Conservative firebrands set to chair key Senate committees in new Congress
By Ted Barrett, CNN
(CNN) — Three Republican senators with a history as rabble-rousers are poised for the first time in their careers to chair major committees when the new Senate convenes in January.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is in line to lead the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, where he is currently the ranking Republican. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is expected to head the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, according to an aide. And Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is in line to chair the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The musical chairs of the committee shakeups are all part of the transition as Republicans regain control of the Senate after four years in the minority and Republican senators scramble to assume coveted spots atop the committees.
The most high-profile leadership change will take place next week when Republicans pick a successor to Sen. Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader. But the leaders of the chamber’s committees will have significant power to influence sweeping policy.
Cruz, Lee and Paul have often railed against Senate GOP leadership — and committee chairs — over government funding, deficit spending and other hot-button issues. Now, while still vocal on those topics, they have risen in the ranks of seniority and are more seasoned. They’ll have significant influence to impact policy making, nominations and usher through pet projects.
Cruz’s assent to the commerce committee would place him in a position to help run the confirmations of the secretaries of Transportation and Commerce, as well as approve more than 100 Senate-confirmed positions. This year, as the ranking member, Cruz worked to approve a far-reaching FAA bill that won him plaudits for working across the aisle to shape and pass the bill.
Meanwhile, Lee’s control of the energy committee would give him power over key issues important to his home state of Utah and a front-row seat to set energy policies that Republicans plan to champion in the next Congress.
Paul’s role on the homeland security committee would give him broad oversight over national security and includes a powerful investigative subcommittee with subpoena power that is expected to be chaired by conservative Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a panel that has traditionally tackled major bipartisan projects.
Johnson told CNN Wednesday he plans to work alongside vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on health issues, saying there is so much to do he plans to be like a “mosquito at a nudist colony.” Paul has used his current perch as the top Republican on the committee to pursue focus on issues such as the origins of Covid-19, something he is expected to continue to investigate but now with the authority that comes with being the chair.
Staff for Cruz and Paul did not provide an answer when asked to confirm if the senators planned to chair their respective committees.
Cruz and Lee are closely politically aligned with President-elect Donald Trump. Paul has been distanced from him at times and has complained about increased deficits during Trump’s first term, but Paul is still seen as an ally.
However, a long-time Trump critic appears on track to run the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee that oversees much of federal spending. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine will have to work closely with the White House on many of its policy goals and the funding that goes with them. There is an outside chance that Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is on the committee and has more seniority than Collins, could move to take the helm now that he is stepping down as Republican leader. But he’s said nothing yet that suggests he will.
Other key committee posts
Sen. Chuck Grassley, a 91-year-old non-lawyer, will helm the influential Senate Judiciary Committee again.
Grassley is an eighth-term Iowan who will lead Republicans’ often-contentious battles to confirm Trump’s nominees to be federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, should vacancies arise. It will be the third term Grassley — who is a farmer — will lead the committee.
Sen. Michael Crapo of Idaho intends to chair the Senate Finance Committee that deals with taxes, health policy and other matters, his aide Amanda Critchfield said, putting Crapo in a key role to help negotiate what will be a top priority of the administration: another tax bill.
In the national security space, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho intends to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a source familiar told CNN, while Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi intends to run the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to his spokesman Zach Barnett.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is currently the top Republican on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and intends to become the chair in January. But special rules dictate with this sensitive committee that party leaders name its members. With McConnell stepping down as GOP leader, Rubio will have to wait until a new leader is elected — which is set to happen next week — before confirming he will he selected for the job. But that is expected.
Seniority broadly dictates which Republicans are in line for these top posts, although they are technically voted on by the committee membership and then that is ratified by the full Republican conference and on the Senate floor. A Republican senator can serve six years as chair and six years as ranking member. Although, once a lawmaker has served six years as chair, they can no longer serve as ranking member, a Senate aide explained.
Democrats don’t have term limits on their chairs and ranking members.
Aides told CNN that Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana plans to lead the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas wants to chair the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Arkansas Sen. John Boozman intends to chair the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia hopes to head the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa wants to chair the Senate Small Business Committee.
Sen. Deb Fischer, who was just reelected in Nebraska, is in line to be chair of the Senate Rules Committee, a powerful inside-the-Capitol panel. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is in line to chair the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Aides to these senators didn’t respond when asked if they intended to seek those slots.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has signaled in press reports he wants to chair the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. He did so recently when asked if he would be interested in working in the Trump administration if the fomer president was reelected.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who is currently the top Republican on Judiciary, is set to take over the Senate Budget Committee. In that role, he would play a key part in writing and passing a budget resolution that can be used to pass expiring parts of the 2017 Trump tax cuts and other major policy changes related to border security, energy and other matters that won’t be subject to a 60-vote filibuster and can be passed with just GOP votes.
CNN’s Lauren Fox contributed to this report.
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