Murphy, Panetta Named House Chief Deputy Whips for 117th Congress

WASHINGTON — Reps. Stephanie Murphy, of Florida, and Jimmy Panetta, of California, have been named chief deputy whips for the 117th Congress, House Majority Whip James Clyburn announced Wednesday.

In addition, Clyburn announced that Reps. G.K. Butterfield, of North Carolina, and Jan Schakowsky, of Illinois, have been named senior chief deputy whips for the next Congress.

Butterfield, currently chief deputy whip in the 116th Congress, is being elevated to fill the spot that had been held by the late Rep. John Lewis.

In making the announcement, Clyburn said, “We will continue to miss John’s steady leadership and guiding hand in the 117th Congress.”

Returning as chief deputy whips next year are Reps. Henry Cuellar, of Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee, of Texas, Dan Kildee, of Michigan, Terri Sewell, of Alabama, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of Florida, and Peter Welch, of Vermont.

“I look forward to working with this dynamic and diverse team that represents the breadth of our caucus. Together, we will work in collaboration with the Biden Administration to further the agenda the House began in the 116th Congress on behalf of the American people,” Majority Whip Clyburn said.

In her new role, Murphy will assist in helping Democrats better communicate with House leadership so that legislation that comes to the House floor reflects the views of the entire Democratic caucus.

As Chief Deputy Whip, Murphy also has a seat in the powerful House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which recommends committee assignments to the Democratic Caucus and helps shape the House policy agenda.

“My focus since taking office has been on bringing people together to pass legislation that can be signed into law and help my constituents. Whip Clyburn is one of the most respected leaders in Congress, and I’m grateful for this elevated role within the House to help deliver bipartisan results for the American people,” she said. “In this role, I will be ensuring legislation we pass in the House reflects all viewpoints from within our increasingly diverse Democratic caucus, including Democrats who helped deliver the majority in recent elections. I look forward to building stronger relationships that result in consensus and progress we can all be proud of.”

“I am humbled and honored to be chosen by Whip Clyburn to serve as a Chief Deputy Whip in the 117th Congress,” Rep. Panetta said. “Whip Clyburn selected a diverse and small team of Chief Deputy Whips from all across the nation who have built relationships with our congressional colleagues and will use that trust as the foundation upon which we will work to promote, put forward, and pass our legislative agenda. 

“I look forward to listening to, learning from, and working with someone so experienced and knowledgeable as Whip Clyburn, as well as others on the Democratic leadership team,” the congressman continued. “Together, we will work with our colleagues in the House of Representatives to advance our priorities including an economic relief package to battle the pandemic, major investments in our infrastructure to create jobs, provide affordable housing, assist the transition to green energy, and pass immigration reform and much more so that the federal government continues to deliver results for our nation and the people of the Central Coast.”