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WASHINGTON – Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd, is in contention to become the top Republican on the committee that sets policy for education and labor issues.
Although Democrats are in the majority in the House and control the agenda for each committee, the “ranking member” – the top Republican – of each committee oversees a budget and staff and has input into the legislation that committees develop.
The high-profile bills the Education and Labor Committee works on include changes to the No Child Left Behind Act, a proposal to make it easier for workers to unionize, modifications to the student loan program and issues involving mandatory wage rates for construction projects financed by the federal government.
Souder has been a member of the committee since he entered Congress in 1995 and was a member of the committee staff when he worked for then-Rep. Dan Coats.
“I feel passionate about it,” he said of education issues.
The opening came when Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., shifted to become the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee. He filled a vacancy created when President Obama picked Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., to be Army secretary.
Committee chairs and ranking members are typically among the top fund-raisers in Congress and provide sizable contributions to the National Republican Congressional Committee or the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which help incumbents with their re-elections.
For instance, in the last election, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the committee chairman, transferred more than $963,000 to Democratic candidates or the DCCC from his re-election committee and a political action committee he controls. McKeon transferred nearly $616,000 to help GOP candidates.
Souder used $80,000 of his campaign donations to help other Republicans in the past five elections.
Becoming the top Republican on the committee would probably bring expectations of more aggressive fundraising on behalf of other GOP candidates.
Several other Republicans have said they want the job. A decision by the Republican leadership is likely next week.
