee to find common ground, support our intelligence community, fight terror, and advance national security solutions to protect us all.”
Gottheimer will continue to serve on the House Financial Services Committee, where he remains the only member from the New Jersey congressional delegation, and where he is the vice
chair of the National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy subcommittee and a member of the Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets subcommittee.
On Financial Services, Gottheimer serves on the subcommittees on Capital Markets, National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions and Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion.
By Debra J. Rubin
