Sen.-elect Tim Sheehy announced his U.S. Senate committee assignments on Friday, all but cementing his influence over the nation's military, veterans and commerce in the 119th Congress.
The soon-to-be junior Montana senator was appointed to the committees on Armed Services, on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and on Veterans' Affairs. The latter is currently chaired by Montana Sen. Jon Tester, whom Sheehy ousted in November.
"The opportunity to serve Montana in the United States Senate is a great honor," Sheehy said in a statement to the Chronicle. "These committee assignments will give me the opportunity to use my background as a Navy SEAL and businessman to put America's warfighters first, better serve our veterans, and deliver greater economic opportunity for hardworking Montanans."
The assignments are largely on par for the former SEAL and businessman, who consistently cited his military experience and claimed credit for local job creation during his campaign.
In his race against Tester -- Montana's most expensive political race ever -- Sheehy criticized the significant drop in veterans serving in Congress, arguing that their experience would better aid U.S. military successes.
"We're amongst the lowest percentage ever of veterans serving in Congress," Sheehy previously said. "It's not disconnected that we have minimal veteran representation across all of our government ... and we have some of our greatest military disasters, back-to-back-to-back-to-back."
In 1973, nearly 75% of the members of Congress were veterans, a percentage that dropped below 30% by the early 2000s. In 2022, there were just 97 veterans in the 535-member Congress, or about 18%.
Sheehy served in the U.S. military from 2008-14 and was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. The year he left service, he co-founded Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company, but he stepped down as CEO over the summer to focus on his bid for the Senate.
Even before he's sworn in Jan. 3 -- as is the case for all incoming senators -- Sheehy's assignments position him to have significant influence over the country and Montana, and will likely help define how well he manifests the intentions of his campaign.
Each committee will let Sheehy participate in reviewing government functions relative to their focus and recommend legislation.
Symbolically, he'll succeed the man he ousted in November on the committee on Veterans' Affairs. The position could remain beneficial for Montana, which has one of the highest per capita percentages of veteran residents.
Tester, the chairman of the veterans committee until he leaves office, had numerous successes, perhaps most notably with the passage of the 2022 PACT Act, which expanded health and disability benefits for veterans with toxic exposure.
With Tester soon gone, a spokesperson for Sheehy told the Chronicle the Veterans' Affairs committee's ranking member, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will be the new chairman.
Moran said he would prioritize preventing veteran suicides, the implementation of the PACT Act, and tackling veteran homelessness, Stars and Stripes reported.
"It is a privilege to serve as the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs," Moran told Stars and Stripes. "I would be honored to continue that service as chairman next Congress."
As for his other two committees, on Armed Services and Commerce, Science and Transportation, Sheehy will be uniquely positioned to impact the legislative oversight of the Department of Defense, the military and transportation in the U.S.
Sen. Steve Daines also announced his committee assignments Friday and will serve on the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations, Energy and Natural Resources, and Indian Affairs.
The second-term senator, who had a successful run as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, helping candidates such as Sheehy get elected, will have significant influence in the Senate. He will have jurisdiction over policies related to tariffs, taxation, health programs under Social Security, and foreign policy.
"President Trump received a mandate from the American people," Daines said in an email. "With these committee assignments, I'll be working to enact the President's agenda to unleash American energy, cut taxes, open overseas markets for Montana farmers and ranchers, improve America's relationships abroad, bring down costs for hardworking families, secure the southern border and stem the flow of deadly drugs."
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