House Democrats Unveil Committee Assignments for 117th Congress

WASHINGTON – While most eyes on Capitol Hill this past week have been on developments related to the coronavirus relief package and the omnibus federal spending bill, there have been a number of other things going on.

Among these were House Democrats announcing their nominated appointments to various congressional committees, including Appropriations, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services and Ways and Means.

The nominations were announced by the House Democratic Steering Committee and awaited approval by the full Democratic Caucus.

“It is an honor to announce the nomination of these outstanding members to our exclusive committees for the 117th Congress,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said when the list was announced last week. 

“Their proven expertise, leadership and commitment to hard-working families have earned them the respect and support of our Caucus and will make them a vital force for the people by advancing economic security, promoting justice and opportunity and protecting the health and well-being of our communities,” she said.

The Steering Committee approved the following new Committee members:

Appropriations

·   Rep. Adriano Espaillat, of New York;

·   Rep. Josh Harder, of California;

·   Rep. Susie Lee, of Nevada;

·   Rep. David Trone, of Maryland;

·   Rep. Lauren Underwood, of Illinois;

·   Rep. Jennifer Wexton, of Virginia.

Energy and Commerce

·   Rep. Angie Craig, of Minnesota;

·   Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, of Texas;

·   Rep. Kathleen Rice, of New York; 

·   Rep. Kim Schrier, of Washington;

·   Rep. Lori Trahan, of Massachusetts.

Financial Services

·   Rep.-elect Ritchie Torres, of New York.

Ways and Means

·   Rep. Stacey Plaskett, of the Virgin Islands.

Among those applauding the nominations was the New Democrat Coalition, which secured 10 out of the 13 appointments made to House committees, including all the open seats on the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees.

New Democrats also secured two-thirds of the open seats on the House Appropriations Committee. 

“As the majority makers in Congress, New Dems have focused on making sure we are well represented in leadership and on key committees,” said New Democrat Coalition Chair-Elect and Steering and Policy Committee Member Suzan DelBene, of Washington.

“We endorsed our colleague Pete Aguilar for Caucus vice chair, our first ever House leadership endorsement, and we secured key committee assignments and chair positions for the next Congress. As we prepare to work with President-elect Biden, New Dems are well positioned to be a strong voice in driving the agenda in the House of Representatives,” DelBene said.

NDC Members elected to serve as Committee Chairs in the 117^th Congress:

·   Rep. David Scott, of Georgia – Agriculture Committee;

·   Rep. Adam Smith, of Washington – Armed Services Committee ;

·   Rep. Gregory Meeks, of New York – Foreign Affairs Committee.

NDC Members in Leadership for the 117^th Congress: 

·   Rep. Pete Aguilar, of California – Democratic Caucus vice chair;

·   Rep. Colin Allred, of Texas – Democratic Caucus leadership representative;

·   Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, of New York – DCCC chair;

·   Rep. Cheri Bustos, of Illinois – co-chair of Steering & Policy Committee.

First Assignments for New Members

The House Democratic Steering Committee also nominated incoming freshmen and returning members for appointments to the House Education and Labor Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, Judiciary Committee, Natural Resources Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

 The nominees are:

Education and Labor

·   Rep.-elect Jamaal Bowman, of New York;

·   Rep.-elect Teresa Leger Fernandez, of New Mexico;

·   Rep.-elect Kathy Manning, of North Carolina;

·   Rep.-elect Frank Mrvan, of Indiana.

Foreign Affairs

·   Rep.-elect Sara Jacobs, of California;

·   Rep. Andy Kim, of New Jersey.

Judiciary

·   Rep.-elect Cori Bush, of Missouri;

·   Rep.-elect Mondaire Jones, of New York;

·   Rep.-elect Deborah Ross, of North Carolina.

Natural Resources

·   Rep.-elect Teresa Leger Fernandez, of New Mexico;

·   Rep. Katie Porter, of California.

Transportation and Infrastructure

·   Rep.-elect Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts;

·   Rep.-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia;

·   Rep.-elect Kai Kahele, of Hawaii;

·   Rep. Seth Moulton, of Massachusetts;

·   Rep.-elect Marie Newman, of Illinois;

·   Rep.-elect Marilyn Strickland, of Washington;

·   Rep.-elect Nikema Williams, of Georgia.