Dems tap Dicks to be Appropriations ranking member

The House Democratic Steering Committee on Wednesday voted to recommend Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) be named the next ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, Democratic aides confirmed. 

The Steering Committee also decided that Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) should serve as Financial Services Committee ranking member, and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) should be ranking member of Energy and Commerce. They ran unopposed. The Steering Committee did not yet decide the contested Ways and Means ranking member race between Reps. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) and Richard Neal (D-Mass.), an aide said.

Dicks has the most seniority of Democrats on the Appropriations panel after Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.), who is retiring.

The Democratic Caucus is expected to rubber-stamp the steering committee choice when it meets tomorrow, although there may actually be a formal vote since junior committee member Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) may ask to be considered.

Dicks will face-off next year with Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), whom the Republican Conference on Wednesday formally tapped as the next chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He will be the point person as Democrats attempt to ward off deep discretionary spending cuts that Republicans have vowed to undertake.

Dicks has long been a friend of defense contractors and of Boeing in particular, and can be expected to try to preserve Pentagon funding next year as well.