House Democrats voted for New York Congressmember Gregory Meeks to become the new chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He will be the first African American in the role. Meeks beat out Texas Congressmember Joaquin Castro, whom many progressives were backing. Environmental and labor advocates have called out Meeks’s staunch support of free trade deals, including the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Activists say Meeks worked with Colombian politicians tied to right-wing paramilitaries to push a pro-corporate agenda.