Name: As Democrats take control, Sen. Jim Inhofe relinquishes gavel of Armed Services Committee
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As Democrats take control, Sen. Jim Inhofe relinquishes gavel of Armed Services Committee

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Chris Casteel Sen. Jim Inhofe officially turned over the reins of the Armed Services Committee last week, and Sen. James Lankford relinquished control of the Ethics Committee as Democrats became the majority in the evenly split Senate by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ position as president of the Senate.As Congress continued to organize its committees for the next two years, Lankford landed a spot on the panel that oversees the nation's parks and U.S. energy policy, including drilling on public lands.And freshman Rep. Stephanie Bice was assigned to the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, meaning she will serve on the same two panels as former Rep. Kendra Horn, whom Bice defeated in November.The Senate has 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats. The Jan. 20 inauguration of Harris effectively gave Democrats the majority, since Harris can vote to break ties. However, because of a conflict over the filibuster and procedures, an official organizing resolution wasn’t approved until last week.Inhofe, who has been on the Armed Services Committee since 1995, shifted back to being the top minority member, a role he had in 2013 and 2014. Inhofe had served as chairman since September 2018; he ran for another six-year term in the Senate at least partly to continue serving as chairman of the committee, which oversees the Department of Defense.Inhofe’s long service on the panel and relationship with the new chairman, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat, means he will retain much of his influence, though he no longer sets the committee’s agenda.Inhofe congratulated Reed in a tweet last week.“I’m proud to call him a friend, and I look forward to continue working closely with him to support our troops and keep our country safe,” Inhofe said.Lankford was named chairman of the Ethics Committee in December 2019. The committee investigates ethics complaints against senators and does most of its work behind closed doors. Lankford is now the ranking Republican on the panel. The power shift also cost him his chairmanship of a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee that oversees federal regulations and management; he will now be the top minority member.Lankford, who also serves on the tax-writing Finance Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee, got a seat last week on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.“Oklahoma has always stood proud as an all-of-the-above energy state and having Oklahoma represented on this committee is vital,” Lankford said.“As a nation, we should pursue policies that promote energy independence, while also ensuring we have clean air and clean water. We can and should do both.”The committee last week advanced the nomination of Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan, to be Energy Secretary. The panel also has the nomination of New Mexico Rep. Debra Ann Haaland to be Interior Secretary.Bice, R-Oklahoma City, who was named earlier to the House Armed Services Committee has added the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Horn, D-Oklahoma City, served on both. Oklahoma Rep. Frank Lucas is the top Republican on the science committee, which is controlled by Democrats.On Armed Services, Bice will serve on the personnel subcommittee and the newly created subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems.“Protecting private and public assets from cybersecurity attacks from China and other countries has emerged as one of the most important issues in the U.S.,” Bice said. “There have been significant advances in artificial intelligence as it relates to the American warfighter, autonomous weaponry and other military applications.”Bice’s district does not include a military base, though it is home to people who work at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma County. The base, whose biggest tenant is the aircraft maintenance depot, has been a magnet for private contracting, particularly in the aerospace industry.

Chris Casteel Sen. Jim Inhofe officially turned over the reins of the Armed Services Committee last week, and Sen. James Lankford relinquished control of the Ethics Committee as Democrats became the majority in the evenly split Senate by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ position as president of the Senate.As Congress continued to organize its committees for the next two years, Lankford landed a spot on the panel that oversees the nation's parks and U.S. energy policy, including drilling on public lands.And freshman Rep. Stephanie Bice was assigned to the House Science, Space and...

As Democrats take control, Sen. Jim Inhofe relinquishes gavel of Armed Services Committee

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