With Rep. Collins as Favorite, GOP to Vote on Judiciary Ranking Member by Thursday
The House Republican Steering Committee is likely to recommend a member for the top GOP House Judiciary Committee seat by Thursday, lobbyists and officials told us. The race to succeed retiring Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., is between Reps. Doug Collins, Georgia; Steve Chabot, Ohio; and Jim Jordan, Ohio, with Collins the favorite (see 1810310025). The committee vote wraps up Thursday, a House aide said, and the recommendation is subject to Republican caucus ratification. Senate GOP leaders are eyeing a reduction in Senate Commerce Committee membership for the 116th Congress (see 1811280058).
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is expected to chair the Judiciary Committee, replacing Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who will chair the Finance Committee (see 1811160030). Graham Legislative Director Matt Rimkunas is likely to become staff director, a communications industry official said.
House Judiciary ranking member Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., is expected to keep the top Democratic seat. Minority Staff Director Perry Apelbaum should retain his role in the majority, the communications industry official said. Rimkunas and Apelbaum seem like safe bets, but neither is official, tech lobbyists said, including Holland & Knight’s Chris DeLacy.
Collins Staff Director Brendan Belair and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Staff Director Jennifer Duck are likely to continue leading those staffs, a tech lobbyist said. DeLacy called Belair a logical choice for Collins and hasn't heard anything to suggest Duck won’t remain in her role. Offices for Graham, Nadler, Collins and Feinstein didn’t comment.
Republican leadership prefers Collins to be House Judiciary ranking member because he’s a loyal, up-and-coming member who scored key legislative victories in 2018 with passage of the Cloud Act and the Music Modernization Act, said Monument Policy Group tech lobbyist Chan Park. Given his legislative and oversight track record, Collins is likely the favorite, Thorsen French Advocacy tech lobbyist Carl Thorsen said. Chabot, who's making a play for the top seat, holds seniority over Collins, Park noted.
Whoever becomes ranking member will have to play defense on the administration's behalf, with Democrats wielding subpoena power, DeLacy said. Jordan, a Freedom Caucus member actively campaigning for the top Judiciary seat, closely aligns with the administration, DeLacy said. Park described Jordan as one of the administration’s fiercest supporters, and Thursday’s vote could signal how much sway the White House has with leadership.
The House majority is historically entitled to two-thirds of the committee's annual funding, meaning Democrats could see a potential doubling of resources, while Republicans will be slashed to one-third, Park said.
If Graham takes the chair, expect staff to expand with his additional resources. With a slim majority like the one the GOP has in the Senate, staff is typically split 60 percent to 40 percent, DeLacy said. With the lead the GOP gained in the election, he expects Graham to have an allocation similar to that of Grassley or slightly larger. Decisions over chairmanship aren't official until January, a Graham aide said.