, managing director of Ogilvy Government Relations and a former Hill staffer, sent his clients his evaluation of the results and what to expect in the coming weeks. In the memo, he speculates on who might gain a number of key appointments in the Obama administration, what issues the Democrats will likely focus on and which congressional factions stand to benefit the most from the party's gains in both chambers.
"The Obama campaign ran one of the most disciplined campaigns in modern times," Maloney wrote. "The campaigns' small inner circle controlled the message" and "prevented leaks.... We expect the same discipline and information control to continue through transition."
as press secretary -- and the report predicts that Cabinet positions will be soon to follow. Maloney expects Obama's top campaign advisers to play a key role in the transition process, though Obama has also appointed former Clinton chief of staff
to help run the operation.
The outgoing administration, meanwhile, "has directed remaining top staff to make a smooth transition their priority, as they view it as a 'wartime' transition." As a result, Obama's appointees will likely be briefed and credentialed far faster than has been the norm in previous transitions.
The election also has ramifications for the Senate and the House. Maloney points out that fellow Illinois senator
is Obama's "closest friend in the upper chamber, and he will be Obama's point man for all Senate action." House Speaker
, D-Calif., meanwhile, emerges from the election with her power base intact. She and Obama have been been in touch over the last month, putting together a legislative agenda, which Maloney anticipates the two will move on quickly during the "honeymoon" period. This effort will be complicated though, he says, by the economic situation.
"We expect the new Administration in conjunction with the House leadership to employ a strategy favored by Rahm Emanuel, where they craft a six-to-10 point agenda of low hanging fruit that can pass easily and will demonstrate that they are working to fulfill campaign promises." Some of the things likely to be included: a second stimulus package, an energy bill, SCHIP and a permanent fix for the Alternative Minimum Tax. More complex policy proposals, particularly health care, will probably have to wait.
Each chamber will have its own priorities, however, and a shakeup of leadership positions is likely on both sides of the Capitol. In the Senate,
. The Appropriations Committee could also see leadership changes, as Alaska Sen.
' (R) future looks uncertain after his felony convictions and West Virginia Sen.
On the House side, Pelosi "must balance a delicate set of her own political constituencies." The Blue Dog Coalition is expected to grow in size and could be a thorn in the speaker's side if they insist on adhering to PAYGO rules, especially with the dire state of the economy. The Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses are also expected to play a growing role in the leadership of the party.
The following memo is an overview and
analysis of what we expect in the coming weeks and months. Although the
outcomes on some races are yet to be determined, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
will be the next President. The Democrats now control 56 seats in the Senate
leaving the Republicans with 40, four races remain still too close to call: Ted
Stevens in Alaska, Norm Coleman in Minnesota, Gordon Smith in Oregon and Saxby
Chambliss in Georgia. They are all Republican incumbents. In the House, the
Republicans are down to 173 members after the loss of 18 seats. The Democrats
now have 252 seats and there are 12 that remain undecided.
Key Observations to consider as we
look toward next year and the 111th Congress:
1. Access to Information. The Obama campaign ran one of the most
disciplined campaigns in modern times. The campaign's small inner circle
controlled the message, prevented leaks and rarely received profile "puff"
pieces that are all too common in Washington
. We expect the same discipline and information control to continue through
transition.
2. Speaker Pelosi will be pivotal. The Speaker is a seasoned legislator,
she runs the House with a firm grasp. We fully expect her to be the lead in
moving a legislative agenda.
3. Senate Majority Whip Durbin is President-Elect Obama's closest friend
and ally in the upper chamber and he will be Obama's point man for all Senate
action.
4. Senate Republicans. The forty-plus Republicans left will become the
backstop. Intense pressure will be felt by the remaining moderate Republicans
and conservative Democrats.
5. Successful lobbying includes much more. The Obama campaign reinforced
that grassroots, new media and coalitions have become a vital component to any
advocacy program. More than 1/3 of Capitol Hill staffers now obtain much of
their information online; blogs and local outlets are seeing increased use as
real-time resources.
