The Look Ahead – August 2024 Special Edition: Committee Leadership

Produced By:

Bret Manley (bret@elevatega.com) former Chief of Staff to Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL)

David Marten (david@elevatega.com) former Legislative Director for Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Elevate Government Affairs (www.elevatega.com)

Balance of Power

Senate: 47 Democrats*, 49 Republicans, 4 Independents Caucusing with Democrats

House: 220 Republicans, 212 Democrats, 3 Vacancies

• WI-08: Rep. Mike Gallagher’s decision to wait until April 24th to resign means the seat will remain vacant until the November general election when his replacement will be elected and fill out the remainder of the term. Under Wisconsin law, Rep. Gallagher needed to vacate the seat before April 2nd to automatically trigger a special election.

• NJ-10: A special election will be held on Sept. 18th for the rest of former Rep. Donald Payne, Jr.’s term. This is a safe Dem seat.

• TX-15: Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has not said yet when a special election will be called but based on where we are in the calendar, we expect it’ll be called to line up with the regular November election. Here is a primer on how the Texas Democratic Party will replace Rep. Jackson-Lee on the ballot.

• * Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) will resign on August 20th after being found guilty in his bribery and corruption trial. Unlike vacancies in the House, Senate vacancies can be filled by the state’s governor. Governor Phil Murphy (D) has said he will appoint a placeholder to fill the vacancy even though Rep. Andy Kim (D) is heavily favored to win the seat in November. The replacement is expected to be named before the Senate reconvenes in September.

Regardless of who wins control of both chambers, there will be changes at the top of various committees due to retirements, jockeying for better positions, or in Republicans’ case, term limits. For Republicans in the House, one can serve as Chairman or Ranking Member for a combined total of 6 years after which they make way for the next person, in the Senate Republicans can do 6 years as Chair and Ranker, for up to 12 years. As a result, there’s a lot more movement and variability compared to the Democrats who normally, though not always, rely on a seniority-based system. We will start with the House, and then do the Senate. You’ll be unsurprised to learn the Senate process is more informal and convoluted, relying on a combination of consensus and precedent that can or cannot be broken depending on what it’s being broken for.

The House

 How The House Organizes

What is a Steering Committee, and How Does It Work?: Both Republicans and Democrats organize themselves via a steering committee, which is helmed by the highest ranking Member of the full membership and has more votes than other members but not so many that they alone can dictate the outcome. Steering committees have two primary functions that determine who will ultimately serve atop a given panel. The most obvious is selecting who will serve as Chairman or Ranking Member. The second, less appreciated way, is by choosing which members will serve on which committees. There are entire behind-the-scenes campaigns dedicated to securing an opening on choice panels, which can give Members years of seniority that can pay off (sometimes decades) later. The steering committees meet in private and do not disclose how their members voted. Technically, recommendations require ratification by the full Conference/Caucus though your hosts are unaware of any time in recent history that a recommendation by the steering committee was rejected by the full membership of a party. *Frineds of the Look Ahead pointed out to us that in 2011, Rep. Richie Neal won the steering committee vote to replace then Rep. Sandy Levin (R-MI) as Ranking Member by 1 vote, but was overruled by a vote of the Dem Caucus keeping Rep. Levin in place.

 How Are They Composed?: Each party in each chamber has its own rules for how its steering committee is filled and how it operates but all four operate on a few general principles. 1) Leadership controls the most votes, 2) Leadership tries to fill vacancies with allies, 3) States are grouped into “regions” of roughly equal size that each have a single representative.

• House Republicans: The House GOP steering list can be found here. It’s important to note that the regions will change depending on election outcomes. House Republicans made a lot of changes to how their committee is compiled post-Tea Party, removing automatic placement for “A” Committee Chairmen to a regional system where members choose their own Rep. The effect of this is the State with the biggest GOP delegation in a given region usually holds the seat because it can outvote the other states(s). There are also Freshmen and Sophomore Reps., and a seat for a Speaker Designee. The Freshmen/Sophomore Reps. are a result of the GOP class of 2011 (which was 85 Members!!!!), which demanded representation but the Freshmen, Sophomore, and Speaker Designee in practice tend to align with Leadership.

