The energy and defense mix on the House Appropriations Committee, at least its leadership, will remain essentially unchanged in the 177th Congress, according to rosters released by Democrats and Republicans this week.
Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) will remain chair and ranking member, respectively, of the House Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee. The panel writes the first draft of the Department of Energy’s annual budget bill.
Kaptur has been hawkish about the proposed budget increases for nuclear weapons programs at DOE’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration and has repeatedly declined to fulfil the Donald Trump administration’s requests to increase the weapons budget at the expense of legacy nuclear clean-up managed by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management.
Meanwhile, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) is taking over as chair of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, replacing the retired Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.). Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) remains the ranking member on the defense subcommittee, which funds nuclear weapons programs at the Department of Defense.
The united Democratic government was at deadline closer to official than ever, with the news that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the minority leader, agreed Monday to a power-sharing arrangement in the upper chamber. That paves the way for Senate committees to transition to Democratic control.
In the House, Democrats kept control after the 2020 elections, though their majority shrank.