BALANCE OF 2009/110TH CONGRESS
Transition
The transition will dominate the
conversation in November and December. President-elect Obama has vowed to move
quickly on transition, possibly naming his Chief of Staff (likely to be Rahm
Emanuel) and transition chief as early as today.
There has been much discussion of
who the key players will be during transition. John Podesta has established the
framework for the Obama team, but we expect the campaign inner circle to make
many of the decisions. We have included an attachment of potential members of
that shell cabinet. We expect an Obama Administration to quickly outline its
nominees for Cabinet secretaries. (SEE ATTACHMENT A) We have also
outlined several of the key players within Obama's inner circle.
• David Axelrod is a political consultant and was the chief strategist
for Barack Obama's Presidential campaign.
• David Plouffe was the campaign manager for Barack Obama and was the
Deputy Chief of Staff for Richard Gephardt.
• Steve Hildebrand is a Democratic strategist and former campaign
manager for Senator Tom Daschle.
• Matt Nugen was the political director for Barack for President, DNC
Convention Director for Obama for President, and was also the political
director for Joe Biden. He is a former staff member for Senator Joe Lieberman.
• Pete Rouse is Barack Obama's chief of staff.
• Julianna Smoot is a Democratic political fundraiser and acted as the
national finance director for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
• Heather Higginbottom acted as Barack Obama's senior political
strategist for his presidential campaign.
• Jim Messina is currently the chief of staff for Senator Max Baucus and
also served in a senior advisory role for Obama for President.
The outgoing Bush Administration
already has directed remaining top staff to make a smooth transition their
priority as they view it as a "wartime" transition and that key people need to
be briefed, get their clearances and be able to be on the job immediately after
the swearing-in. This means some cabinet and sub-cabinet positions will be
ready for very early hearings and confirmation.
Lame Duck
• Potential Stimulus package. House Democrats have decided to pare back
a larger stimulus package to just an extension of Unemployment Insurance
benefits (with a few other cats and dogs) and pass a larger package upon
convening the 111th Congress. Obama will work closely with his
Democratic leadership to determine what is in the best interests of his Administration.
No matter what is included in the stimulus, Hill staff has indicated that the
package will not likely be offset.
• The Bush Administration still holds out hope for the Columbia Free
Trade Agreement, so that may provide leverage for other Democratic priorities
to move. In addition, auto bailout legislation may also be on the agenda as
well as releasing the second $350 billion for the TARP (a.k.a. Wall Street
bailout package).
• Public Lands Bill- Senate Majority Leader Reid attempted to pass this
bill in September. It contains a number of extraneous amendments and may be
used as a vehicle for some Democratic priorities.
• Party Leadership elections
o House Democrats -
potential changes; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schulz (D-FL) may take over the DCCC.
If Rahm Emanuel goes to the WH, then it opens Caucus Chair.
o House Republicans -
Potential changes from top to bottom
o Senate Democrats - Only
change will be Senator Menendez (D-NJ) will take over the DSCC.
o Senate Republicans -
NRSC will change. Senator Cornyn (R-TX) has announced he will run and is likely
to go unchallenged if Sen. Coleman (R-MN) has lost re-election.
111th CONGRESS
Early January
• New Members sworn in
• Party Rules adopted
o Chairman and Ranking
Members are selected by steering committees in the House of Representatives.
Senate Chairmen are selected by the Majority Leader. Senate Ranking Members are
selected by the GOP Steering Committee. A game of musical chairs has already
begun in the cases of Senate Commerce Committee and Senate Appropriations with
Senator Stevens' (R-AK) conviction and Senator Byrd's (D-WV) health. If Senator
Byrd steps down or is forced to surrender his post as Chairman of Senate
Appropriations, Senator Inouye (D-HI) will become Chairman of that committee
with Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) ascending to the Chairmanship of Senate
Commerce. Another scenario could have Senator Rockefeller maintaining his
Intelligence Committee Chairmanship thereby giving either Senators Kerry (D-MA)
or Dorgan (D-ND) the key Commerce Committee slot.
o Obviously, any of these
committee configurations could change should President Obama nominate any of
his D or R colleagues for cabinet positions, with swift confirmation of their
peers being the normal course of action.
o Committee assignments
(*Note: There will be considerable changes in committee assignments in the
Senate.) (SEE ATTACHMENTS B AND C)
o Committee ratios (The
Democrats could either add one or two seats to committees or subtract
Republican members.)