• House Democrats: The House Democrats’ Steering Committee and Policy Committee full membership isn’t publicly disclosed. Reading the Caucus rules – nerd alert – you can sort of piece together the entire list, but not all regional members publicize their membership. Besides that, the biggest difference between their House counterparts is the Democratic Leader/Speaker gets to appoint up to 15 Members (see here), outnumbering the 12 regional reps, meaning it’s a much more top-down operation. The Democrats also elect three Co-Chairs to lead the Committee.

119th Congress Outlook

 Agriculture

• Top Republican: No change. Current Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) is four years into his six-year term of eligibility beginning as Ranking Member last Congress.

• Top Democrat: No change, probably. Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) became Chairman in the 117th Congress over Rep. Jim Costa (R-CA). Since then there’s been a lot of private, and some public, consternation about his Leadership. However, with the power the Congressional Black Caucus wields within the Caucus, it’s unlikely a change would be made.

 Appropriations

• Top Republican: No change. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) took over when past Chairman Kay Granger (R-TX) unexpectedly announced she’d be stepping down early in advance of her retirement. There’s always a chance election results could create problems for Cole, who’s seen as a throwback to a kinder, gentler time when Republicans didn’t try to shut down the government every week. Though, anyone else in a position to succeed him would have the same problems with the same people.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has led the Democrats on the panel since succeeding Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) in 2021.

 Armed Services

• Top Republican: No change. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) is four years into his six-year term of eligibility beginning as Ranking Member last Congress.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Adam Smith will begin his eighth term as top Democrat on the panel, having secured the spot in 2011.

Budget: In addition to being the Chairmanship nobody wants (sorry Paul Ryan), the Committee itself is governed by different rules. Members can only serve for six years, with an additional two if served as Chairman or Ranking Member. Additionally, under House rules, at least five members of the House Appropriations Committee, split 3/2, must be on the committee at any given time so there’s a steady rotation of Members cycling on and off. Because of this, it’s difficult to project who will lead the panel. Current Chairman Jodey Arrington, for instance, wasn’t even on the Committee last Congress.

• Top Republican: TBD. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) has only been on the Committee for one term, so in theory, he could continue here. However, there was a big dustup when House Republicans declined to produce a full budget, following the practice established by previous Democrat majorities. If Trump wins re-election, and Republicans maintain the House Majority, this job becomes more appealing. Otherwise, we expect more Conservative Members to make a play for it to try and publicize their spending positions.

• Top Democrat: Change. The only opening for any Democrat to secure a gavel is House Budget. Lucky them. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) has only served one term as Ranking Member, but this is his fourth term on the panel, so under House rules, he is supposed to cycle off the committee. House rules can be changed of course, but it would come as a surprise to us if they were changed for this Committee.

 Education and Workforce:

• Top Republican: Change. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), after receiving a very rare waiver to serve a 4th term atop the panel will not get another waiver. Right now, only Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) has publicly declared, and it is likely he will take the spot. Depending on how the presidential election shakes out, someone to keep an eye on however is Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), due both to her relationship with President Trump, but also because it’s long been known she’s preferred a subcommittee gavel on Armed Services where there will be at least two openings with the departures of Reps. Jim Banks (IN) to the Senate and Doug Lamborn (CO) to retirement.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) will be entering his sixth term as the top Democrat on the panel.

