Washington, DC - Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns continues to build support for his bid to become Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform with commitments of support from three dozen key members, including most senior members of the committee, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the New York delegation. 

Today, three fellow subcommittee chairmen endorsed Ed Towns – Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy; Rep. Danny Davis, Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia; and Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives.  Additional endorsement letters will be released in coming days. 

Rep. Towns is currently the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement and is the senior Democratic member eligible for the chairmanship.  He has served on the committee for 26 years.

Rep. Towns began seeking support after the chairmanship became vacant with Rep. Henry Waxman’s election as Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce on Thursday morning.  Towns is calling House leaders and members of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to ask for their support. 

“I am excited about the opportunity to pursue constructive oversight and a legislative reform agenda that the chairmanship offers.  I plan to work in close cooperation with Speaker Pelosi and the elected leadership of the caucus in the 111th Congress,” said Rep. Towns.

No challenge to Towns’ candidacy has been announced.

The text of the letter follows:

“As fellow subcommittee chairs on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, we are supporting Rep. Edolphus Towns, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement, to succeed Rep. Henry Waxman as chair of the full committee.

During the 110th Congress, Ed Towns amply demonstrated the interest and ability needed to lead the full committee in the new Congress.  He convened hearings that held the Administration accountable for waste and mismanagement, and passed bills to improve federal customer service, transparency and accountability in contracting, and the independence of Inspectors General.  Ed Towns maintains good relations with committee members from both sides of the aisle, and we expect that he will be quite effective in enacting important government reforms in cooperation with the Obama Administration.

We ask that you join us in supporting Ed Towns for chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the 111th Congress.”

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