Reid to drop four committee seats

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2004 | 9:38 a.m.

SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., will drop four committee assignments next year, including his seat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, where he was a top-ranking Democrat.

Reid also has dropped his membership on the Indian Affairs Committee, the Aging Committee and the Select Committee on Ethics.

Reid kept one of his committee assignments -- on the Appropriations Committee, considered the best panel assignment because it controls federal spending and allows lawmakers to funnel money to their home states for "pork" projects.

"He will still send earmarks to Nevada," Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said.

Committees are where much of the work of Congress is done. Reid, the incoming Senate Democratic leader, needed to make room on several panels for new members and for veteran members looking to make shifts. Democratic representation on most panels also decreased because Democratic representation in the Senate decreased by four seats.

Newly elected Senate party leaders routinely shed some of their committee assignments to make more time in their schedules for new responsibilities. Reid now has new roles as party spokesman, strategist, fundraiser and policy planner.

The Environment and Public Works Committee had some oversight of Yucca Mountain-related issues, but much of that is handled in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The environment and public works panel handled issues like transportation funding for states.

But Reid's dropping committee seats won't hurt Nevada, Hafen said.

"As leader, Sen. Reid will have a more active role on all the committees," Hafen said.