 Energy and Commerce:

• Top Republican: Change. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) surprised a lot of people when announcing her retirement, given she had two years left in her tenure at the top. This jumpstarted a race and caught some hopefuls potentially off-guard. There are two primary candidates, with a third who would need some help. Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Bob Latta (R-OH), and Richard Hudson (R-NC). Rep. Guthrie is the most likely to emerge at the top, due in large part to his fundraising prowess – he’s transferred more than $2 million to the NRCC this cycle – and he chairs the Health Subcommittee. That subcommittee is one of the most prized gavels in Congress so his departure would open it up for others.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Frank Pallone (R-NJ) will serve his sixth term as top Democrat on the panel.

 Financial Services:

• Top Republican: Change. Having served a full term, with a brief stint as speaker pro tempore no less, Rep. Patrick McHenry will step down as top Republican and retire from Congress. The race to succeed him is likely more competitive than Energy and Commerce, with three members considered “front-runners” and the most senior Republican on the panel also waging a behind the scenes campaign. Readers should note a fourth member who would have been in the mix, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), opted not to seek re-election. The three candidates with a shot are Reps. French Hill (R-AR), Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Andy Barr (R-KY). Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) has also thrown his hat in the ring. We will break down each man’s path to the top.

  • French Hill (AR): The scuttlebutt is that Rep. Hill has the upper hand, for now, but we’re not confident that’s how it’ll break. All three Members are well-liked, good fundraisers, and seen as allies to Leadership and generally helpful Members to deal with. Helping Rep. Hill is that he’s his region’s Steering Committee Rep., meaning he is well versed in the behind-the-scenes machinations of the group, AND Arkansas grouped with Louisiana…which I’m told is an important state in GOP Leadership circles. He’s also probably seen as the most mild-mannered option.

  • Andy Barr (KY): One thing that could break against Barr is if his fellow Kentuckian Brett Guthrie secures the E&C gavel, his rivals could make the argument that KY would be over-represented, and therefore spread the love. Additionally, GOP Conference rules prohibit a Committee Chair from running for higher office. Many GOP Members believe Rep. Barr is eyeing a statewide office, meaning he’d have to step down to run. Something, even if it isn’t true, his rivals will be sure to play up.

  • Bill Huizenga (MI): Huizenga, we’re told, is likely to make a push at the gavel from the right. He is seen as someone who is friendly to Leadership, well-liked, won’t say something outrageous on TV, but is also friendly with the Conferences right flank. Note that Rep. Jim Jordan recently flew to Michigan and did a fundraiser for him. Not a coincidence.

  • Frank Lucas (OK): Lucas, who did six years atop House Agriculture and is wrapping up six years as the top Republican on the Science Committee, is also making the rounds. You’d think this kind of experience would make him a shoo-in, but you’d be wrong. He will not be the next Chair or Ranking Member.

  • Handicapping the Race: We’d say today, the race favors Rep. French Hill. But, we simply can’t predict how the Steering Committee will look next year and the election results will factor in heavily. Suffice it to say the real winner of this race will be the NRCC bottom line. We can also say for sure it won’t be Lucas….Sorry Frank!

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) is likely to serve her seventh term as top Democrat on the panel since taking over for Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) in 2013.

Foreign Affairs:

• Top Republican: Change. Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) is termed out, though the expectation is he is going to seek a waiver. He won’t get one, there are too many Members with eyes on the top spot, plus this was his second stint atop a committee having previously held the job at Homeland Security. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), a former Ambassador to Luxembourg, is eyeing the spot and it’s expected Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Scott Perry (R-PA), and Darrell Issa (R-CA) will look at it as well. Rep. Wagner would have the advantage of being one of the few female GOP members in position for a gavel. Rep. Wilson may take a pass as it’s long been thought his true desire is House Armed Services where Rep. Rogers has 2 years left on his term. Rep. Perry is unlikely to secure enough Member support for a variety of reasons we won’t get into and Rep. Issa, though himself a former Chairman, lost a serious ally with the departure of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). This is likely Rep. Wagner’s to lose if she enters the ring. We should add Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) has been rumored to run but we haven’t seen anything concrete to indicate that’s a developed campaign.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Greg Meeks will serve his third consecutive term atop the panel for the Democrats.

