Contact: Josh Holly, 202.226.3988
Hunter Statement on Retirement of Rep. Jim Saxton
Washington, D.C. --- House Armed Services Committee Ranking Republican Duncan Hunter (R-CA) today released the following statement regarding Rep. Jim Saxton’s (R-NJ) announcement that he will not seek re-election at the end of the 110th Congress due to health concerns:
“Our nation is losing a leader on national security issues who combines great wisdom with an understanding of military issues that is unsurpassed in Congress. His retirement, coupled with that of Terry Everett, deals a double blow to the Armed Services Committee and the Congress.
"Rep. Saxton, a former public school teacher, was first elected to Congress in 1984. His distinguished public service career includes service as a State Senator, State Assemblyman, and the senior Republican on two subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee.
"Rep. Saxton’s legacy includes his lifelong advocacy for the military personnel and families assigned to Fort Dix Army Post, McGuire Air Force Base, and Lakehurst Navy Base. By fighting for the establishment of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats, and Capabilities after the 9/11 attacks, Rep. Saxton was a leading voice on the national security threat posed by radical Islamists and worked tirelessly to equip the military, especially the Special Operations community, with the tools they needed to combat this threat."
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