A little bit of history happened this week.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has been tapped to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee. She will be the first woman ever to do so – pretty remarkable since the committee has been in place for nearly 150 years.
The chair of the committee was previously Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Sen. Inouye passed away last week at age 88, leaving a vacancy in the office. Under the normal rules of succession, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) was next in line but he declined the nod in order to remain as chair of the Judiciary Committee. Other members on the committee include Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX); Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL); Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC); Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committee in the U.S. Senate. It has long been considered one of the most powerful committees in Congress since its creation in 1867. The charge of the Appropriations Committee is to enact legislation related to discretionary spending. Discretionary spending is generally temporary – often for a particular project – and is, then, considered to be under the discretion of the Congress. Discretionary spending makes up only about one-third of all federal expenditures.
It’s an honor and a privilege to be expected to follow the great leadership of Senator Inouye, one of my most treasured mentors, and become the Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. It is especially gratifying to be the first woman to lead this powerful Committee. I am grateful for this opportunity to fight for the day to day needs of the American people and the long range needs of the nation.
Mikulski is the longest-serving female Senator in history. Senate Democrats will vote later today to make Mikulski’s appointment official.
