WASHINGTON, DC — On Jan. 25, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03) announced that Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointed her to the powerful and influential House Rules Committee. The Rules Committee determines what bills are considered and voted on by the full House of Representatives. Rep. Fernández will serve alongside Democratic Ranking Member James P. McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), and Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-02).

Although she will serve in the minority, Fernández will use her role on the Committee to advocate on behalf of hard-working New Mexican families.

“I am humbled to serve New Mexicans on the powerful House Rules Committee and be a voice for our people,” Fernández said. “The Rules Committee is instrumental in influencing all major legislation that heads to the House Floor — we worked extensively with the Committee to pass the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act and secure justice for those communities. I am grateful for the trust Leader Jeffries placed in me to serve alongside an amazing group of lawmakers. This is an opportunity for us in the minority to fight for what matters: lower health care costs, good-paying jobs, and prosperity and hope for a better future.”

The Committee on Rules is among the oldest standing committees in the House, having been first formally constituted on April 2, 1789. Because of the vast power wielded by the Rules Committee, its ratio has traditionally been weighted in favor of the majority party and has been in its “2 to 1” (9 majority and 4 minority members) configuration since the late 1970s.