Texas' clout in Congress may erode

Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz answers questions from the media at a voting precinct Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Houston. Cruz faces Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary runoff election for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) less Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz answers questions from the media at a voting precinct Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Houston. Cruz faces Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary runoff election ... more Photo: Pat Sullivan Photo: Pat Sullivan Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Texas' clout in Congress may erode 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON - Texans are scrambling to salvage the Lone Star State's clout in the Republican-led House of Representatives as post-election changes are expected to strip two veteran lawmakers of committee chairmanships.

Six-year term limits are ending Rep. Lamar Smith's command of the wide-ranging 39-member House Judiciary Committee, an assignment the San Antonio Republican has used to showcase immigration and law enforcement issues crucial to Texas.

And Rep. Ralph Hall is preparing to step down as chairman of the 40-member House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, where the Rockwall Republican has spotlighted issues of concern to NASA and Houston's Johnson Space Center.

Hensarling moves up

In the shake-up that will affect at least seven of the 21 committees in the House, Texas is poised to claim at least one new chairmanship.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, is in line to lead the 61-member House Financial Services Committee, a reward for serving in the offstage role of chairman of the House Republican Conference, the fourth ranking job in the GOP leadership.

The conservative Republican is expected to clash with the ranking Democrat on the panel, populist Rep. Maxine Waters of California, in contrast to the relative collegiality that marked the relationship of their predecessor: Chairman Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., and ranking Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts.

Other Texans could still emerge with committee gavels, which could help sustain Texas' hold on chairmanships.

Smith, first elected to the House 26 years ago, could succeed Hall as chairman of the Science and Technology Committee. And Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, remains a contender to lead the House Rules Committee, a powerful behind-the-scenes post that governs the House legislative process.

Smith proud of work

With his next committee chairmanship still to be determined, Smith highlighted his productivity as chairman of a House Judiciary Committee that approved more than 1,000 bills over the last two years including laws affecting terrorism, crime, immigration, civil liberties and federal regulations.

"I am proud of our work," Smith said. "If given the opportunity, I hope to be just as active of a chairman of the Science and Technology Committee."

The lawmaker, winner of a high school science award who went on to study astronomy and physics at Yale, said he hoped to use his next assignment to provide NASA with a "unifying mission" and encouragement to "continue to shoot for the stars" as well as providing support for education in science, technology, engineering and math.

"If America is going to remain competitive in today's global economy, we need to remain innovative and focused on exploring science and expanding new technologies," Smith said.

Even if he succeeds, Texas certainly won't come out stronger than before.

"This is not a time when you would say Texas is sharply moving up," says Norman Ornstein, co-author of "It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism," and a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. "It's just one state among many that has enough members to gain a few chairmanships."

Blow to McCaul

Twenty-three of the state's 32 House members are Republicans. Ten of those Texas Republicans chair House subcommittees, including Houston-area Reps. John Culberson, Ron Paul, Kevin Brady and Michael McCaul.

"What is concerning is that there is no guarantee the state will at a minimum maintain its two chairs in spite of the fact that Texas sends more Republicans to the House than any other state," says Rice political scientist Mark Jones.

In another blow, the leadership of the House Committee on Homeland Security is expected to fall to Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., rather than to McCaul, an Austin-based Republican who has been serving as the panel's chairman of oversight and investigations.

McCaul returned recently from a congressional inquiry into the infiltration of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah into Latin America, which McCaul described as a potential threat to the United States.

Miller, the lone woman positioned to become a committee chair, has focused the panel's attention on security issues along the nation's northern border, in addition to southwestern states' concerns along the 1,969-mile border with Mexico.

Loss of clout

While Republican House leaders "need to consider a host of factors when determining committee chairmanships," Miller's succession remains "especially unsettling" for Texans' clout and the "salience of border security for many Texans," Jones added.

The selection of committee chairs is carried out behind closed doors, with the secretive House Republican Steering Committee led by Speaker John Boehner weighing lawmakers' seniority, fundraising for fellow House Republicans, expertise and political IOUs.

The Steering Committee privately recommends nominees for chairmanships to the House Republican Conference in November, shortly after the election.

"We're working it hard," said a staffer for one ambitious Texas Republican angling for a chairmanship. "It's politics 101."

High-profile committee chairs garner national attention, govern multimillion-dollar budgets for staff, shape the course of committee hearings by choosing witnesses and reap tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from interest groups that have a stake in legislation handled by the panel.

The posts often serve as springboards for statewide office back home.

The state's leverage on Capitol Hill has steadily declined since Reps. Dick Armey of Irving, and then Tom DeLay of Sugar Land, held the top GOP posts in the House for 10 years, serving successive speakers Newt Gingrich and then Dennis Hastert.

Senate leverage lost

The retirement of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Dallas, after 19 years in the Senate also diminishes Texas' leverage, as she steps down from her posts as a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and as the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Conservative Republican Ted Cruz, Texas' former solicitor general, is expected to win Hutchison's seat in November.

"If you're thinking about clout, Kay Bailey Hutchison has a lot of clout in Washington, D.C.," says Ornstein, the congressional scholar.

"Ted Cruz may be able to make a lot of noise but he will not have a lot of clout."

Texas may have to rely on the influence of two-term Sen. John Cornyn, the San Antonio Republican who is hoping his leadership of the Senate Republican campaign effort will bolster chances of winning second-in-command of the Senate GOP.

From that insider's post, Cornyn would be able to shape the timing and content of measures affecting Texas.

stewart.powell@chron.com