Sen. Patrick Leahy, the most senior Democrat in the Senate, chose to keep the top Democratic post on the Judiciary Committee, and he may want to stay there. | AP Photo Once a darling, Senate spending panel looks forlornly for Dem suitors

One of the Senate’s biggest prizes is up for grabs if Democrats win back the majority in November: the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. But a number of senior senators may pass up the plum assignment as they angle for other influential gavels.

The top Democratic slot on the committee, which distributes more than $1 trillion to fund the government every year, is opening up with Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s retirement after this year. But while the position was once among the most sought-after, there has been little jockeying to date.


The reasons vary. Democrats may very well fall short in their quest to seize the Senate in November, so some are reluctant to indulge in a hypothetical game of musical chairs. Other potential successors to the Marylander, however, are interested in leading other powerful committees, in the latest sign of appropriations’ declining influence. Democratic rules permit senators to chair only one committee, and some are likely to conclude their political or policy interests are better served elsewhere.

Mikulski has held the Appropriations position only because Sen. Patrick Leahy, the most senior Democrat in the Senate, chose to instead keep the top Democratic post on the Judiciary Committee. It’s an ideal spot for a former prosecutor to exert influence in a host of hot-button issues such as gun control, immigration, criminal justice and national security.

Leahy spokesman David Carle declined to comment on what committee the senator would pursue next year, particularly if Democrats win back the majority. But the Vermont senator has twice passed on the Appropriations Committee — after the 2012 and 2014 elections — suggesting his true interests lie with the Judiciary Committee.

Plus, if Senate Republicans continue to block the nomination of Merrick Garland through next year, Judiciary is guaranteed to have at least one Supreme Court nomination early in the new president’s term — making it more tantalizing for Leahy to stay.

Next after Leahy in the Appropriations pecking order is Sen. Patty Murray of Washington. But she currently serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Murray, the highest-ranking woman in Senate leadership, is a former preschool teacher who’s long been the point person for Senate Democrats on health policy, especially Obamacare and reproductive issues.

If Hillary Clinton wins the White House, staying at the helm of HELP could prove even more irresistible for Murray, since she could be working with the first female president on key domestic policy issues such as education, women’s health care and paid family and medical leave.

Eli Zupnick, a spokesman for Murray, said the senator won’t make any decisions until after the November elections. But Zupnick added: “She loves the work she is doing on the HELP Committee to fight for policies that help women, students, families, seniors, workers, and the economy — and there is a whole lot more that she’d like to get done.”

Both Leahy and Murray are up for reelection this fall, although both are expected to win easily in their heavily Democratic states. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has amassed new political influence since his presidential run, has openly said he wants the HELP gavel, but it’s unclear whether he would actually challenge Murray for the position.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is next in line after Murray, but she may prefer to chair the Intelligence Committee. The California Democrat produced a blockbuster report on the CIA’s interrogation program when she led the committee two years and might want another chance to oversee national security policy. Spokesman Tom Mentzer declined to comment on where Feinstein might land.

One potential contender for the top spot could be Dick Durbin of Illinois.

One potential contender to lead the Appropriations Committee could be Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who comes after Feinstein in committee seniority and is now the party’s second-ranking Senate Democrat and chief vote-counter. But a complicating factor is whether Durbin stays in that No. 2 position after this year, as there has been speculation that Murray could challenge him for the position. Murray has not made it clear, even privately, whether she would pursue the whip job. Caucus rules would not preclude the second-ranking Senate Democrat from simultaneously holding a committee chairmanship, though all positions are subject to approval by the caucus. A Durbin spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.

After Durbin comes Sen. Jack Reed. Chip Unruh, a spokesman for the Rhode Islander, would say only that Reed enjoys serving on all three committees he’s on — Armed Services, Appropriations and Banking. But many Senate watchers believe Reed’s heart belongs to Armed Services, where the former Army Ranger and West Point grad is ranking member and in line to be chairman of that committee under a Democratic majority.

If all those senators pass, the job would likely be Jon Tester’s for the taking. The Montana Democrat would also be a contender for the Indian Affairs and Veterans Affairs chairmanships, but the Appropriations Committee might take precedence. Having the chance to bring federal funds back home, especially in a conservative-leaning state, would be useful ahead of his 2018 reelection contest. The Appropriations chairmanship would also be a nice reward for the current Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman if his party wins control of the Senate in November.

But the fact that the gavel could be passed six rungs down the ladder is another reminder that the Appropriations Committee is not what it used to be. With earmarks banned and the sequester’s stiff budget caps, there are fewer ways to spread the wealth.

“The Appropriations Committee lost its luster a while ago,” said Jim Manley, a longtime Democratic Senate aide now at QGA Public Affairs, “It’s just not fun these days.”