U.S. House Appropriations Committee Chairman, Hal Rogers (R-KY), selected U.S. Representative Charlie Dent (R-Allentown) as the new Chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee.

Dent will oversee $71 billion, the third largest amount of discretionary spending of the twelve Appropriations Subcommittees and have a total oversight of $161 billion of federal spending.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work to meet the needs of American servicemen and women and to do right by those who have done so much to protect and defend our great country” Dent released in a statement.

The Committee derives its funding from the spending bill for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs passed on April 30th 2014. The Subcommittee manages funding for military construction efforts for all branches of the military including The National Guard and Reserve Forces. It designates funds for housing and services for military personnel and their families and also directs funding to veterans’ benefits and programs.

Dent, whose district includes all of Lehigh County and parts of Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon and Northampton, in his new position as chairman represents the interests of the Allentown VA

Outpatient Clinic and the Lebanon VA Medical Center. Also within his district are the Fort Indiantown Gap, an active National Guard Training Center.

Dent has previously served on the House Appropriations Committee, which among other things, included allocations for the Subcommittee on Homeland Security and the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.

He will additionally be the new Chairman of the House Ethics Committee.