During the 2018 federal election cycle, The New York Times, The Washington ____ and other national news organizations examined the question of what they saw as Mississippi’s declining clout on Capitol Hill.
Clearly, the 2018 retirement of 45-year veteran Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran – who held the vastly influential post of Senate Appropriations Committee chairman – represents a tremendous loss of clout for the state. Republicans and Democrats alike statewide recognize that fact.
Couple that loss with the decision by Republican congressional leaders in 2011 to do away with the practice of congressional “earmarks” (allowing lawmakers to direct spending to specific projects in their home states and districts) and Mississippi’s longstanding ability to attract federal funding for a myriad of state projects is significantly impaired.
The development calls to mind the heady days in 1987 when Mississippi’s Democratic U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis of DeKalb and Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamie Whitten of Charleston chaired the Appropriations Committee in both houses of Congress.
In those days, federal earmarks flowed to Mississippi in the form of defense spending, highway funds, rural water and sewer projects, agricultural subsidies, research and development, and a host of other projects. While Stennis chaired Appropriations, Cochran also held a seat on the committee as the ranking Republican on the Agriculture Subcommittee.
With various degrees of support from both House Republicans and Democrats and from the Trump Administration, earmarks may well be making a comeback in the 116th Congress when Democrats return to control of the House. But that’s another story for another day.
Fast forward to the 116th Congress after Cochran’s retirement. Losing the Appropriations chair is huge, yes, but Mississippi still has some Capitol Hill assets. Two chairmanships and multiple seats on Appropriations, Agriculture, and Armed Services offer stability from the state’s delegation.
Serving since 2007, senior Mississippi U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, will chair the Senate Commerce Committee in the 116th Congress and will retain his seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he is the second-ranked GOP member and chairs the Sea Power Subcommittee. In the 115th Congress, Wicker also held seats on the Environment and Public Works and Rules committees.
Junior U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Brookhaven, holds seats on the Appropriations Committee, Agriculture Committee, and Rules Committee, which represent extraordinary assignments for a first-year senator whose seniority began in 2018.
In the House, Second District Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Bolton will assume the chairmanship of the House Homeland Security Committee. Thompson, with 25 years seniority, is the state’s longest-serving member of Congress with seniority beginning in 1993.
Fourth District Republican U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo of Gulfport holds a seat on the House Appropriations Committee and serves on three subcommittees: Agriculture; Commerce; and Legislative Branch. His seniority began in 2011.
First District GOP U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly of Tupelo holds seats on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Small Business Committee. His seniority began in 2015 after the death of former U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee.
Third District Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Guest of Brandon, who will succeed the retiring Congressman Gregg Harper, is Mississippi’s newest member of Congress and his seniority will begin on Jan. 3, 2019. His committee assignments are pending.
The Washington-based Roll Call news organization compiles a state-by-state “clout index” in each Congress. During the 115th Congress, Mississippi’s ranking was No. 19 in a state that ranked 32nd in population. It will be instructive to see where the state ranks in the 116th Congress.
Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Sid Salter: Will Miss. Lose Congressional Clout?
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11 comments:
https://united-states.reaproject.org/analysis/comparative-trends-analysis/gross_domestic_product/tools/280000/0/
Thank you Sid for the nonsense battle cry of the age-d few in this state that benefit from the benevolence of the federal government to the detriment of development of true economic activity in this state. The above link shows that not only is Mississippi dead last in most everything economic, it has fallen further behind since the inception of the federal dollar salad days of 1987. MS was last then and grew 70% since 1987 and the rest of the country grew 105%...i.e. we LOST ground. But hey, we got FO-lane highways all over the state for the zippo commerce we have and can't maintain a road anywhere. But only if we could put Thad in a cryogenic chamber and roll him out every six years to record robo calls...or if we could dig up Eastland...and Jamie Whitten? Southern Manifesto, fiefdom of Tallahatchie County...oh, those were the days
As always, very in-depth analysis gleaned from extensive research by reading the Washington Post.
If the state of Mississippi keeps shrinking in population, we might be in line to losing another congressional seat.
You forgot Stennis 11:43. His weekly ramblings on local radio stations across the state were inspiring to nursing home residents from Pascagoula to Southaven and reassuring to the mayors of Meridian and Columbus.
If the state of Mississippi keeps shrinking in population, we might be in line to losing another congressional seat.
Don't you ever get tired of spreading that manure? We won't be losing one in 2020 and it is unlikely we lose one in 2030 -- unless our statewide losses starting looking more like the ongoing mad rush for the exits out of Hinds County.
I'm sure you'll enjoy predicting doom and gloom in advance of 2040.
Wish we could lose Bennie Thompson seat!
Shazam! A 45 year veteran has more pull in Washington than a rookie?! Please Gomer, tell us more!
It will not be long before 3 of our congressional seats are given to California. But we will still have our flag.
I'll never understand why a piss-ant state like MS thinks that it deserves the clout of a state like TX. Maybe because y'all are doing everything so right in MS?! yeah, right.
Odd that CHS gets a seat on Appropriations. Perhaps someone behind the scenes got her that appt so she can deliver the bacon to someone.
It's not the clout a representative or senator has, but how he uses it.
There are federal projects that can bring lasting jobs and further development to a State.
But, even our powerful members of Congress brought " one off" construction jobs and saved existing jobs rather than looked for opportunities for projects with the potential to spin off other industries and businesses.
If they had been more creative and insightful, Mississippi's population would have perhaps grown and " natives" would now be a minority.
The Mississippi corporations and businesses that do compete on the national stage can't grow more jobs in Mississippi as they have a finite supply of qualified Mississippians for the jobs they have to replenish here now. They are more likely to open satellite offices in other States. Even the professions have to bring in people from elsewhere to fill the available positions.
Until Mississippians can work together on a big picture approach and start to reform and reorganize from top to bottom, the bottom is where we will stay. We have to consolidate and streamline and efficiently use limited resources first.
But, that requires well educated leadership with enough creativity to look to the future instead of protecting the past.
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