The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Two women to lead powerful House Appropriations Committee, a first for Congress

November 29, 2018 at 5:48 p.m. EST
Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.) speaks on July 25, 2016, during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Two women will lead the powerful House Appropriations Committee next year for the first time — a historic advance for female leadership in Congress following midterm elections that saw record numbers of women elected.

The House GOP steering committee chose Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tex.) on Thursday to be the top Republican on the panel. She will join Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), who has served as the committee’s top Democrat and will assume the chairmanship next year when Democrats take control of the House.

The Appropriations Committee controls government spending, and seats on it are hotly contested because they give lawmakers broad influence over federal finances. Leading the committee is a coveted assignment.

Granger, 75, a veteran lawmaker and longtime appropriator finishing her 11th term in the House, beat three male colleagues to assume the post of ranking Republican on the committee. Her selection was a significant signal from Republicans about their desire to elevate a woman in the House.

The GOP suffered badly among female voters in the midterms and will see its female ranks in the House dwindle next year even as the number of female Democrats increases. There will be 89 Democratic women and 13 Republican women in the House next year. That is an increase of 28 Democratic women from the current Congress — but a decrease of 10 Republican women.

Those figures have alarmed Republicans, particularly women in the House who have criticized their party’s commitment to recruiting and supporting female candidates.

“It is an enormous honor to be able to serve as the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee. I appreciate the vote of confidence from the Steering Committee and all of the help and support I’ve received from so many members,” Granger said in a statement. “The hard work to reform the committee begins today.”

Lowey, 81, is in her 15th term in the House and has served as the committee’s top Democrat since 2013.

In the Senate, two women — Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) — are the chair and ranking minority-party member, respectively, of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. But in the House, this will be the first time for two women to chair an important permanent committee.

Two women led a select panel created by House Republicans in 2015 to investigate Planned Parenthood. Women also led the Select Committee on the House Beauty Shop, which was disbanded in 1977.