 Homeland Security:

• Top Republican: No change. Man…. We were on a streak too! Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) has four years left on his tenure as top Republican. We should note however that Chairman Green briefly flirted with retirement, before being talked out of it, and it’s no secret he would push for a posting at the Department of Homeland Security, should Trump win re-election. So, circumstances could change this, but they will be entirely within the Chairman’s control.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) will begin his ELEVENTH term as top Democrat on the panel. Rep. Thompson is the first and only Democrat to hold the top spot since the Committee was elevated to a permanent “Standing Committee” (the previous two Congresses were as a Select Committee), to begin the 109th Congress in 2005.

House Administration: The Committee on House Administration is one of two Standing Committees whose members are appointed exclusively by the Speaker and Minority Leader. The other of course is Rules. There are two main requirements to secure this post since you’re known as the “Mayor of Capitol Hill” and get to dispense tiny perks to Members that make living and working on Capitol Hill more enjoyable. The first of course is that you’re a friend and ally of the Speaker. The second is that you want to do the job. While the Committee enjoyed a much higher profile in the wake of January 6th, it’s generally seen as a behind-the-scenes position for Members who care about the actual day-to-day operations of the Capitol.

• Top Republican: No change. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) has served only one of 3 terms for the GOP.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) likewise took over in 2023 with the departure of Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

 Judiciary:

• Top Republican: No change. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has one term left on his tenure.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Jerry Nadler will continue having served in this role since 2017.

 Natural Resources:

• Top Republican: No change. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) has two years left of his tenure.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) will continue the job he’s held since 2014.

Oversight and Accountability:

• Top Republican: No change. Rep. Jamie Comer (KY) has 2 years left of his tenure.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has only held the spot for two years after taking over for Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) who lost her seat in a primary to Rep. Jerry Nadler following redistricting.

Rules: As mentioned above, the entire roster of House Rules is appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader. In the modern era of the House of Representatives, these Members have always been the most loyal of loyal Members to their respective Leaderships. Until of course, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to place three Freedom Caucus or Freedom Caucus adjacent Members on the panel to secure his Speakership, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Chip Roy (R-TX). We think it’s safe to say that particular move…didn’t work out that great. The Committee is typically set to a ratio that heavily favors the majority (9-4), but because McCarthy appointed three, and not two, they can effectively block anything they want from going to the floor. A power they routinely exercise. If the GOP retains the majority, whoever holds the Speakership will have a choice to make. He/she could undo that decision and revamp the membership, add another member for a bigger majority, or do nothing and keep the deal in place. If the GOP is in the minority it won’t matter, they’ll be outnumbered no matter what. If they retain the majority, it’ll depend on the size of that majority. With that…here’s who is in the mix:

• Top Republican: Change. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) stepped up to take the gig when Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) moved over to take over the top spot at House Appropriations when Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) stepped down. He’s retiring. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) wants the job and is already a member of Leadership service as Chief Deputy Whip, something he’d likely (though not certainly) have to give up should he secure the post. Reps. Michelle Fishbach (R-MN), Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY), Erin Houchin (R-IN), and Austin Scott (R-GA) round out the Leadership-friendly membership of the committee. Houchin and Langworthy are too junior for the assignment, and Austin Scott if you recall ran for Speaker against Jim Jordan after Leader Scalise dropped out, so may have some lingering intra-conference issues there with conservatives. That leaves Rep. Fishbach as the only other option should the new Speaker choose someone from the current Committee roster.

• Top Democrat: No change. Rep. Jim McGovern has been the top Democrat on Rules since the 115th Congress when he took over for Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY).

Science, Space, and Technology:

• Top Republican: Change. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) as noted above is termed out. So far only Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) has expressed interest in succeeding him and we expect him to take the top spot.

• Top Democrat: No Change. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will serve her second term as top Dem on the panel.

