Long Island House members get committee assignments

WASHINGTON — Rep. Lee Zeldin said Friday that he will move up to a seat on the House Financial Services Committee, one of the top committee assignments in the House, for his second term representing the 1st Congressional District in Suffolk County.

And the Long Island delegation’s newest member, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), will serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, his chief of staff Mike Florio said. Suozzi has not learned his second committee assignment, Florio said.

Zeldin, a Shirley Republican, also will continue serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but will leave the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

“The vast jurisdiction of the Financial Services Committee will provide endless possibilities to improve the direction of our economy,” Zeldin said in a statement.

Zeldin will join two other members who represent parts of Long Island on that committee: Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans).

King, dean of the Long Island House delegation, announced he will continue serving on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, after House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) granted a waiver on term limits for that committee’s membership.

King also will continue serving on the Homeland Security Committee, where he is chairman of the subcommittee on counterterrorism and national security.

“I understand the specific security needs of Long Island and New York as well as the many security challenges confronting our nation,” King said in a statement.

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) was expected to continue serving on the Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs committees during her second term, an aide said a week ago.