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John Fetterman got committee assignments overseeing agriculture, banking, and the environment

The assignments will help shape John Fetterman's early days in the Senate, and focus his work in Washington.

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in with his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill on Jan. 3.
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in with his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill on Jan. 3.Read moreAP

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Fetterman will begin his Senate career on committees that oversee agriculture, banking, and the environment, assignments that will help shape his early work in the Capitol.

The assignments for the Democratic freshman, finalized Thursday, are some of the first concrete signals of where Fetterman’s work is likely to focus as he aims to turn his campaign promises to fight for working people into tangible votes and legislation.

While senators can work on any issue that crosses their desk, committee assignments often steer their focus. Committee hearings give them a chance to elevate certain issues, shape legislation moving through the panels, and collaborate with other lawmakers on the same committee.

Fetterman is also expected to join the Special Committee on Aging, chaired by fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. Bob Casey, and the bicameral Joint Economic Committee.

“It is an honor and a privilege to receive these committee assignments,” Fetterman said in a statement. “I’m excited to dive in and use these influential assignments to get to work delivering results for the people of Pennsylvania on these important issues.”

» READ MORE: How John Fetterman will fit in the U.S. Senate

He added, “Agriculture is a huge economic driver in Pennsylvania, and I’m excited to keep fighting for our farmers and their families. On the Banking Committee, I am going to protect consumers and take on corporate greed. And on Environment and Public Works, I’ll work to ensure we keep our environment clean and our highways, roads, and bridges well-maintained.”

Agriculture is one of Pennsylvania’s biggest sectors, and the committee also oversees food aid programs that are often utilized in bigger cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The policies shaped by the environment committee can influence the state’s fracking and industrial sectors, though much of energy policy goes through the separate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

On banking, Fetterman may get a chance to flex his populist instincts when it comes to overseeing big financial institutions. His predecessor, Sen. Pat Toomey, was that panel’s top-ranking Republican, and was an ally of business and financial institutions who opposed nearly all government intervention in the sector.

Fetterman’s posture is vastly different, as he has vowed to take on corporations that he says are gouging everyday customers.