Senate ag committee chair Roberts to retire

Four-term U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, announced he will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2020 and will retire at the end of this term and the 116th Congress.

Roy Graber Headshot
Photo courtesy of the office of Sen. Pat Roberts
Photo courtesy of the office of Sen. Pat Roberts

Four-term U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, announced he will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2020 and will retire at the end of this term and the 116th Congress.

Roberts, 82, the chairman of the Senate Committee for Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, announced his decision on January 4 at the headquarters of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Senator started his congressional career in 1980, elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Listing Dodge City as his city of residence, Roberts represented Kansas’ First Congressional District -- the state’s largest district in terms of geographical area -- until he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, replacing retiring Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum.

Roberts, who played a major role in forming the recently-passed 2018 farm bill, holds a unique spot in history, having chaired both the House and Senate agriculture committees. He has also served as the ranking member of both committees.

“I’ve always proudly been a champion for agriculture,” Roberts stated. “A few weeks ago, we passed a new farm bill by a historic bipartisan vote, bringing certainty and predictability to farmers, ranchers and growers. It was my 8th farm bill. The usual naysayers said this would not be possible, but we did it … again!

“I will continue as chairman of the Senate agriculture committee. We have urgent work to do on our nation’s trade policy; it is a top priority. We will oversee how USDA implements the new farm bill to make sure it is working for our farmers and ranchers.”

During Roberts’ time in Washington, he has also chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Senate Ethics Committee, Senate Intelligence Committee and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission. He ranks ninth in seniority among members of the U.S. Senate.

Roberts is a graduate of Kansas State University and a former U.S. Marine.

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