On December 2, 2008, Saxby Chambliss was elected to serve a second term in the United States Senate. Georgia Trend magazine, which has consistently named him one of its Most Influential Georgians, calls him “a highly visible and well-respected presence in Washington,” and says he “has a reputation as an affable but straight-talking lawmaker.” In January 2009, Georgia Trend named Chambliss its Georgian of the Year.
Chambliss is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; the Senate Rules Committee; the Senate Special Committee on Aging; and presently serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Chambliss' leadership and experience on homeland security and intelligence matters during his tenure in the House of Representatives earned him an appointment to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where he steadfastly advocates for dramatically improved information sharing and human-intelligence-gathering capabilities. Chambliss' previous role as chairman of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security made him one of the leading congressional experts on those issues.