James Comer is Chairman of the House Oversight Committee. He previously served as Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee from June 2020 to December 2022. He aggressively advocates for reducing waste, fraud and abuse in government and works tirelessly to reduce burdensome regulations and boost government transparency and accountability.
Comer was elected to Congress in 2016 to represent the 1st Congressional District of Kentucky. He grew up in Monroe County, KY and attended Western Kentucky University to study agriculture. Shortly thereafter, Comer entered the business world, taking out a loan and purchasing his farm.
In 2000, Comer was elected to serve the first of six terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives. With a reputation for a solid work ethic and conservative values, he was named National Republican Freshman Legislator of the Year during his first term.
Comer was elected to serve as Kentucky’s Commissioner of Agriculture in 2011, and inherited growing problems at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. He immediately set out to work in a bipartisan way to clean up scandal, restore confidence, and crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse at the agency. Comer spearheaded initiatives to grow Kentucky’s rural economy and increase opportunities for Kentucky farmers, while also standing up for taxpayers by selling unneeded equipment and returning money to the state treasury.
In addition to serving as the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, he is also a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.