Raja To Step Down As Ranking Member Of House China Panel

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, on January 5 announced that he will step down from his leadership role on the panel later this month, bringing to a close a three-year tenure that coincided with the committee’s formative period.

“I have informed Leader Hakeem Jeffries of my intention to step down as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party later this month,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.

“I am deeply grateful for the confidence Leader Hakeem Jeffries placed in me to lead House Democrats on this Committee for the past three years,” he said, describing the decision to appoint “the first South Asian American to ever lead a Congressional Committee, as Chair or Ranking Member” as part of Jeffries’ “enduring legacy”.

While he did not give a reason for his stepping down, Krishnamoorthi is currently running for the US Senate and is expected to remain focused on his campaign.

Meanwhile, Politico reported that Jeffries on January 5 said that Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) would take over as the top Democrat for the remainder of the 119th Congress.

“We thank Ro for his continued determination, strong sense of purpose and commitment to the work needed to safeguard our economy, defend our national security and protect human rights around the world,” he said.  (IANS)