The Next 6 Months
We believe the Democratic leadership, in coordination with the
Obama Administration, will attempt to move his priority items during the
so-called "honeymoon" period. What those specific legislative initiatives will
be is clearly under review based on the changed economic situation.
We will hear a lot about reform in the next few months. While
there is no money because of the deficit, war, bailout, etc. the only way to
find money is to cut government spending. This will have to be done in a smart
way in order to find savings and to use that for other needed investments.
The more complex issues of healthcare reform and financial
institution regulatory reform are likely to take longer to develop and move
through the process than a second stimulus, card check, etc. In addition, a
permanent AMT fix will most likely be pushed through during the first four or
five months of the new Congress.
With the 110th continuing resolution expiring on
March 4th, decisions on FY09 funding for most of the federal
agencies must be dealt with. Further if the additional $350 billion for the
financial services bailout is not addressed in the lame duck, the new Congress
will find itself having to vote on this, with all the new opportunities to
amend it.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) will increase her strength and guide
much of the legislative agenda during the next Congress.
The Agenda
Over the past month, Senator Obama has been in discussions
with Speaker Pelosi to devise a legislative agenda. We expect the new
Administration in conjunction with the House leadership to employ a strategy
favored by Rep. Rahm Emanuel where they craft a 6 to 10 point agenda of low
hanging fruit that can pass easily and will demonstrate that they are working
to fulfill campaign promises. These bills would likely include a second
Stimulus Package, SCHIP, and an energy bill (not climate change though).
The Politics
Although the Democrats have a much larger majority that may
provide more flexibility, the Speaker must balance a delicate set of her own
political constituencies.
The Blue Dogs
The fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition currently has 49
members. The group's bylaws cap membership at 49, but several Blue Dog PAC
endorsed challengers won their elections and only YY Blue Dog incumbents lost
so the size of the group is expected to grow. The Blue Dogs have led the charge
on PAYGO rules (requiring all new spending programs to be offset with
additional revenues.) The current economic situation makes PAYGO challenging
for the Speaker. Additionally, many of the Blue Dogs occupy fairly conservative
districts and will be wary of supporting additional revenue raising measures.
The New Democrats
The New Democrat Coalition provides moderate, pro-growth
Democrats with a platform to advance policies aimed at economic competitiveness
and innovation. The New Democrats have 59 current members and endorsed several
challengers who won election. The group has launched several task forces,
including financial services regulatory reform, health care and energy and will
play a key role in the development of trade policy.
Congressional Black Caucus
The importance of the 43 members of the Congressional Black
Caucus will continue to grow under the new Administration. The CBC counts
several committee chairmen and the Majority Whip among its ranks and will have
a strong voice at the Democratic Leadership table. The new CBC chair is
expected to be Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA).
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus represents the largest
growing population of minority voters. The CHC will gain more seats as
redistricting is addressed following the 2010 Census. The CHC will be a key
constituency in determining the outcome of Immigration reform efforts in the
new congress. As a result, the clout of the Caucus will continue to grow as the
Democratic Party continues to attract these voters. The new CBC Chair is
expected to be Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).
UNITED STATES SENATE
The early days of the Senate will be dominated by approving
many of the new Cabinet appointments for the Administration. In addition,
Leader Reid (D-NV) will be under intense pressure to move the major pieces of
legislation sent over by Speaker Pelosi, including Stimulus II, SCHIP, an
energy package, and AMT.
The Agenda
Top items for the upper chamber will include:
• Judges
• Cabinet Secretaries/other Political Appointments
• Financial Services Regulation
• Energy
• FY10 Budget Resolution (will determine tax cuts/expiring Bush taxcuts)
• Tax Cuts
• SCHIP (expires March 2009)
• Public Works Projects
• Student Loan Reform
• Credit Card Reform
• Health IT
• Highway Bill
Politics
The Senate has its own set of political concerns over the next
two years. Majority Leader Reid is up for reelection in 2010. Despite
Democratic trends in Nevada
, poll numbers in his state have indicated he may have a challenge. Reid will
not want to suffer the same fate as former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle
(D-SD), which may effect the implementation of a new agenda. Majority Whip
Durbin, Obama's close friend and home-state colleague, will be the President's
point person in advancing many of his new Administration's initiatives.
