Appropriations

Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee completed their member assignments on Wednesday, with ranking member selections still subject to the approval of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and the Democratic Caucus, the panel announced Wednesday.

Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash), who is the full committee's ranking member, also will take the lead on the Subcommittee on Defense, as long as the Democratic Caucus agrees. Dicks has said he would abide by the decision of his fellow Democrats. 

Dicks, who won his 18th term, has long been a friend of defense contractors and of Boeing in particular, which is has its headquarters in his district. He also can be expected to try to preserve Pentagon funding although Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced a round of $78 billion in suggested cuts over five years in an effort to reduce the budget deficit and cut out wasteful spending.

Some lawmakers have argued against lawmakers holding two leadership spots on any one panel. Former Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.), who didn't run for reelection, also served as chairman of the panel's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. 

A vote on legislation rescinding already appropriated funds in the stimulus, initially planned for January, will likely get pushed back.

The former Minnesota governor said Republicans should use the debt ceiling vote as leverage to get spending concessions from Democrats.

A key Republican lawmaker on Monday said it is too early to say whether Capitol Police should get more funding.

Five current House Democratic congressmen, including Chief Deputy Whip Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), have lost their seats on the powerful Appropriations Committee, a Democratic aide said Monday.

The House Republican Steering Committee on Friday selected 12 members to serve as the powerful Appropriations subcommittee chairmen.

House Republicans — despite urging by Democrats, businesses and even members of their own party — didn't change some provisions in their rules package that could jeopardize transportation funding and building trades jobs. 

Democratic Reps. Joe Courtney (Conn.), Peter Welch (Vt.) and Laura Richardson (Calif.) sent a letter Tuesday to Republican leaders urging them to adopt an amendment to their rules package that would ensure funding for the Highway Trust Fund and protect building trades jobs. 

They say the Republicans’ proposed rule change would "undermine" the Highway Trust Fund and further "destabilize the already-devastated industry." 

The financial firm UBS downgraded a number of construction companies’ stocks Wednesday, citing the GOP rule, according to a Democratic aide.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) called President Obama on Wednesday and said he hopes to find common ground on spending issues, Cantor's office said.

Cantor and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) were officially calling Obama to inform him that the House had chosen its Speaker, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio).

"And I know that many members of our conference are particularly hopeful that we can work together given some of your remarks about spending cuts, that you’ll be proposing in your State of the Union speech," Cantor said.

He said that he wants to work with Obama to convince the Senate to pass spending bills devoid of earmarks.

As the House prepared to vote on new budget rules Wednesday, the deficit hawk Taxpayers for Common Sense blasted the package as being even weaker than Democratic rules when it comes to reducing the deficit.

The vote to reduce expense and salaries in House offices will be taken the day after the GOP takes over the House.