Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA, announced Wednesday the subcommittee assignments for the 116^th Congress. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-AL, will serve as the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support. In addition, Sewell also will serve on the Subcommittee on Intelligence Modernization and Readiness.

“As the Chair of the Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support, I look forward to bringing my six years of experience on the Intelligence Committee to bear to advance and ensure our military readiness with respect to the accurate, timely and relevant dissemination of intelligence critical to our military operations,” Sewell said. “In this challenging time, it is more important than ever that we work actively to advance our defense intelligence capabilities and tactics to address the global threats to our national security.

“The success of our nation’s intelligence operations depends on maximizing all of our resources across all of the 17 IC agencies. Our greatest asset is our people,” Sewell said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Subcommittee on Intelligence Modernization and Readiness to continue to promote diversity and inclusion across the Intelligence Community to ensure our national security workforce is reflective of the rich diversity that makes our nation strong.”

Sewell said Alabama has a robust national security presence in Huntsville, Anniston, Montgomery and the Wiregrass. The state is home to federally-recognized military and civilian leaders in the cybersecurity field and to Boeing, EADS, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and other numerous defense contractors and aerospace research companies that support thousands of jobs for citizens throughout the state.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is composed of members selected by Speaker Pelosi and Republican Minority Leader McCarthy and provides policy guidance and funding levels for the Intelligence Community. As one of the architects of U.S. intelligence strategy, the Committee is the House of Representatives’ key link to the Director of National Intelligence and the 17 agencies that constitute the Intelligence Community.

The Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support oversees policies and programs focused on providing our nation’s warfighters accurate, timely and relevant intelligence in support of military operations. This subcommittee will foster greater awareness, collaboration and more effective deployment of resources across the Intelligence Committee related to the collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination of strategic and tactical intelligence.

The Subcommittee on Intelligence Modernization and Readiness oversees policies and programs focused on ensuring that the intelligence enterprise is staffed, trained and equipped to advance its mission and that all 17 members of the I have the workforce, infrastructure and services they need to succeed, while leveraging the totality of the nation’s resources. This subcommittee will foster greater awareness, collaboration and more effective deployment of resources across the Intelligence Community on issues of human capital management, security clearance reform, IT modernization and an array of enterprise-wide, cross-cutting initiatives.

Also on Wednesday, Sewell along with Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-OH, introduced legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTA) until 2030. Since 2000, CBTPA has allowed for the duty and quota-free import of goods made with U.S. yarns, fabrics and threads from Caribbean countries.

“Extending the U.S. Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act will expand the United States’ trade with Caribbean basin countries and increase our nation’s economic growth,” Sewell said. “Improving trade with countries like Haiti and Jamaica by reauthorizing CBTPA encourages future investment, promotes job creation and lays the foundation for long-term economic development.”

The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act would reauthorize the CBTPA until 2030, giving duty and quota-free access to apparel products manufactured in certain Caribbean countries. In return, CBTPA requires that Caribbean Basin countries use U.S. formed yarns, fabrics and thread. Eligible CBTPA countries include Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

CBTPA works in conjunction with the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) to facilitate the development of 17 independent countries of the Caribbean Basin region. For these two preferential trade programs to be effective, both CBTPA and CBERA must be authorized. Eligible CBERA countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.