Washington, DC | November 8, 2006 | Yesterday hundreds of thousands of Arab Americans headed to the polls to weigh in on midterm elections. Across the country, in tight races, Arab-Americans made the difference through their votes. Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives and the first woman speaker of the House will be Nancy Pelosi. Control of the Senate has yet to be determined with the Virginia senate race still too close to call. Many Members of Congress who have worked with ADC to protect domestic civil rights and civil liberties will now take over important committee assignments. In late January 2007, the 110th Congress will begin its work. ADC encourages all of our members to actively begin working with these new Members of Congress as soon as they take office. It is extremely important for Arab-Americans to begin building relationships with these Congressmen and women and educating them on the priorities of Arab-Americans.
As power shifts from the Republican Party to the Democratic, leadership of all House committees will change. Some of these new changes include Arab-American Congressman Nick J Rahall who is expected to take the Chairmanship of the House Committee on Resources. New York Congressman Peter King, who this summer publicly supported racially profiling Arab and Muslim passengers, has lost his position as Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Congressman Henry Hyde, a vocal supporter of Palestinian Christians will retire from Congress. Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who currently chairs the Middle East Subcommittee, was expected by many to take over the full committee upon Hyde’s retirement. With Democrats gaining control of the House, California Congressman Tom Lantos will now head the House International Relations Committee. According to insiders, the list below is the most likely line-up all House committees.
. Agriculture: Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., takes over from Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
. Appropriations: Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., replaces Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif.
. Armed Services: Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., takes over from Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.
. Budget: Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., replaces Rep. Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, who left the House to run for governor.
. Education and the Workforce: Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., replaces Howard (Buck) McKeon, R-Calif.
. Energy and Commerce: Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., takes over from Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas.
. Ethics: Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., replaces Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.
. Financial Services: Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., replaces Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, who is retiring.
. Government Reform: Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., takes over from Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.
. Homeland Security: Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., replaces Rep. Peter
King, R-N.Y.
. House Administration: Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., replaces Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich.
. Intelligence: The new chairman is uncertain. Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., is the ranking member, but she is unlikely to be reappointed to the panel by House Speaker Pelosi. The top candidates include Reps. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., and Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R Mich., is the outgoing chairman.
. International Relations: Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., takes over from Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill, who is retiring.
. Judiciary: Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., replaces Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
. Resources: Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., takes over from Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif.
. Rules: Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., replaces Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif.
. Science: Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., replaces Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., who is retiring.
. Small Business: Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., takes over from Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill.
. Transportation and Infrastructure: Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., replaces Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska.
. Veterans Affairs: Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., replaces Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind.
. Ways and Means: Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., replaces Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., who is retiring.