House Democrats held leadership elections on Tuesday, November 18, 2014, returning Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to the position of Minority Leader for the 114th Congress, which starts in January. Pelosi’s re-election means that all four congressional parties have retained their leaders from the 113th Congress. Last week, Senate Republicans elected Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as Majority Leader, and John Cornyn (R-TX) as the Majority Whip, with Senate Democrats choosing Harry Reid (D-NV) as Minority Leader. In the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will also continue in his position, as will Majority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Steve Scalise (R-LA), as the Republican Whip.
This week, House Republicans also announced their Committee Chairs for the 114th Congress. Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) will be the new Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, taking over for the retiring Doc Hastings (R-WA). Bishop is expected to make public lands bills a priority of his chairmanship. It is also anticipated that he will take a less combative approach than his predecessor.
Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), the 2012 GOP Vice Presidential nominee, will be the new Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for tax, trade, and health care financing issues. Ryan previously chaired the House Budget Committee. Ryan will likely use his position to advance issues important to Republicans, such as entitlement reform, tax reform, and greater oversight of the IRS. Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY) will continue as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.