Republicans Won’t ‘Loosen’ Term-Limit Rule for Barton, Transition Committee Says
The GOP Majority Transition Committee doesn’t plan to clarify the party’s House term-limit rule, which appears to prevent Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas, from becoming committee chairman, said a spokesman for the transition team. That’s despite a letter to the transition team by three former Republican chairmen backing Barton for the job. Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania and Bobby Rush of Illinois said Friday they'll seek the job of ranking member of the Communications Subcommittee.
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"It’s not the role of the transition team to clarify House rules,” the team’s spokesman said. “That would be an issue for the steering committee and our leadership.” The spokesman added that the term-limit rule has been around since Republicans’ 1994 “Contract with America,” and Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio “has said publicly on several occasions this year that it will remain in place and will not be dropped or loosened.” Barton had said he would seek a waiver if he couldn’t get the rule changed (CD Nov 12 p1). His office declined to comment Friday on the transition team’s position.
Barton circulated Friday a letter to the transition team from former chairmen Bill Archer, R-Texas, Bud Shuster, R-Pa., and Don Young, R-Alaska. They agreed with Barton that he does not need a waiver from the rule, which limits members to three terms at the top of a committee. Barton served only one term as chairman but two as ranking member, they said. Barton deserves a second term as chairman, and “neither the spirit nor the letter of the rule was ever intended to prevent it,” the former chairmen said. After the 1994 election, Republicans became chairmen “notwithstanding previous service as ranking members,” they said. Senate Republicans have a similar rule and recently clarified that it means a member can serve six years as chairman and six as ranking member, they said.
Rush announced Friday that he will seek the ranking member job on the Communications Subcommittee. The spot opened up when Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., lost his election. Rush is the most senior Democrat on the subcommittee after Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. Markey said last week he will try to become the House Natural Resources Committee’s ranking member. Rush chairs the Consumer Protection Subcommittee and this year introduced privacy legislation.
Meanwhile, Doyle is “talking with his colleagues” about leading Democrats on the Communications Subcommittee, his spokesman said Friday. “As someone who has been a leader on telecom issues for years, Congressman Doyle would certainly be interested in serving as ranking member on the Communications and Internet Subcommittee.”
Going by seniority, Doyle would face an uphill fight. Markey is followed in order of seniority by Rush and fellow Democrats Anna Eshoo of California, Diana DeGette of Colorado and then Doyle. Eshoo may be considering a move to the Select Committee on Intelligence, a telecom industry lobbyist said. Representatives for DeGette and Eshoo had no comment.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y., shot down rumors that he’s in contention for the subcommittee job. Towns, the Oversight Committee chairman, “has every intention of being Ranking Member on” Oversight, a Towns spokeswoman said. Towns circulated a letter Friday to colleagues saying that’s what he wants, she added.