Texas Democrats Move On Up in Congress

As the Democrats take over Congress, there are some members from Texas who will be wielding some of the newly-obtained power or are in a position to make some moves this session.

Silvestre Reyes was appointed to chair the Intelligence Committee, of which he had already been a member. The amount of leverage provided by the chairmanship of a committee is enormous as they oversee the entire US Intelligence Community, including covert operations in other countries and certain Defense operations. The jurisdiction of this committee extends to Treasury, Justice, State, Energy, Homeland Security, DEA, and even the FBI. As the guy swinging the gavel and deciding the committee's agenda, Reyes gets to decide where the oversight is focused, which is a major bargaining chip against an administration eager to maintain the status quo and dodge scrutiny on domestic surveillance and shenanigans in other countries. Since intelligence is a major part of any newly proposed foreign policy that includes aggression or combat, this committee is very, very important.

Chet Edwards was elevated to Cardinal status when he was appointed to chair the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans' Affairs. People in Washington say there are essentially three parties - Democrats, Republicans, and Appropriators - and they are not kidding. The chair of Appropriations and his Subcommittee chairs decide who gets the dollars, and as Edwards' district is comprised almost entirely of Fort Hood, his position provides him with the opportunity to send plenty of money back to his district and represent his constituency well. That means he can continue to build his pro-military bona fides at an expanded rate and more or less guarantees him his seat for as long as he maintains this committee appointment.

Long-time Pelosi supporter Lloyd Doggett also returns, and he was appointed by Pelosi to be on the Democratic Steering Committee, which in turn handles committee appointments. This gives him some room to make moves within the Democratic caucus, and that could be very important to him if he decides to run for Senate in 2008. I'm not sure what else he would be doing with the $1,946,493 he's got in his federal account, and that kind of money certainly helps when you're staring down the barrel of an impending statewide race in which you have to raise cash by federal rules.

Ciro Rodriguez received an appointment to Appropriations from the aforementioned steering committee after his comeback win against incumbent Henry Bonilla in early December. It has been remarked that this seat on the committee was given to Ciro to help bolster his chances of reelection in 08, and it is the kind of thing you can use well towards that end. The newly redrawn District 23 he now represents is heavy on his south San Antonio base, but you can never have enough help in Texas. Through the end of his term in 2005, he served on the Armed Services, Veterans' Affairs and Resources Committees, so he has previous relationships he can draw on in his new role, which could make him effective.