If Democrats manage to wrest control of the House of Representatives in November, the Congressional Black Caucus will be stepping up in January. Leading CBC members will take the Chairmanships of the Ways and Means and Judiciary Committees, numerous key subcommittees, and possibly leadership roles in Congress. Josephine Hearn of The Hill reports:
The Congressional Black Caucus is positioned to dramatically increase its clout next Congress if Democrats win control of the House.
The 43-member group, already one of the most powerful blocs among House Democrats, would control as many as five committee gavels in a Democratic House, including two exclusive panels, Ways and Means and Judiciary. Members of the group also would lead 15 subcommittees, six of them on exclusive panels. And Caucus Chairman Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) would be a contender for majority whip.Although it is not the largest group in the Democratic caucus - the 64-member Progressive Caucus holds that title - the Congressional Black Caucus is perhaps the most cohesive and the most vocal, bound together by racial identity, shared experience and in many instances, similar districts. This year and in the past, members of the group have demonstrated that they are more than willing to challenge Democratic leaders when one of their own comes under fire.
Earlier this year, many in the CBC, including Chairman Mel Watt (D-N.C.), vociferously defended Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) when Democratic leaders moved to oust him from the Ways and Means Committee.
Read it all at the link above.
Expect to hear a LOT more from Maxine Waters, too. And louder, if possible.
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