Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) told reporters on Capitol Hill that the next Senate Armed Services Committee chairman is expected to be chosen Tuesday and that he intends to seek the chair.
Traditionally Senate leadership appoints the majority party member with the greatest seniority on the committee to be chairman; in this case, Inhofe. He has served as de facto leader since Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) took medical leave in January. McCain, 81, died Aug. 25. Inhofe said the committee would likely not choose a new member until after the midterm elections.
The commitee’s responsibilities include development of the annual National Defense Authorization Act which, among other things, sets allowed funding levels for Pentagon nuclear weapons and defense environmental cleanup programs.
The panel’s Strategic Forces subcommitee provides legislative oversight over agencies nuclear weapons and nonproliferation programs, among others, managed by agencies including U.S. Strategic Command and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The subcommittee is currently led by Chairwoman Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Ranking Member Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.).
