NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 12, #43; 8 November 2006)
The leadership of the newly configured Democratic controlled House promises to shake things up. Hill insiders well expect that Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will be elected the first woman Speaker of the House in history come January. Also, it is not insignificant to note that many House Democrats who feel that the Republican leadership treated them shoddily over the last decade or so, consider that the 110th Congress will be “payback time.” Because the Democratic majority in the 110th Congress will be fairly sizable (though nowhere near big enough to overcome a presidential veto), nevertheless, Democrats will be in a position to run rough-shod over the Republicans. Pelosi’s challenge will be to balance these “let’s go get-em” attitudes of some of her colleagues with her desire to maintain “a bipartisan way for Americans” and a cordial working relationship with moderate House Republicans. She will need to, in order to get anything done.
In the more genteel Senate, the change in leadership (if it takes place) will have less of an effect in the upper chamber as it traditionally is much more congenial institution. One can be assured though that Bernie Sanders (Ind.-VT) the newly elected senator from Vermont and an avowed democratic socialist will shake things upon the Senate floor! Nevertheless, the dramatic shift in the Congressional political landscape will impact history and archives substantially come January.
Most Hill observers believe that the change in leadership is perhaps more important than any individual race. Nevertheless, Democrats were especially elated at their victory in wresting from the Republicans the seat of the much hated former Majority Leader Tom Delay, who resigned after his role in a campaign finance scheme was revealed.
Yet, there are some casualties of the elections including several long-term friends of the history and archive communities who went down to defeat. Most notable is Jim Leach (R-ID) who was a prime mover and supporter of the House Humanities Caucus. Leach is also one of the few strong and vocal Republican voices for the humanities and also a staunch advocate for funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) which the White House Office of Management and Budget has been trying to zero out for the last two years. In the Senate, Mike DeWine (R-OH) who has been one of the prime movers of the “Presidential Sites Improvement Act” (S. 431) – legislation that seeks to provide up to $5 million a year in federal cost-share funds to support presidential sites – also tended to be pretty good on issues of concern to our communities.
Historians and environmentalists have reason to rejoice at the defeat of outspoken (actually just plain rude) cattle rancher Richard Pombo (R-CA), the present House Resources Committee Chair (and former National Parks Subcommittee Chair) who was soundly defeated by Democrat challenger Jerry McNerney who is an alternative energy proponent – his profession is that of a wind-power engineer.
Also on the positive side, Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) won 64% of the electorate against his millionaire Republican challenger who pulled about 34% of the vote. While the victory is by a smaller margin than Byrd’s last election win six years ago when he captured 78% of the West Virginia vote, he returns to the Senate's as the institution's senior senator – the longest lived member of that body. If the Democrats take control he will be the most powerful member as he is poised to once again regain the chair of the Appropriations Committee. That’s good news for programs like the “Teaching American History” initiative.
Some prognostications: In the House, the senior Democrat on the House Committee of Education, George Miller, should he become Chair, would be a forceful advocate for federal grants of students and education reform in general. Good news in the education realm also if the Democrats take control of the Senate – Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) would probably become Chair of the Senate Education Committee. However, it is still unclear what Kennedy would do regarding the two issues of prime concern to history educators – the reauthorizations of the"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) and the Higher Education Act.
If Henry Waxman (D-CA) becomes the Chair of the Government House Reform Committee there will be – in the words of Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists and author of the online publication “Secrecy News” -- “a new day in Washington.”
Chris Shays (R-CT) the present chair of the Government Reform subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations narrowly managed to hold onto his House seat. Shays has been a national leader in confronting the problem of overclassification of government records and has earned the respect of many who are concerned with these issues. This last Congress, he has conducted three hearings on secrecy in government and has probably done more useful work on this issue than any other member of Congress. If fellow New Englander Patrick Leahy (D-VT) rises to become Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee there would be, in Aftergood’ s view, be “an earthquake – a good one” as there would be a significant change in direction in terms of greater government accountability and oversight in the Senate as well.
The immediate problem confronting Congress when they return to Washington will be dealing with the numerous FY 2007 appropriations bills that have yet to be acted on. Exactly what will happen now is anyone’s guess. One thing for sure, the agency numbers agreed to in conference are sure to change.