The House Republican Steering Committee announced the heads of all 12 appropriations subcommittees.

According to National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Washington Watch & eDigest report, the new committee is as follows:

• Rep. Tom Latham (Iowa) will take over the gavel on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee.
• Rep. Hal Rogers (Ky.) was selected as chairman of the full committee in December over term-limited Rep. Jerry Lewis (Calif.) and the more conservative challenger Rep. Jack Kingston (Ga.). Lewis, along with his colleague Rep. Bill Young (Fla.), will now be known as “Chairman Emeritus,” an honorary title often given to former full committee chairmen.

In addition to Latham, the following seven other ranking members from the 111th Congress will become chairmen during the 112th:

• Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), Agriculture,
• Frank Wolf (R-Va.), Commerce, Justice, Science,
• Bill Young (R-Fla.), Defense,
• Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), Energy and Water,
• Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), Financial Services,
• Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Interior, and
  
• Kay Granger (R-Texas), State, Foreign Operations.

Four members will take on committee leadership roles for the first time: Rep. Denny Rehberg (Mont.) will become chairman on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Rep. John Culberson (Texas) on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Rep. Robert Aderholt (Ala.) on Homeland Security; and Rep. Ander Crenshaw (Fla.) on Legislative Branch.

The Republicans have reduced the overall size of the Appropriations Committee from 60 to 50 members, with 29 Republicans and 21 Democrats – down from 37 members while they were in the majority, according to NSSGA.

Because of new committee ratios, according to NSSGA, the Democrats have dropped the five members with the lowest seniority. They are as follows: