Details about who will serve on and lead key congressional committees with jurisdiction over scientific research and education are emerging.
The House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for allocating federal funding, including to federal science agencies and programs, will have new leadership and several new faces. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will succeed Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) as the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, while Representative Kay Granger (R-TX) will serve as Ranking Member. The Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which has jurisdiction over funding for the National Science Foundation, will be chaired by Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA), with Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL) serving as Ranking Member. The Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which has jurisdiction over funding for the Department of the Interior and Smithsonian Institution, will be chaired by Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME), with Representative David Joyce (R-OH) serving as Ranking Member.
Newly assigned members on the House spending panel include: Representatives Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Josh Harder (D-CA), Susie Lee (D-NV), David Trone (D-MD), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), David Valado (R-CA), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), and Ashley Hinson (R-IA). Representatives Pete Visclosky (D-IN), Jose Serrano (D-NY), Martha Roby (R-AL), and Will Hurd (R-TX), who served previously on the panel have retired.
Membership for the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to be announced.
The committees with jurisdiction over science will also have new members. The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee has two newly elected members: Representatives Deborah Ross (D-NC) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Representative Frank Lucas will remain Chair and Ranking Member of the House Science panel, respectively. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Kendra Horn (D-OK), and Ben McAdams (D-UT), who previously served on the science panel lost their reelection bids. Representative Francis Rooney (R-FL) has retired and Roger Marshall (R-KS) is now a member of the Senate. Details about the membership of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation are still emerging, but Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) will likely retain leadership.