Harkin passes on Approps gavel to continue at HELP

By Elise Viebeck - 12/20/12 09:51 AM ET

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) will continue leading the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, passing up the chairmanship of Appropriations.

The spot was open given the sudden death of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) this week. Both Harkin and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) declined to take it, leaving the position to Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), who will be the panel's first woman leader.

In a statement, Harkin said that his passion lies with issues governed by the HELP committee and promised to push education and pension reform during the next Congress.

"I am also committed to working closely with the administration to ensure the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including the Prevention and Public Health title — an effort decades in the making to change our ‘sick care’ system into a genuine healthcare system," Harkin said.

The Iowa Democrat has run HELP since 2009, when he took over for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). He also leads the Appropriations subpanel that funds health, education and labor.

"It was my good friend Sen. Inouye who said that these issues are the issues that define America. I couldn’t agree more," Harkin said.