WASHINGTON, D.C. �?? U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville, today announced that he has been assigned to the powerful Senate Finance Committee for the incoming 113th Congress. He joins Republican Sens. Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Rob Portman of Ohio as new Republican members and will be one of only two freshmen senators on the committee.

In addition to the Finance Committee, Toomey will retain his seats on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Budget; and Joint Economic committees. He will no longer be serving on the Senate Commerce Committee.

�??I am honored to receive a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, which is a huge win for Pennsylvania and will ensure that our state is represented on one of the most important committees in Congress,�?� Sen. Toomey said in a statement. �??The Senate Finance Committee oversees all matters relating to taxation; trade agreements; and health programs under the Social Security Act, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children�??s Health Insurance Program.

With our sky-rocketing deficits and stagnant economy, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact pro-growth reforms of our inefficient and overly complex tax code and modernize our entitlement programs to make them sustainable for the long-term.

�??I will also continue to be an active member of the Budget, Banking and Joint Economic committees. Over the past two years, I have written two budgets and drafted legislation to reform regulation of our financial services sector and help create jobs. These committees play important roles in the health of our economy, and I will continue to push for lower spending, a reduction in job-killing regulations and greater economic opportunities for all Americans.�?