Small Business:

• Top Republican: No Change. Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) is wrapping up his first term at the top of the panel. Small Business is often a steppingstone committee, but Williams is on Financial Services and as we covered earlier that’s a very crowded field.

• Top Democrat: No Change. Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) has been the top Democrat on this panel for more than 25 years, first assuming the role in 1998.

 Transportation and Infrastructure:

• Top Republican: Change. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) is termed out and has floated the possibility of seeking a waiver to remain, but we rate that as unlikely. With the departure of Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) following the loss of his district to redistricting, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) is running, at the moment, unopposed. He will be the next top Republican.

• Top Democrat: No Change. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) will serve his second term as top Democrat.

Veterans Affairs:

• Top Republican: No Change. Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) has one more term left as Chairman or Ranking Member.

• Top Democrat: No Change. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) will continue to serve as the top Democrat on the panel.

 Ways and Means:

• Top Republican: No Change. Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) is wrapping up his first term as top Republican.

• Top Democrat: No Change. Rep. Richie Neal (D-MA) will begin his fifth term as top Democrat.

The Senate

How The Senate Organizes

 How Are Committees Composed? As longtime Look Ahead readers know, the one rule of the Senate is that there are no rules. Well, not really, but pretty much the only rule you really need to know is that almost everything operates through consent. And that goes for committees—at the start of each Congress, the Majority and Minority Leaders sit down and hammer out an agreement on Senate rules for that Congress that sets the size of each committee and the ratio of Democratic and Republican committee members (and, most importantly for staff, how committee budgets are split).

 Obviously, the incoming majority has the leverage in these negotiations, but there was that one time in the 117th Congress when there was a 50-50 Dem/GOP split following the special election in Georgia, which flipped control to the Democrats after three weeks of Republicans briefly holding the majority. In that instance, new Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) came to a power-sharing agreement that included equal representation on committees. A similar agreement was in place in the 107th Congress (2001-2002) for five months before Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont left the Republican Party to caucus as an independent with the Democrats.

 Membership on committees is governed by Rule XXV, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the rules of the Senate, which establishes three categories of committees commonly known as “A,” ‘B,” and “C” committees. “A” committees are what they sound like, where the most action and jurisdiction is (and where industries with campaign cash are). Think Appropriations, Armed Services, Commerce, Finance, Foreign Relations, etc. Each Senator is limited to service on two “A” committees and one “B” committee, with no limits on “C” committees. However, exceptions to these rules can be recommended by a party conference and then formalized through Senate approval of a resolution, which is why a few senators sit on three “A” committees.

 Like in the House, each party has its own rules for selecting committee Chairs and Ranking Members. Seniority factors very heavily, but not exclusively, into these selections. The most recent example of the most senior member of a committee (who did not otherwise chair another committee or was not termed out) not being elected to the top role occurred in 2021, when Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) ascending to the Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee even though Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was the most senior member. However, she had begun to show signs of mental decline, making Democrats worried about her continuing to hold the top Democratic slot and instead giving it to Durbin.

• Senate Republicans: Once committee rosters are established, Republican committee members elect their own Chairs or Ranking Members. These selections must then also be approved by a majority vote of the conference. Senators are limited to serving no more than six years as Chairman of the same standing committee, as well as no more than six years as Ranking Member—but service as Ranking Member does not count as time served as Chairman, and a senator cannot serve as Ranking Member following his or her serving a full six years as Chairman though they can continue to serve on a committee for which they have termed out as Chair.

• Senate Democrats: The Democratic Conference’s Steering and Outreach Committee makes recommendations on all committee assignments, including Chairs and Ranking Members. Steering & Outreach Committee members are appointed by the Democratic Leader but must be elected by a majority of the Conference. Candidates for Chair or Ranking Member must then be approved by a majority vote of the Democratic conference. As in the House, Senate Democrats do not have the same time limits on Chairs as the Republican Conference.

