Thompson, who is entering his fifth term of Congress, will also continue to serve on the Ways and Means Committee.

Committee members' primary responsibility is to provide oversight of the federal government's intelligence community and draft intelligence legislation.

The breadth of the committee's reach is extensive. It has oversight responsibility for portions of seven major Cabinet departments and numerous agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency, Department of Defense, Department of Energy Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and Department of State.

In addition, the Committee authorizes all government funding for U.S. intelligence efforts.

Thompson said he was honored by the appointment.

He said he intends to engage in “an honest debate about whether U.S. intelligence policies are truly making us safer.”

“There are some serious questions that need to be asked about how we've handled terrorism, surveillance and the war in Iraq, and I plan to get some answers,” Thompson said.

Thompson, a combat Vietnam veteran, has introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at increasing accountability in Iraq and Afghanistan, responsibly redeploying troops out of Iraq and enhancing service-related benefits for American veterans.

As a freshman legislator, Thompson was appointed to the House Committee on Armed Services, where he served until 2002.

He was appointed to the Committee on Ways and Means in the 109th Congress, where he currently serves on the Health and Select Revenue Measures subcommittees.