Democrat Shuffle

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has chosen to be the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, rather than the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, he announced Wednesday.

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His decision, he said, arose from his belief that he will best be able to represent Vermonters on Appropriations.

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The Senate Appropriations Committee shapes all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate. While running for his eighth term this year, Leahy often pointed to the amount of federal money he's been able to bring to one of the country's smallest states.

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Trump's proposals to make deep tax cuts and to remove the cap on military spending could lead to cuts in domestic programs that feed federal money to Vermont.

  Burlington Free Press

Gee, I thought the various Senate committees were to address issues for all Americans.

In 2012, Leahy had the opportunity to take on the chairmanship of Appropriations after the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, but chose to keep helming Judiciary instead. [Luke Albee, who served as Leahy's chief of staff from 1993 to 2004] said Leahy's decision to shift his focus to Appropriations was a close call, but the recent federal election tipped the scales.

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Leahy will continue to serve on the Judiciary Committee, which plays a large role in confirming Supreme Court justices. His former role as the top Democrat on the committee will be taken by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.

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Leahy also will continue to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.