 119th Congress Outlook

Agriculture:

• Top Democrat: Change. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is retiring after serving as Ranking Member and Chair of the committee since 2011. The next most senior Democrat is Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), but should he be re-elected he is certain to keep his Chair/Ranker role on Banking. That makes Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the next-most-senior member and current Chair of the Rules and Administration Committee, likely to take over the role.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) is in his fourth year as Ranking Member.

 Appropriations:

• Top Democrat: No change. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) took over the top Democratic role in 2023 and will, barring House Republicans forcing us into a CR mess, continue to make the federal dollars rain down on Washington state (for which her constituent David is very grateful).

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is in her second year in the Ranking Member slot.

 Armed Services:

• Top Democrat: (Almost certainly) no change.  Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) has served in the top role since 2015 and is unlikely to slide over to the top Banking Committee role should Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) lose re-election.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) is in his second year as Ranking Member after sliding over from the same slot on Commerce.

 Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

• Top Democrat: No change. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has served as the committee’s top Democrat since 2019.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took over the Ranking member slot in 2023 following Sen. Wicker’s departure to Armed Services.

 Energy and Natural Resources:

• Top Democrat: Change. ENR will see change potentially on both sides of the dais in the 119th Congress. With Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) leaving at the end of the 118th, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) is the likely next Democratic Chair or Ranker, with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cantwell, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) not likely to leave their current committee Leadership roles.

• Top Republican: Likely change. Current Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-TX) has another two years of eligibility as Ranker (and six as Chairman if the chamber flips), but Barrasso is seeking to succeed Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as Assistant Republican Leader (also known as Whip), who is running for Republican Leader. Republican Conference rules prohibit the Whip from serving as Chair or Ranking member of any standing committee. Should Barrasso get the nod, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is next in line.

 Environment and Public Works:

• Top Democrat: Change. Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) is retiring, making Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) next in line to take over the top role as Sen. Sanders won’t leave his perch. He’s all but certain to leave the top Budget Committee slot to take over EPW.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) has another two years left as Ranking Member and six as Chair if the chamber flips.

 Finance:

• Top Democrat: No change. Sen. Wyden has served as Ranking Member and Chairman since 2015. Plus, who’d want to leave Finance when possibly every tax provision in existence expires in 2025?

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Mike Crapo has two years left as Ranker and six as Chairman.

 Foreign Relations:

• Top Democrat: Change. Sen. Ben Cardin took over as Chair in September 2023 when Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was forced to step down amid his indictment but is retiring at the end of this term. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is next in line to take over at top Democrat.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) has another two years as Ranker and four as Chairman.

 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

• Top Democrat: No change. Sen. Sanders took over the top Democratic role in 2023.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has four years of eligibility left as Ranker and six as Chairman.

 Homeland Security and Government Affairs:

• Top Democrat: No change. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) has served as Chairman or Ranking Member since 2019.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has four years left of eligibility as Ranking Member and six as Chairman.

Judiciary:

• Top Democrat: No change. Sen. Durbin has served as Chair since 2021.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has another four years of eligibility as Ranking Member and four as Chairman.

 Rules and Administration:

• Top Democrat: Change (we weren’t getting much variety for a little while there!). With Sen. Klobuchar all but certain to head to Ag, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is next in line.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) has another four years of eligibility as Ranking Member and six as Chair.

 Small Business:

• Top Democrat: Likely Change. Assuming Sen. Jeane Shaheen (D-NH) moves over to take over as top Democrat on Foreign Relations, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) would likely move to the top spot.

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has another four years of eligibility as Ranking Member and six as Chair.

 Veterans’ Affairs:

• Top Democrat: Maybe change. With Chairman John Tester (D-MT) in a tight re-election race, we could see a change atop the VA Committee. Next in line is Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

• Top Republican: No change. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) has another two years of eligibility as Ranking Member and four as Chairman.

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