Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd has decided to stay at the helm of the Banking Committee. Dodd was the next-most-senior senator on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee after Ted Kennedy – whose desk remains shrouded in black on the Senate floor and adourned with flowers as colleagues mourn his passing. Dodd could’ve switched to HELP, and given how much work he’d done on the health care bill this year, many thought he might. But today he announced plans to stay put.
[more after the jump + an update*]
This isn’t as surprising as it seems. First, progressives weren’t psyched about the idea of Mr. Credit Card, er, South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson, taking control of Banking. Plus, HELP is a gamble: if health care goes awry Dodd could get blamed and he put his name to more than enough unpopular bills this past year. And why leave Banking when it’s about to get to the popular stuff: regulation reform? Not to mention how important Banking, which has oversight of the insurance industry, is to Connecticut. Next up on HELP: Iowa’s Tom Harkin who isn’t likely to leave his Ag Committee chairmanship which could leave HELP in the hands of Barbara Mikulski of Maryland.
Update:
Turns out Harkin is taking HELP — having just passed a five-year ag bill last year, I guess HELP will be livelier. Which means there’s now a vacancy at the top of the Ag Committee. The next in line for that committee is Patrick Leahy who — with a potential Supreme Court nomination afoot is unlikely to leave his perch at the the Judiciary Committee. After that is Senator Kent Conrad who chairs the Budget Committee; I just saw him downstairs and he said he’ll stay on Banking because he wants to help bring down the deficit. After him is Max Baucus — unlikely to leave the Finance Committee. Which makes Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas the heir apparent for the Ag Committee.
“As a seventh-generation Arkansan and farmer’s daughter, I know my father is smiling down on me today,” Lincoln said. “I am fortunate to have served on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry since I was first elected to the Senate in 1998. It has been a committee of significant importance to my constituents and our state’s economy. The Committee’s responsibilities encompass a number of issues that are critical to Americans, particularly those living in rural areas. With such priorities as child nutrition reauthorization, farm bill implementation, and regulation of commodities, the Committee has a full plate. I thank Senator Harkin for his tremendous leadership. As Chairman, I will work with my colleagues to build upon the Committee’s strong record and devote my full energy to producing forward-looking, balanced priorities on behalf of all families and communities. I will continue to fight for the hardworking farm families and rural communities who provide the safest, most abundant and affordable supply of food and fiber in the world.”