Sen. Bernie Sanders has been appointed chairman of a Senate subcommittee dealing with health and aging issues.
The independent Sanders will chair a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pensions that also deals with the low-income home energy assistance program, or LIHEAP.
The panel Sanders will chairs will also consider issues that have been priorities for the first-term senator, including community health centers, home heating assistance, seniors programs, pensions and dental care.
Sanders last year pushed for the inclusion of $11 billion in new funding for the community health centers as part of health reform legislation.