Why Roy Blunt is the new mayor of the Senate

WASHINGTON — At the start of the 114th Congress, Sen. Roy Blunt snagged a committee chairmanship — the first time he has led a congressional committee in his 18 years in Washington.

But Blunt's new Senate perch doesn't carry the kind of clout or power most lawmakers envision when they reach for the gavel. Blunt is chairman of the Rules Committee, which oversees the Senate's inner workings.

In essence, the chairmanship has made the Missouri Republican the de facto mayor of the upper chamber.

Blunt still has a bevy of other duties, including his chairmanship of a key spending subcommittee and his role as the Senate's No. 5 GOP leader. But now he's juggling basic Senate housekeeping tasks along with the regular contentious policy issues.

His Senate colleagues have pestered him about getting nicer office digs. The media has asked him about reports that several Capitol Police officers recently lost track of their guns. The Senate's food service workers are pushing for a pay increase, and hoping Blunt will help.

And when a 61-year-old mailman from Florida landed his gyrocopter on the lawn of the Capitol, Blunt was immediately notified.

"That would be at the top of the list," Blunt said when asked about the most surprising issue he's had to confront in his new job.

It's not high-profile, headline-grabbing stuff for the most part.

He's overseeing a $60 million project to restore the Capitol Dome — trying to make sure it's finished on time and on budget. He's fielding requests from the Library of Congress for an updated technology system. And he's helping his freshman Senate colleagues with the logistics of moving into their new offices, while his staff answers questions about arcane Senate procedures.

"The truth is, it's kind of hard to give this committee a patina of power," said Steven Smith, a political science professor at Washington University and an expert on the Senate. "It's a committee that becomes powerful really only under exceptional circumstances."

That's not to say there's no substance, controversy, or political dividends that come with his new perch.

First the substance

When he first took the gavel, Blunt and other Republicans floated a contentious proposal to allow confirmation of Supreme Court nominees by a simple majority instead of the 60-vote threshold now required. The Senate's Democratic leader, Harry Reid, D-Nevada, had paved the way for such a move in 2013, when Democrats controlled the chamber and Reid eliminated the filibuster for lower-court nominees.

Blunt opposed Reid's move — dubbed the "nuclear option" because it was so politically explosive — in part because the Democratic leader did it without winning a supermajority of the Senate, as the chamber's rules require. But with the Rules Committee gavel in hand, Blunt has quietly pushed for an expansion of Reid's change.

If it goes through, it would allow President Barack Obama to more easily fill a vacancy on the high court if an opening occurs before his term ends. But Blunt and others believe the real beneficiary would be the next president, hoping that Republicans will win back the White House in 2016.

So far, the filibuster change has not gained traction. And Blunt has put it on the back burner, letting it stew while Republicans focus on bigger legislative priorities.

"He knows when an idea is doable and winnable, and he knows when to step back and let the conclusions gel a little more firmly," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who also sits on the Rules Committee. "I think he did the system a great service in saying we will let this issue bake a little more."

Then, the controversy

Blunt is used to batting away Democratic rhetoric about income inequality, but he's been forced to address it from a new angle since assuming the helm of the Rules Committee. It first popped up after CNN reported one of the Senate's food service workers is homeless.

"I work for the most powerful people in the country and there I am sleeping at a subway stop," Charles Gladden told CNN in an interview last month. Gladden said he earns $11 an hour washing dishes and doing other cleanup in one of the Senate eateries, with most of his paycheck going to help support his children and grandchildren.

The report sparked unprecedented attention to those who work in the Senate's underbelly and forced Blunt to answer questions about whether those workers would get a raise. It's in his purview because the Rules Committee oversees all the Senate restaurants and their food service contracts. Last month, nine Senate Democrats sent a letter to Blunt asking him to ensure that contractors who do business with the Senate "pay their employees a living wage" and provide good health care benefits.

Blunt has opposed legislation to raise the federal minimum wage on the Senate floor but expressed appreciation for "those who serve the Senate community" and said he agreed they should receive "a fair wage." He did not make any specific promises, saying the workers concerns "will be kept in mind as the contract comes up for renegotiation."

Blunt said he never imagined that in becoming a senator, he'd be dealing with questions about congressional workers' wages or Capitol Police security lapses.

Drudgery and dividends

On his way to a vote with other senators last week, Blunt seemed almost reluctant to describe his new duties as chairman of the Rules Committee.

"This is actually so boring I even hate to say it in front of these guys," said Blunt, who served in the House leadership before he ran for the Senate in 2010.

So far, the Rules Committee has held four hearings. One session lasted two minutes and involved organizing a joint committee to oversee the Library of Congress. Another stretched for all of 17 minutes, with committee members unanimously approving a $198 million bill to fund the Senate's 18 committees.

"This likely will be one of the better attended meetings of the Rules Committee," Blunt quipped as he called a quick vote before senators rushed off to higher-profile events.

But there are perks that come with the job. For starters, Blunt will have a key role in planning the next presidential inauguration — Washington's biggest political extravaganza.

And he can earn chits with his colleagues looking to upgrade their office space or snag a "hideaway," the coveted secret offices tucked away in the Capitol's nooks and crannies.

The power to allocate precious Senate real estate is "the first reason most people get to know the chairman of the Rules Committee," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill, another member of the panel.

Other lawmakers have used the committee to build support for a move up the Senate leadership ladder, including current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"It's nothing like other Senate committees in terms of its power," said Smith, the political science professor. But "you can gain a reputation for being effective and responsible, and that can be useful in building a career path in the Senate."

What is this committee?

The Rules Committee is one of the Senate's oldest panels. It was established after the first Senate convened in March 1789 to create a set of rules for conducting business in the chamber. Today the committee oversees a wide array of big and little matters, including:

•the Senate Office Buildings and the Senate wing of the Capitol, including the assignment of office space

•Campaign finance law and federal elections, including the election of president, vice president, and members of Congress

•Senate rules and procedures

•the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Botanical Gardens

•the Senate restaurants