The 113th Congress will provide no major power shifts in Washington. Democrats gained a few seats in each chamber, and there are changes in the leaders and members of some key committees. However, since the challenges of the addressing the fiscal cliff occupied the 112th Congress until its final days, other organizational matters including some committee assignments have yet to be made. Senate Democrats have announced who would fill various committee vacancies, but Senate Republicans have not yet done so. Meanwhile, the House, Republicans made committee assignments, but Democrats announced only a few high-profile posts. In all cases, many subcommittee assignments will come later as new members settle in.
Senate Democrats Add to their Majority
The new Democratic majority in the Senate now stands effectively at 55-46. This is an increase of 2 seats counting the 2 Independents (Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine) who will caucus with the Democrats. This still leaves the Democrats 5 votes short of the 60 they will need to pass legislation in the face of a filibuster.
Perhaps the biggest change in Senate Committee leadership occurred not because of the election but as a result of the death of long-time Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Inouye, a World War II veteran who represented Hawaii in Congress since it became a state, died of respiratory complications on December 17. It was widely expected that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) would assume the chairmanship of this powerful committee because of his seniority on the panel. However, on December 20, it was announced that Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) would become the chair instead because Leahy and another senior member, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) both declined the post so they could retain their current leadership positions on other committees. Mikulski has been a strong supporter of funding for science and research agencies including the NIH, NSF, and NASA. Harkin, another strong NIH supporter, is expected to remain chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education.
Other changes to the Senate Appropriations Committee include a new Ranking Member. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) has already spent six years in that position so under Republican Conference rules, he will have to relinquish that post. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) was generally expected to succeed him as the panel’s senior Republican, but as of the end of December, Senate Republican committee assignments had not been announced. Three senators—two Democrats and one Republican—left the Appropriations Committee due to retirement. However, since the Democrats increased their overall Senate majority, 3 Democrats rather than 2 were added to the panel. They are Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). In the wake of Sen. Inouye’s death, Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated that another Democrat would also be added.
Changes also occurred in other Senate Committees relevant to biomedical research. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) becomes the new chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and freshman Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) are joining the panel. In addition, three newly-elected senators are joining the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which oversees research and development in science, engineering, and technology. They are Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) will chair the Senate Budget Committee, and Senators Baldwin, Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Angus King (I-ME) will join the Democrats on that panel. The Budget Committee sets broad spending targets that provide the blueprint for government spending on all programs including biomedical research.
House Republicans Retain a Reduced Majority
In the House, Republicans lost 8 seats but still retain a 234-201 majority. This provides 16 seats more than the 218 needed to keep the Speaker’s gavel on the Republican side of the aisle. Of greater significance is the fact that there are about 80 new Representatives. Forty seats changed hands due to retirements, 13 due to primary losses, and 36 as a result of the general election. In addition, incumbents lost to other incumbents when districts were merged due to redistricting.
Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY) remains Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, but due to the retirement of Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), there will be a new senior Democrat. In one of the few Democratic committee assignments already made, it was announced that Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) would become the new Ranking Member of that committee. Given House Democrats’ typical deference to seniority, this pick was something of a surprise because Lowey is junior to Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), who also wanted the post. The House Appropriations Committee will also get six new Republican members, including two freshmen. In addition, the Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds NIH, got a new Chair because Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) gave up his House seat in an unsuccessful run for the Senate. His successor in that post is Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA).
In a leadership change on another key House Committees, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) will take over as Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee because Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) had already spent six years as chair. This is the maximum permitted under Republican Conference rules that limit the terms of committee chairs. The Science Committee has oversight authority for research and development in the areas of science, engineering, and technology. As a result of retirements and electoral defeats, there will also be nine new Republican members of this committee.