Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., announced that Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., will chair the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee in the 113th Congress.

Aderholt succeeds Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., who will become chairman of the Labor, Health, Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Aderholt was first elected to his northern Alabama district in 1996, succeeding Rep. Tom Bevill, a Democrat who retired.

Aderholt’s voting record is generally conservative, and he was among the first House Republicans to join the tea party caucus in July 2010, according to the Almanac of American Politics.

He has been ranking Republican on the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, but has also served on the Agriculture Subcommittee. He has often opposed trade agreements, but in 2005, he was a crucial vote for the Central America Free Trade Agreement after he got a last-minute letter from President George W. Bush delaying the phase-out of tariffs on socks, the Almanac said.

Aderholt faced serious challenges in his first two re-elections, but has won easily since, according to the Almanac.