By Stephen La Rocque
Washington File staff writer

(Part Two: Changes in the House of Representatives and Its Committees)

Washington -- Republican gains in the mid-term elections were accompanied by changes in both the Democratic and Republican House leadership and, to a lesser extent, in House committees which deal with U.S. security and foreign policy.

As the 108th Congress began January 7, Republicans in the House of Representatives held a 229 to 205 advantage over Democrats, with one Independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

That was a significant gain for House Republicans, who had possessed a 221-212 advantage in the 107th Congress, with two Independents, one who caucused with the Democrats, and one who caucused with the Republicans.

While Representative Dennis Hastert (Republican of Illinois) retained his role of Speaker of the House, the rest of the Republican leadership has changed. Representative Richard Armey (Republican of Texas) retired from the House, vacating the job of House Majority Leader. Representative Tom DeLay (Republican of Texas) moved up from the number three position of Majority Whip to replace Armey.

Stepping into the number three Republican slot as Majority Whip in the House is Representative Roy Blunt (Republican of Missouri).

Assisting Blunt will be Representative Eric Cantor (Republican of Virginia), whom Blunt selected to be Chief Deputy Majority Whip, the highest appointed position in the House Republican leadership. Cantor is a second-term Congressman who serves on the House International Relations Committee.

The fourth ranking Republican in the House, Republican Conference Chairman Representative J.C. Watts (Republican of Oklahoma) also retired and was replaced by Representative Deborah Pryce (Republican of Ohio), the first woman to hold that position. Pryce was the fourth-ranking Republican on the powerful House Rules Committee in the last Congress, and will retain that post in the 108th Congress.

Watts was the only Republican African American lawmaker in Congress, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

House Democrats also saw major changes as Representative Richard Gephardt (Democrat of Missouri) stepped down from his position as House Minority Leader, the head of the Democratic Party in the House, and was replaced by Minority Whip Representative Nancy Pelosi (Democrat of California), who had earlier in the 107th Congress replaced then-House Minority Whip David Bonior (Democrat of Michigan), who sought unsuccessfully the governorship of his home state.

Replacing Pelosi as the number two Democrat in the House is Representative Steny Hoyer (Democrat of Maryland), a long-time champion of federal workers.

Representative Robert Menendez (Democrat of New Jersey) is the new Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, replacing Representative Martin Frost (Democrat of Texas), who for a short time contemplated challenging Pelosi for the number one spot in the Democratic Party's House hierarchy. The Democratic Caucus is the assembly of all House Democrats, and is the forum for building consensus within that party on legislative issues.

Pelosi selected long-time political ally Representative Robert Matsui (Democrat of California) to head up the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). The DCCC recruits, trains, and helps fund Democratic congressional candidates.

Representative Rosa DeLauro (Democrat of Connecticut) is the Co-Chairwoman of the Democratic Steering Committee, which is responsible for nominating Democratic members to serve on the various committees in the House. Pelosi chairs that committee.

Assignments to committees may take a few weeks to be finalized, with more than 50 new members of the House of Representatives, however there already are changes in store for important House committees related to U.S. foreign policy.

These changes came about as retirements, election victories and defeats altered the composition of the House International Relations Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

While Representative Henry Hyde (Republican of Illinois) returns as chairman of the House International Relations Committee, and Representative Tom Lantos (Democrat of California) will continue as the ranking Democrat on that committee, there is the possibility that the ratio Republicans to Democrats might be increased slightly.

In the last Congress, the Republicans held a narrow 26 to 23 advantage in the House International Relations Committee.

However, some long-serving Republicans will be missing from the committee in the 108th Congress. Representative Benjamin Gilman (Republican of New York), the second-ranking Republican on the committee, and chairman of the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee, retired at the end of the 107th Congress. Representative John Cooksey (Republican of Louisiana) who sought to move from the House to the Senate was defeated in his attempt.

Democrats also will have a different lineup on the panel, as the 8th and 9th ranking Democrats on the House International Relations Committee were defeated in primary contests. Representative Cynthia McKinney (Democrat of Georgia), the ranking member of the International Operations and Human Rights Subcommittee, and Representative Earl Hilliard (Democrat of Alabama), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe, both succumbed to challengers in their Democratic primaries. The lawmakers, who had often been critical of U.S. foreign policy and of U.S. support for Israel, were members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

McKinney was also a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

That committee saw even more change as two of its members, Representative Saxby Chambliss (Republican of Georgia) and Representative Lindsey Graham (Republican of South Carolina), successfully won Senate races in their respective states.

Four other Republicans on the Armed Services Committee won't be returning for the new Congress including its chairman, Representative Robert Stump (Republican of Arizona), and the third ranking Republican on the committee, Representative James Hansen (Republican of Utah), who both decided not to seek reelection this term. Representative Robert Riley (Republican of Alabama) left Congress to successfully run for the governorship of that state, while Representative Van Hilleary (Republican of Tennessee) was unsuccessful in his bid for the governorship of that state.

Representative Ike Skelton (Democrat of Missouri) remains the ranking minority member on the panel. Three other Democrats beside McKinney won't be returning to the committee in the new Congress.

It remains to be seen if the committee will maintain the ratio of 32 Republicans to 28 Democrats it had in the 107th Congress in the new Congress.

Republicans only had one change in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where they held a 12-10 advantage in the last Congress. Representative Saxby Chambliss (Republican of Georgia) in the 107th Congress is now a senator from that state in the new Congress.

On the Democratic side, there are major changes as Pelosi would take over the Ex Officio slot on the panel held by former Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, and surrender her ranking minority position to Representative Sanford Bishop (Democrat of Georgia). Two other Democrats on that panel in the last Congress won't be in the 108th Congress, including Representative Gary Condit (Democrat of California).