Today, U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) took the oath of office for his 18th term serving the people of southern and eastern Kentucky as the U.S. Representative for the Fifth Congressional District. The 114th Congress gains 58 new House members and 13 freshmen in the Senate. 

"Great things are on the horizon for southern and eastern Kentuckians, and I am more confident than ever before in what we can accomplish together. With support from federal, state and local partners, our unified mission to diversify the economy and improve the future of our region is already bearing fruit through the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) initiative. In fact, next year, we will finally have high speed, high capacity broadband access in every single county and it will transform the way we do business.

"Over the next two years, I will continue working for economic growth, job creation, tourism opportunities and improvements in education and wellness. I will also work to rein in overreaching federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, fight for more treatment and education for prescription drug abuse, and take action to bring President Obama's executive amnesty order to a halt."

In November, Rogers was also selected by his peers to continue serving as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee for the next two years.

"I have been proud to oversee the Committee's important work to fund federal government programs in a transparent responsible way - saving the American taxpayers more than $165 billion over the past four years," said Rogers. "As Chairman, I also look forward to working with Senator Mitch McConnell in his new role as Majority Leader to bring an end to gridlock in Washington and pass common-sense federal funding bills to bring our Nation back to regular order." 

Rogers is Kentucky's longest serving Republican in federal office, having served 34 years in Congress.

Rogers has served Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District since 1981. With a focus on economic development, job creation, fighting illegal drugs and preserving Appalachia’s natural treasures, he has a reputation for listening to his constituents and fighting for the region he represents. For more information, visit http://halrogers.house.gov/ or follow Rogers onTwitter or on Facebook. 

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