WASHINGTON, DC (WOWO): Monday afternoon,  Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) was named to the Senate Finance Committee for the 114th Congress, which begins on January 6, 2015. Coats will be the first Hoosier to serve on the Senate Finance Committee since former Senator Vance Hartke (D-Ind.) in 1976.

“This important assignment will allow me to tackle many of the biggest fiscal challenges our country is facing,” said Coats. “I am committed to making our tax code simpler and fairer to grow our economy and help create jobs. I also will be focusing on ensuring our entitlement programs are solvent for future generations and repealing harmful policies – such as the medical device tax – that stifle innovation and economic growth.”

According to a press release, Coats will continue to serve on the U.S. Select Committee on Intelligence and the Joint Economic Committee in the 114th Congress. 

“I returned to Congress to address the two great challenges of our time – the ever-increasing debt and the threat of a terrorist attack,”“Serving on these committees provides me with the opportunity to advance policies that will strengthen our economic and national security.”