Big Power Shift Ahead for New York If Democrats Win the Congress

By DAVID GERLACH, Staff Reporter of the Sun
November 3, 2006

If the Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives in Tuesday's election, it would catapult some of New York's congressmen into new positions of influence that could bring more federal spending to New York State.

The prospect of Rep. Charles Rangel of Harlem taking over as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee has already attracted plenty of attention. But he has plenty of company in the New York State delegation to the House of Representatives, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 20 to 9.

A Democratic win could mean that another New York Democrat, Rep. Louise Slaughter, who represents parts of Buffalo and Rochester, would become chairwoman of the House Rules Committee. Rep. Nita Lowey, another Democrat who represents Westchester County, is in line to be chairwoman of the foreign operations subcommittee on the House Appropriations Committee — one of the socalled "Cardinals" that wield immense power over federal spending, and, in Ms. Lowey's case, particularly the foreign aid budget. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat who represents Manhattan's West Side and parts of Brooklyn, would be poised to take over the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on the Constitution, which has jurisdiction over proposed amendments to the Constitution.

A spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Jen Saki, said the committee wouldn't comment on whether a Democratic majority would bring a new wave of federal spending to New York, since it didn't want to assume a victory prematurely.

A spokesman for Ms. Slaughter, John Santore, said she wants legislation that can benefit New York to have a greater opportunity to get passed. "She'll be in better position to usher through bills brought by any members of New York's delegation, no matter which party they come from," Mr. Santore said.

Republicans say a Democratic takeover of the House would have adverse consequences to New York. Since New York is a high-income state but gets less than its fair share of federal spending, raising federal income taxes, as Democrats are likely to do, would hurt the state, they argue. But the chairman of the political science department at the University of Rochester, Gerald Gamm, pointed out that any tax increases passed by a Democrat-majority House would still have to get through the Senate, and President Bush would still hold veto power.

A Democratic victory would mean that Rep. Pete King, a Republican of Long Island who is facing a tough reelection challenge in the 3rd Congressional District, would lose his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee. Mr. King has been an outspoken advocate, in the House and on the airwaves, of ensuring that New York gets its fair share of Homeland Security funds.

"With 9/11 and the constant security threats, it is great that he is in that position. He is from New York, he is keenly aware of issues that face the city and he is in a leadership position that benefits all New Yorkers," the executive director of the New York State Republican Committee, Ryan Moses, said.

Another issue cited by Republicans would be the protection of the state's military bases. Rep. John McHugh, a Republican who represents an upstate district that includes much of the Adirondacks, is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. "He protects the state's military bases and the jobs that go with those bases," Republican strategist Brendan Quinn said. In 2005, Mr. McHugh helped keep Fort Drum open after it was slated for closure by the Department of Defense.

Another Republican from New York who would lose stature if the Democrats take a majority in the House is Rep. James Walsh, another "cardinal" who is chairman of the Appropriations Committee subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs. Mr. Walsh represents an upstate district that includes Syracuse.

Big Power Shift Ahead for New York If Democrats Win the Congress

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