Luria joins Armed Services committee

Hampton Roads Rep. has 20-year Naval record

Hampton Roads will gain a seat on the House of Representatives committee that deals with the military, now that Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Norfolk, has been named to the panel.

Rep. Donald McEachin, DHenrico, who represents parts of Chesapeake and Suffolk, is also a member of the Armed Services Committee. So is Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, whose district includes James City County and a large swath of northeastern Virginia.

“These are difficult times in a dangerous world, and our brave service members in Virginia’s Second Congressional District and across America deserve our strongest support,” Luria said in a statement Tuesday.

Luria’s district, which runs from Virginia Beach to Williamsburg, includes eight major military installations, including the world’s largest Navy base, as well as roughly a quarter of the nation’s ship repair and construction facilities.

She is a 20-year Navy veteran, who served at sea as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer on six ships.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, she retired with the rank of commander.

Her predecessor, former Rep. Scott Taylor, R-Virginia Beach, was on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is a member of the Senate Armed Services committee.