Sen. Mike Enzi confirmed Wednesday that he wants to be the next chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and is in negotiations to supplant the panel’s current ranking member, Sen. Jeff Sessions.
Enzi, of Wyoming, easily cruised to a fourth term in the midterm elections after beating back an aborted primary challenge from Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Enzi has more seniority on the Budget Committee, but Sessions, of Alabama, is popular in the conservative activist community for his firm opposition to comprehensive immigration reform.
“We’re talking. I’d like to be the chair,” Enzi told the Washington Examiner.
Sessions also confirmed that Enzi was after the Budget gavel. But when asked how he felt about it, said only: “We’re good friends.”
Although seniority can govern committee chairmanships in the Senate, any member — junior or not — can challenge for the gavel. Such campaigns are decided by the Republican members of the committee, only.
Republicans are preparing to assume command of the Senate in January after winning control of the chamber in the midterm elections. Part of that process involves negotiating committee-assignment ratios, with the Democrats and determining powerful chairmanships.
Most of this work probably won’t happen until after a December runoff in Louisiana is decided. Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is being challenged by GOP Rep. Bill Cassidy in that race.
Once the final number of seats held by each caucus is known, incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will negotiate the ratio of Republican to Democratic seats with Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader. After that, Republicans can determine committee assignments. This is unlikely to happen before January.
