The Hill: House Appropriations Democrats Choose Subcommittee Members

January 20, 2011
In The News

By Vicki Needham
Thursday, January 20, 2011

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-WA), 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-WI), 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.

Dicks was chairman of the Defense subpanel in the 111th Congress and will work with Republican Rep. Bill Young (FL) on the subcommittee that will take a close look at Pentagon spending.

Republicans announced their assignments Jan. 7.

The assignments are as follows:
(*Ranking member)
• Agriculture — *Sam Farr (CA), Rosa DeLauro (CT), Sanford Bishop,(GA), Marcy Kaptur (OH)
• Commerce, Justice, Science — *Chaka Fattah (PA), Adam Schiff (CA), Mike Honda (CA), José Serrano (NY)
• Defense — *Norm Dicks (WA), Pete Visclosky (IN), Jim Moran (VA), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Steve Rothman (NJ), Maurice Hinchey (NY)
• Energy and Water — *Pete Visclosky (IN), Ed Pastor (AZ), Chaka Fattah (PA), John Olver (MA)
• Financial Services — *José Serrano (NY), Barbara Lee (CA), Pete Visclosky (IN), Ed Pastor (AZ)
• Homeland Security — *David Price (NC), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA), Nita Lowey (NY), John Olver (MA)
• Interior — *Jim Moran (VA), Betty McCollum (MN), Maurice Hinchey, (NY) José Serrano (NY)
• Labor, HHS — *Rosa DeLauro (CT), Nita Lowey (NY), Jesse Jackson Jr. (IL), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA), Barbara Lee (Calif.)
• Legislative Branch — *Mike Honda (CA), David Price (NC), Sanford Bishop (GA)
• Military Construction, VA — *Sanford Bishop (GA), Sam Farr (CA), Betty McCollum (MN), Jim Moran (VA)
• State & Foreign Operations — *Nita Lowey (NY), Jesse Jackson Jr. (IL), Adam Schiff (CA), Steve Rothman (NJ)
• Transportation, HUD — *John Olver (MA), Ed Pastor (AZ), Marcy Kaptur (OH), David Price (NC)