Other Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2010 to keep an
eye on include: Senators Bayh (D-IN), Dorgan (D-ND), Lincoln (D-AR) and Salazar (D-CO). All of
these Senators reside in more conservative states and will be concerned about
advancing certain legislative initiatives during an election year.
Republicans will also become a key voting block. After
maintaining the minimum forty votes to block legislation, it will be important
that Republican leaders try to hold the conference together with Senators Snowe
and Collins being front and center for all swing votes.
ATTACHMENT A: Possible Obama
Administration:
White House chief of staff: Former Sen. Tom Daschle
(D-S.D.); Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.); or dark horse candidate Bill Daley,
Commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton and now an executive with
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Deputy chief of staff: Pete Rouse, chief of
staff in Obama Senate office; Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Vice
President Al Gore; longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett; Jim Messina,
campaign chief of staff
Senior adviser: David Plouffe, David Axelrod,
Steve Hildebrand
Outside adviser: Abner Mikva
Ambassador at large on
climate change: former Vice President Al Gore
National security adviser:
Jim Steinberg, the deputy under Clinton; Gregory Craig, special counsel to
Clinton; Susan Rice; retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni; Samantha Power of
Harvard's Kennedy School
White House counsel: Bob Bauer, campaign
counsel; Chris Lu, Obama legislative director and member of transition staff;
Heather Higginbottom, campaign senior policy strategist and longtime aide to
Sen. John F. Kerry; Mike Strautmanis, congressional affairs for campaign and
former chief counsel in Senate office
Chief of staff to the vice president: Tony
Blinken, chief of staff, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Biden is chairman)
and senior campaign adviser for Biden; Stephanie Cutter; former Biden aides
Mark Gittenstein, Alan Hoffman and Ted Kaufman.
Chief of staff to first lady
Michelle Obama: Alyssa Mastromonaco, campaign director of scheduling and
advance; Melissa Winter; Linda Douglass, senior spokeswoman for campaign
Counselor:
Robert Gibbs; Anita Dunn; Valerie Jarrett; Jon Favreau
Communications
director: Robert Gibbs; Dan Pfeiffer, who has that post in the campaign
Deputy
Communications Director: Josh Earnest
Press secretary: Robert Gibbs,
Linda Douglass, Bill Burton, Stephanie Cutter
Director of media affairs
(regional and specialty media): Blake Zeff
Speechwriting director: Jon
Favreau; Jeff Nussbaum
Deputy press secretary: Karen Dunn, currently
Axelrod's deputy
Press staff morale chief: Tommy Vietor
Assistant
press secretary: Isaac Baker, Reid Cherlin, Ben LaBolt, Moira Mack, Hari
Sevugan, Nick Shapiro
Press secretary to the first lady: Katie McCormick
Lelyveld
White House economic adviser: Austan Goolsbee, senior policy
adviser to campaign and University of Chicago economics professor; Jason
Furman, director of economic policy for the campaign; Michael Froman, former
Treasury chief of staff, Citigroup executive and Harvard Law classmate with
Obama
Domestic policy adviser: Heather Higginbottom, Jason Furman, Neera
Tanden
Director of scheduling: Marvin Nicholson
Personal aide: Reggie
Love
Cabinet secretary: Christine Varney, who held that post under
Clinton
White House staff secretary: Cassandra Butts
Director of legislative affairs: Chris Lu; Mike
Strautmanis
Defense secretary : Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.); Richard
Danzig, Navy secretary under Clinton; John Hamre, president and CEO of CSIS and
former deputy secretary of Defense; President Bush's incumbent, Robert Gates --
would be for at least a year so he wasn't a lame duck.
