On Tuesday, December 4th, the House Republican leadership removed Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) from the Ag Committee to punish him for being uncooperative.

A day later, on Wednesday, December 5th, the House Republican Steering Committee selected seven new members for the House Ag Committee.

Congratulations to the new members:

• Dan Benishek (R-Mich)
• Chris Collins (R-N.Y)
• Rodney Davis (R-Ill)
• Jeff Denham (R-Calif)
• Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif)
• Richard Hudson (R-N.C)
• Ted Yoho (R-Fla)

There is still one vacancy, which will be filled by an additional member from a southern state. 

The new members reduce representation of the Plains states on the committee and leave Kansas without a House Agriculture Committee member for the first time since the state joined the union, according to the Hays Daily News. House leadership sources said Huelskamp had lost his Agriculture and Budget committee assignments because he was unwilling to cooperate with the leadership on a wide range of issues.