Terry, Murphy Nab Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Chairs
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., announced the new leaders of two key Energy and Commerce subcommittees on Wednesday. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., will be chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee, a slot which opened up when Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., lost to her Democratic rival in the November elections. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., will take over the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee for Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., who lost his seat in a GOP primary.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn was named vice chair of the full Energy and Commerce Committee. National Journal reported earlier this month that Blackburn was in the running for one of the subcommittee chairs. She had been vice chair of the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee, and was co-chair of the committee that drafted the Republican platform released at the party convention.
Blackburn was the only woman reported to be in contention for one of the two vacant subcommittee leadership posts. The lack of women in committee-leadership roles in the Republican-controlled House is a sore subject this week. On Tuesday, Speaker John Boehner's 19 picks for committee chairmen didn't include a single woman.
Rep. Michael Burgess was also considered a candidate for one of the slots. He was given the vice chair on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. He will continue in his slot as vice chair of the Health Subcommittee.
“We have a talented group of leaders with the experience, expertise, and diverse backgrounds that make us well positioned for the important work that lies ahead in the next Congress,” Upton said in a statement.

Leave A Comment