Attorney general: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine; Eric Holder,
who was deputy AG under Clinton and is now with Covington & Burling and led
Obama's vice presidential search; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; Arizona
Gov. Janet Napolitano.
Supreme Court nominee: Washington superlawyer
Robert Barnett; legal scholar Cass Sunstein; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick;
2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York; Elena
Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School. Consensus is it would most likely be a
woman.
Secretary of State: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Sen. John F.
Kerry (D-Mass.); Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)
Deputy secretary of state: Gregory
Craig
Director of State Department policy planning (internal think tank): Samantha
Power
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice, senior campaign
national security adviser and State Department and National Security Council
official under Clinton; Caroline Kennedy
Treasury secretary: former
Clinton treasury secretaries Larry Summers and Robert Rubin; FDIC Chairman Sheila C. Blair; New York Fed
President Timothy Geithner, former Treasury under secretary and Assistant
Secretary; former Federal Reserve hairman Paul Volcker.
Deputy Treasury
secretary: Jake Siewert.
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom
Daschle; Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a physician; John
Kitzhaber, medical doctor and former Oregon
governor.
Health care czar in White House: Tom Daschle.
Education
secretary: David Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma and former
U.S. senator and former Sooner State governor; Former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean
(R), who was chairman of the 9/11 commission; Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.)
Environmental
Protection Agency administrator: Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.);
Kathleen McGinty, former head of the Pennsylvania Environmental Protection
Agency
Commerce secretary: Penny Pritzker; Kansas Gov. Kathleen
Sebelius; Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).
Homeland Security secretary: Former
Sen. Gary Hart (D-Col.); William Bratton, Los Angeles police chief and former
New York police commissioner; former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), a member of the
9/11 Commission; Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.); Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
CIA
director: Former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.); Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) Director
of National Intelligence: Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)
Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development: Longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett; Rep.
Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.)
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Former Sen.
Max Cleland (D-Ga.); Tammy Duckworth, the director of Illinois Veterans'
Affairs, Iraq veteran and former Democratic House candidate; Bush's incumbent,
James Peake
Secretary of the Interior: Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.); Robert
F. Kennedy Jr; Gov. Schweitzer
Secretary of Energy: California Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R); Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.)
Secretary of
Transportation: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.); Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.)
Secretary
of Labor: Former Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.); Andrew Stern, president of
the Service Employees International Union; Kay Hagan of North Carolina (if she
loses her challenge to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole); Jeanne Shaheen, former New
Hampshire governor (if she loses her challenge to U.S. Sen. John Sununu) Former
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack; Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) William Bratton Josh
DuBois, campaign's director of religious affairs
ATTACHMENT B- Senate
Committees for 111th Congress
Agriculture Committee:
Democrats
If Kennedy gives up HELP Chairmanship due to health, and Dodd
decides to go to Foreign Relations rather than HELP then Harkin could choose to
be Chairman of HELP. If that happens, Conrad could choose to give up Budget chairman
and become Ag Chairman.
Republicans
Chambliss will remain ranking member. Republicans could have
one open seat depending on election and committee ratios.
Appropriations
Committee:
Democrats
Byrd could be asked to step aside and keep President Pro
Tempore spot. According to Politico, Reid would like to have this resolved
prior to the November session. It is yet to be seen if Byrd will agree, but if
he does then Inouye would likely leave Commerce to take the position.
Republicans
There could be up to four open seats on the committee for
Republicans. However, due to changes in committee ratios there will likely be
less.
Armed Services
Committee:
Democrats
Levin will remain as Chairman. Watching Kennedy due to his
health.
Republicans
If McCain happens to pull out the election, Inhofe would love
to take over the Armed Services ranking post. You could see up to three open
seats depending on election and committee ratios.
Banking Committee:
Democrats
Dodd will likely have the opportunity to take over either the
Foreign Relations Committee or possibly the HELP Committee if he so desires. He
will not comment at this point saying he has to focus on his current committee
needs (Banking).
If Dodd does leave the Banking Chairmanship, Johnson may have to
be skipped over due to his recovery. That would make Reed the Chairman.
