Murkowski vying for ranking member on Senate Appropriations Committee

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is positioning herself to become the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee next year, putting her in line to replace Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on the influential spending panel following her defeat in last week’s midterm elections.

A spokesperson for Murkowski confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the Alaska Republican intends to seek the ranking member position, which would make her the committee’s most senior Republican as Democrats prepare to take control of the Senate and its committees in the next Congress.