Why do you read this blog? Here’s why. From tonight’s The Hill:
CBC could see its spending clout increase in the next Congress
If House Democrats keep their majority in the next Congress, Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) is likely to become chairman of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations subcommittee. The only members ahead of Fattah in seniority are panel’s chairman, Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), who lost a primary race this week, and retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.)
Here’s me, three days ago:
Don’t get me wrong, like most long-time appropriators of both parties, Mollohan had long ago compromised himself and become corrupt. I’m kind of glad to see that he’s gone. I’d be more enthusiastic about it if his replacement gave me hope for improvement. But, hey, West Virginia’s loss will probably be Philadelphia’s gain. Mollohan was the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. Now that he’s been defeated and Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island is retiring, the chair should go (by seniority) to my old congressman, Rep. Chaka Fattah. Of course, Fattah recently announced that he will compete in the next Congress for the chair of the entire Appropriations Committee. That doesn’t surprise me. When he was running for mayor of Philadelphia, we were talking at the upstairs bar at The Khyber when he explained to me that he wasn’t going anywhere in Congress. I had asked him whether he couldn’t better serve Philadelphia as a member of the House Appropriations Committee. And he explained that he had no seniority and no prospects of even chairing a subcommittee anytime soon. So, he was bolting to be mayor. Except, he got crushed in the primary, so he went back to his dead-end job in DC. And now he’s ready to become the first black man to be in charge of the Justice Department’s budget. Amen.
I have to toot my own horn because no one else will.
The Hill takes a less parochial view, looking at how the Congressional Black Caucus can benefit. But that was basically my point in mentioning that a black man will oversee the Justice Department’s budget for the first time. I didn’t even think to add that the Justice Department is currently led by a black man for the first time. No wonder the white people are going nuts.
Fattah would presumably have a lot of say in how the next census is done in his role of overseeing the Commerce Department, and he could make sure that civil rights, including voting rights, are better protected. The Hill also points out that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has a good chance of taking over the committee that funds the State Department. That would have less obvious and immediate benefit to the black community, but he could help assure that the U.S. has more engagement on African issues, including the HIV epidemic. He might also improve diversity in hiring.
One advantage most black lawmakers have is that they represent safe districts. So, if they stick around long enough, they have the opportunity to outlast other representatives and climb the seniority ladder. One thing is certain. Blacks have never had more power in this country than they have right now, and that power is growing. That can only lead to more progressive outcomes.