Incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues her campaign to boost the profiles of newly elected Dems (traditionally the most vulnerable in their next elections) and the 30-Something set.
The Hill:
Pelosi also announced several new members to the coveted Appropriations panel, including Rep.-elect Ciro Rodriguez (Texas) who won a runoff against Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas). Others named to the spending panel are: Reps. Ben Chandler (Ky.), Michael Honda (Calif.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Betty McCollum (Minn.), Tim Ryan (Ohio), C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger (Md.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), Tom Udall (N.M.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.).
Freshman almost never score seats on Approps. Incoming Republicans changed that, following their 1994 "revolution," but Dems haven't yet had the chance to adopt that strategy. [UPDATE: And they still haven't. Rodriguez is, at best, a "red shirt" freshman -- i.e., not one at all. He previously served from 1997 through 2004, albeit in a different district.] Seating Rodriguez there puts him in a strong position to take care of business at home, and solidify his hold on the seat.
Note, too, that Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Tim Ryan did in fact score both Steering & Policy and Approps. Wasserman Schultz also takes over a Chief Deputy Whip spot.
Do not gaze directly at Debbie Wasserman Schultz! If you find yourself between her and wherever she's going, do not attempt to flee! Throw yourself to the ground and remain motionless, and she may spare you!
Other 30-Something standouts rumored to be under consideration for exclusive committees who've now made it official: Kenrick Meek and Artur Davis, both to Ways & Means.
Note, too, netroots favorite Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, who'll be enjoying a ringside seat on Henry Waxman's Government Reform Committee, along with Giant Killer Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
Elsewhere in the stratosphere, check out these rising stars:
The incoming Speaker said she will recommend that Rep.-elects Kathy Castor (Fla.), Betty Sutton (Ohio) and Peter Welch (Vt.) be given seats on the Rules Committee.
The Rules Committee Members, as those of you who've become familiar with our friend Louise Slaughter know, are the guys with their hands on all the strings. They decide what amendments get to the floor, what the rules of debate are, and just about everything else surrounding the terms under which votes in the House are cast. You have got to be absolutely rock-solid to make it to the Rules Committee, so this is a big vote of confidence in Castor, Sutton and Welch.
Being "rock-solid," of course, has two meanings. First, they're going to be rock-solid in their support of the leadership, which has entrusted them with these influential positions. But more than being a dependable vote, they've got to have a knack for the process, and will almost always be people who've got an understanding of procedure. Castor, the daughter of Florida politico Betty Castor, comes from a political family like the Speaker herself. Sutton and Welch are both former state legislators, Welch being the immediate past president of the Vermont State Senate.
It should also be noted that Sutton and Welch replace the dependably progressive Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders, respectively, each of whom were fixtures in their districts before moving up to the Senate. Any questions at home about where the new kids will fit in in the new House ought to be settled with these appointments. Their Rules Committee seats will keep them out of the spotlight on big time bills, but they'll be on C-SPAN quite a bit managing debate on the rules (every bill that comes to the floor under normal circumstances -- or "regular order" -- comes with its own, customized rule setting the terms of debate), and will be the sort of behind-the-scenes fixers that will make appropriators and other legislative powerhouses want to make sure their districts are taken care of.
Last but not least in committee news, there's Rep. William Jefferson, returned to Congress by the folks back home in New Orleans. Jefferson won't be returning to the prestigious and powerful Ways & Means Committee, though. But neither will he be sitting on his hands. Speaker Pelosi's got to respect the will of his constituents, who had to have known what they were buying into when they sent him back to Washington. So pending any further developments with his case, Jefferson will be sitting on the Small Business committee.
