Washington, D.C. - Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) announced his selection of Texas Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) to be a Deputy Whip for the 108th Congress.

 

Deputy Whips are responsible for helping the Majority Whip find the votes necessary to pass critical legislation. Brady's new role "will give Texas' 8th District an even bigger voice in the decision-making in the U.S. House", said Blunt, who was elected to replace Tom DeLay as the third highest ranking member of the House leadership.

 

"This is a real win for Texas", said Blunt. "Kevin will be an excellent Deputy Whip. He and I and the rest of the leadership team have a lot of hard work ahead of us as we move the Republican agenda forward in the House. I am confident that we'll have a good year and continue getting the work done that the American people have sent us here to do", Blunt continued.

 

Brady, who was recently elected to his fourth term in Congress with 93% of the vote, said, "I am pleased to serve in this leadership role, especially at a time when Congress is rightly focused on national security, preserving jobs and finding real-life solutions to Medicare, Social Security and wasteful government spending."

 

Brady, 47, is a member of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee which is charged with overseeing all tax relief measures including President Bush's economic stimulus plan, modernizing Medicare with a prescription drug plan for seniors, reforming Social Security, reauthorizing the successful welfare reforms of five years ago, and creating free and fair trade laws with foreign countries.