Congressman Nick Begich III is already assigned to two committees: the House Natural Resources Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
He is now on a third one: House Science, Space, and Technology. He announced it on the Amy Demboski Show on Friday morning.
The committee plays to his strengths, as someone interested in how technologies can be used and how they are at risk for abuse.
On Jan. 1, Begich wrote about 2025 being a big year for things like artificial intelligence, artificial superinteligence, robotics, space, and supply chains at a time when there are global conflicts and inflation, and said with the “continued resurgence of classic small government economic policies in both the developed and the developing world … Buckle up! 2025 will be a lot of things, but it won’t be boring!”
During such a time when people like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both future-looking business leaders, have influence over White House policies in business, space, and technology, the committee may become more prominent than during the Biden era.
Last month, the committee sent a fourth letter to Department of Energy’s Secretary Jennifer Granholm, expressing ongoing concern that pausing the export of liquefied natural gas without scientific justification could eventually lead to a permanent ban on one of our country’s most valuable clean energy resources. Granholm ignored the request for information.
“In total, these letters posed 17 questions and made two document requests. In the nine months since these questions were first posed, the Department has failed to provide any substantive answers about the analyses being conducted to establish LNG export authorizations,” the committee wrote.
Notably, when Rep. Mary Peltola was in the House, she was only assigned to two committees.
The rules of the House typically limit congressional members’ service to no more than two standing committees and not more than four subcommittees within the committees. However, House rules also allow for these restrictions to be waived upon recommendation by either party caucus. It appears the caucus wants Begich on a third committee, as he is recognized as a rising star and a workhorse.
Which subcommittees will Begich be assigned to? Those announcements are expected soon.