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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert on Tuesday was named chairman of a House subcommittee that overseas food stamps, welfare benefits and other social programs.

Reichert, a fifth-term member from Auburn, will be the top Republican on the Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee. This will be his second stint as a subcommittee chair;  as a freshman, the former King County sheriff chaired the Homeland Security committee’s Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology.

In a statement, Reichert said serving on the human resources subcommittee will give him a chance to help Americans “who have fallen on difficult times” — something he knows firsthand.

“As the oldest of seven kids growing up in a home of scarce means, I ran away on several occasions. There were times I attended high school out of my car in order to escape difficult family circumstances.  Yet, there were those along the way who prevented me from falling through the cracks. I know what it’s like to struggle, and I know the vital role that hope plays when trying to find a pathway to a better tomorrow,” he said.

In October, Reichert was one of 50 members of Congress and one of only three Republicans to be named as top advocates for children by First Focus Campaign for Children. The group also cited Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, and Sen. Patty Murray.

Republican political guru Karl Rove is scheduled to appear at a pair of Bellevue fundraisers Wednesday for U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Rove will headline $250-a-person Reichert fundraiser at the Bellevue Hilton ($1,000 a couple for a VIP reception).

And up to ten wealthy donors will cough up $20,000 a person for a “candid conversation” at the hotel with Rove and Reichert, with that money benefitting the NRCC.

Both events are closed to the media, said Reichert campaign spokesman Kent Patton, who declined to identify the donors planning to attend the $20,000-a-person chat.

Rove has been a longtime supporter of Reichert, helping him raise campaign cash for some of his previous contested reelection bids in the 8th Congressional District.

But Reichert hardly needs the help this year.

The 8th was reshaped in redistricting to become safe Republican territory. The district shed some of its swingy urban bits, and now stretches across the Cascades to Chelan and Kittitas counties. He already has nearly $600,000 in his campaign account, compared to $31,000 for Democratic challenger Karen Porterfield.

Rove, the political mastermind behind former President George W. Bush, is looking to be a major player for Mitt Romney in 2012.

Two political committees he cofounded, American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, reportedly hope to spend $300 million to help defeat President Obama and other Democrats this year.

Crossroads GPS is organized as a “social welfare” nonprofit, allowing it to air “issue” ads without disclosing its donors. An Obama campaign lawyer has filed a complaint against the group, arguing it is plainly a political outfit that should no longer be able to hide its donors while spending hundreds of millions to influence the election.