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Whitehouse still pushing for spot on powerful Senate committee

2:59 PM Tue, Nov 18, 2008 | Permalink
By John E. Mulligan, Washington bureau

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says that although his chances may be "slim,'' he is pressing ahead with his bid for a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, an assignment with great influence over taxes, Social Security and -- through the Medicare and Medicaid systems -- health issues.

Democrat Whitehouse, elected to the Senate in 2006, will move up several slots in seniority when the new Congress convenes in January. In keeping with time-honored political custom, he is looking for opportunities to increase his clout as the Democrats tighten their control of the Senate with at least 57 seats. That margin could increase, depending on the still-unsettled results of Senate elections in Alaska, Minnesota and Georgia.

The bigger majority means there will probably be at least one Democratic opening on the Finance Committee. Seats on the powerful committee are highly sought after, so it's not clear how good Whitehouse's chances are.

"I'm pretty junior,'' Whitehouse said today. But he has won favorable reviews from his peers during his first two years in the Senate, serving on the Judiciary Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Intelligence Committee.

Whitehouse noted that the Finance Committee will have a big say in the debate over the future of the health care system -- one of his longtime interests.

The results of the outstanding elections will not be clear before next month. Meanwhile there is also much speculation about the possibility that sitting senators could be tapped for service in President-elect Barack Obama's administration. That, too, could open some assignments for the new Congress, so the reorganization of the Senate committee structure will take some time.

In the event that Whitehouse is not assigned to the Finance Committee, he could renew his request whenever new slots open up.

Jack Reed, Rhode Island's senior Democratic senator, followed that route to good effect. It took him several attempts to win a seat on another coveted panel, the Senate Appropriations Committee.