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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday announced
the lineup of Senate committee chairmen for the 111th Congress. The list, which will not be final until it is approved by
the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee in January, had few surprises
and closely follows a probability scenario based on seniority that The Hill
outlined in late October.
The lineup of chairmen is unrelated to committee
memberships and Democrat-Republican ratios, both of which have not been
finalized.
“I am pleased to recommend these capable men and women to
chair the Senate’s committees during the 111th Congress,” Reid said in a statement.
“We have much work to do and many challenges facing our nation. I know that
these senators will be able to deliver on the change that the American people
have called for to help move our country in the right direction.”
The list does not include an Ethics Committee chairman,
which Reid said he will recommend later.
Sen. Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) is slated to take over the
chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee from 91-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.).
Byrd stepped down as chairman in November amid pressure from Reid but did
retain his title of president pro tempore.
Under the terms of a truce negotiated last month with
Democratic senators, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will retain his chairmanship
of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Reid had been
pressured to remove Lieberman as chairman for backing GOP Sen.
John McCain
(Ariz.) in the race for the White House, but President-elect Obama stepped in
and urged Democrats to forgive Lieberman.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (Mass.), who is battling brain
cancer, will stay on as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee. Kennedy spent most of the past months recuperating in Massachusetts,
but returned to the Washington area this fall and has been working on healthcare
legislation that he hopes to lead through the Senate next year.
Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) will take over the Foreign
Relations Committee gavel from Vice President-elect Biden. Kerry, who was
traveling in Islamabad, Pakistan, released a statement in which he said he was “honored
to serve as chairman of a committee which I know from my own experience as a
young man can impact the course of our security and help advance our values and
interests in the world.”
Among the few changes announced, Sen. Jay Rockefeller
(W.Va.) is taking over the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee,
while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) is taking over the Senate Select Intelligence
Committee and Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) is moving to the helm of the Senate
Rules and Administration Committee. Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) is assuming leadership
over the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
Most chairmanships did not change. Sens. Barbara Boxer
(Calif.) is remaining in charge of the Environment and Public Works Committee; Jeff
Bingaman (N.M.), the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; Kent Conrad
(N.D.), Budget; Carl Levin (Mich.), Armed Services; Tom Harkin (Iowa),
Agriculture; Chris Dodd (Conn.), Banking; Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Judiciary; Max
Baucus (Mont.), Finance; and Daniel Akaka (Hawaii), Veterans Affairs.
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