Republicans
There could be as many as 3 open seats on the committee for
Republicans. However, due to changes in committee ratios there will likely be
less
Budget Committee:
Democrats
If all the moving parts allow Harkin to move to be Chairman of
HELP, then Conrad would move to chair the Agriculture Committee. Therefore, Murray would Chair Budget.
Republicans
Two open seats, but again will be determined by committee
ratios
Commerce Committee:
Democrats
Inouye could be in line to take over Appropriations if Byrd
steps aside. If that happens, Rockefeller would be more than happy to take
over.
Republicans
If \When Stevens is defeated, Hutchison will remain ranking
member. That could leave up to five seats open depending on committee ratios.
Energy Committee:
Democrats
Chairman will likely stay the same.
Republicans
Murkowski will take over as ranking member. There will be up
to three seats open depending on committee ratios.
EPW Committee:
Democrats
Chairman likely to stay the same.
Republicans
Inhofe will likely remain ranking member, unless McCain wins
the Presidency. If McCain wins, Inhofe would take over as ranking on Armed
Services. That would make Voinovich ranking on EPW. There will be up to two
open seats depending on committee ratios.
Finance Committee:
Democrats
Chairman will remain unchanged.
Republicans
Two open seats are possible. Also depends on committee ratios.
Foreign Relations
Committee:
Democrats
If Obama\Biden ticket wins, Dodd could be the next Chairman.
If he passes and stays on Banking or goes to HELP, then Kerry would take over.
Democrats could have two or more open seats depending on committee ratios.
Republicans
Lugar is likely to remain as ranking member. There could be up
to two open seats depending on election and committee ratios.
HELP Committee:
Democrats
Kennedy's illness may cause him to step aside as chairman. If
so, it is rumored that Kennedy has asked Dodd to take over his agenda. If Dodd
decides to stay at Banking or go to Foreign Relations instead, then Harkin
could leave Agriculture to take over. If not, Mikulski will be next to take
over. Depending on Kennedy's health and Obama's fate, there could be two or
more seats open depending on committee ratios.
Republicans
Enzi will remain ranking member. There could be one open seat
depending on committee ratios.
Homeland Security
Committee:
Democrats
Some believe that Lieberman's Chairmanship is in jeopardy for
the 111th, but that remains to be seen. If Reid does move him out,
Akaka would likely be next in line.
Republicans
Collins will remain as Chairwoman. However, there will be at
least 2 open seats with the possibility of up to five depending on election and
committee ratios.
Judiciary Commiittee:
Democrats
Leahy will remain Chairman. However, depending on Kennedy's
health and the elections there could be two or more seats open for Democrats.
This includes the likelihood that Committee ratios will change.
Republicans
No changes in sight except for possibly losing seats because
of committee ratios.
Small Business
Committee:
Democrats
If Biden becomes VP and Dodd chooses to move to HELP over
Banking and Foreign Relations, then Kerry may move to be Chairman of Foreign Relations.
If those stars align, then Landrieu could become the next Small Business
Chairwoman.
Republicans
Not now, but possibly in 2010 Snowe could move to be ranking
of Commerce. This is if \when Stevens loses this election and KBH runs for
Governor of TX for 2010. However, for the 111th Congress, Snowe will
be ranking member and republicans could have up to two open seats depending on
election and committee ratios.
Indian Affairs
Committee:
Democrats
Dorgan will remain as Chairman.
Republicans
Because Murkowski will be ranking on Energy and McCain is
ranking on Armed Services (and may be President) Coburn will be the next
ranking member for Indian Affairs. Republicans could have up to three open
seats depending on elections and committee ratios.
Rules Committee:
Democrats
If Inouye starts the domino effect by moving over to
Appropriations, then Feinstein would likely make the move to Chair the Intel
Committee. That would make Schumer Chairman of Rules.
Republicans
Bennett will remain Chairman. There could be up to two open
seats depending on election and committee ratios.
Intelligence
Committee:
Democrats
If Inouye moves to be Chairman of Appropriations, then
Rockefeller would become Chairman of the Commerce Committee. Therefore,
Feinstein would become Chairwoman of Intel.
Republicans
Bond will remain ranking member. There could be up to three
open seats depending on election and committee ratios.
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