Butterfield Named to House Armed Services Committee

Washington, DC—House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi today announced that Congressman G.K. Butterfield has been named as member of the House Committee on Armed Services.

“I am proud to name G.K. Butterfield to the House Armed Services Committee," Pelosi said.  “Congressman Butterfield will uphold North Carolina's proud tradition of supporting our military by being a strong and effective voice on the committee for our men and women in uniform and their families.  He will be an outstanding Member of the Committee.”

The Committee on Armed Services has general oversight of the structure and management of the Department of Defense and it shapes the annual defense authorization bill, which totals $445 billion for the current fiscal year.  

The committee’s jurisdiction includes oversight of the pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges provided to armed services and; selective service; the size and composition of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force; and, soldiers' and sailors' homes, among many other things.

“National defense is one of our federal government’s largest and most central functions,” Butterfield said. “North Carolina has long had a strong working relationship with the military and I look forward to trying hard to enhance it even further.”

North Carolina is home to five military bases, all located in eastern North Carolina. The state boasts the third-largest active military population in the country, and the bases employ more than 150,000 military and civilian workers who contribute more than $10 billion a year to the state’s economy.

Butterfield was drafted during the Vietnam War while attending law school. He served in the Army for two years and was honorably discharged.

Butterfield said that he hopes to use his position on the committee to ensure that active and retired military members are afforded the adequate access to health care; and he will work to expand the quality of services provided by the Veterans Administration hospitals and clinics in the state.

Butterfield also said the committee assignment could also boost his ability to help with Washington and Beaufort counties’ fight over the Outlying Landing Field being proposed there.

“I’m not opposed to an OLF, but I am opposed to the site that appears to have been chosen only for political reasons,” Butterfield said. “I’ll continue the fight for an objective site selection process.”

Butterfield will also continue to serve as a member of the House Committee on Agriculture.

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