Sen. Leahy declines Senate Appropriations chairmanship

[Ogre Mage]

He'll stay on at Judiciary instead.  The Appropriations chairmanship will go to Sen. Barbara Mikulski.  Mikulski is the first woman to chair the committee.

I am surprised.  I expected Leahy to take the highly coveted Appropriations chair.  There's no substitute for controlling the purse strings.

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/patrick-leahy-declines-powerful-appropriations-post-85323.html?hp=r2

[justfollowingtheelections]

Good for him.  I have a newfound respect for Leahy.

[Thomas D]

So when does my Senator get me a giant golden boat?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Mikulski was the most senior Democrat who wasn't a chair and she's in Appropriations but not Judiciary.  This keeps the musical chairs to a minimum.  If Leahy had taken Appropriations, the most senior Senator on Judiciary who was not already in a Chair or leadership position was Kloubachar, and Judicary is too important to let a first term Senator take the reins, so there certainly would have been a game of musical chairs if Leahy had switched chairs.  (As it was, Harkin could have taken Appropriations, leaving HELP to Mikulski.)

[Ogre Mage]

The Baltimore Sun has an article looking at what Mikulski's ascension means for Maryland:

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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-mikulski-approps-20121219,0,6250175.story

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Leahy is a decent Judiciary Chair.  I'm glad he's staying on - I much prefer him to Feinstein, who would probably have taken it.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

After 26 years of service, Mikulski finally got a Committee to chair.

Btw, Thurmond did not chair Appropriations when he was PPT. He stayed on Armed Services.

[minionofmidas]

So when does my Senator get me a giant golden boat?

It was in the mail today but it wouldn't fit into the letterbox, so the postman took it home for his grandkids.

[nclib]

Interesting, though it makes sense.

BTW, Leahy has got to be the youngest Pres. Pro Tem. in quite a while, coming after Inouye, Byrd, and Thurmond.

[Tokugawa Sexgod Ieyasu]

Interesting, though it makes sense.

BTW, Leahy has got to be the youngest Pres. Pro Tem. in quite a while, coming after Inouye, Byrd, and Thurmond.

Younger than any since...Byrd, actually, but Byrd in 1990.