With Democrats taking control of the House in the midterm elections, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will likely become Speaker of the House. Minority Leader Pelosi secured the party nomination for Speaker in a closed-door caucus vote of 203 to 32, but must still secure a majority full House vote on January 3, 2019. On December 12, Minority Leader Pelosi announced she would agree to serve no more than four years as Speaker in order to secure additional votes for the position. No other Democrats have announced a run for Speaker.
Other key Democratic leadership contenders include Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who is running unopposed for Majority Leader, and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), who is running unopposed for Minority Whip; Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), who ran unopposed for Assistant Democratic Leader; and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who won the Caucus Chair race on a 123 to 113 vote against Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA).
Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-WI) retirement has opened up changes in the House Republican leadership. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected 159 to 43 as Minority Leader with Speaker Ryan's endorsement. Rep Steve Scalise (R-LA) ran unopposed for Minority Whip and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) ran unopposed for Conference Chair after Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA) dropped out of the race.
The election will result in a number of significant House committee leadership changes for the 116th Congress. Here are the expected House Committee leaders as currently announced.
| 116th Congress Committee |
Chairman |
Ranking Republican |
| Agriculture |
Collin Peterson (Minn.) |
Mike Conaway (Texas) |
| Appropriations |
Nita Lowey (N.Y.) |
Kay Granger (Texas) |
| Armed Services |
Adam Smith (Wash.) |
Mac Thornberry (Texas) |
| Budget |
John Yarmuth (Ky.)* |
Steve Womack (Ark.) |
| Education and Labor |
Bobby Scott (Va.) |
Virginia Foxx (N.C.) |
| Energy and Commerce |
Frank Pallone (N.J.) |
Greg Walden (Ore.) |
| Ethics |
|
|
| Financial Services |
Maxine Waters (Calif.) |
Patrick McHenry (N.C.) |
| Foreign Affairs |
Eliot Engel (N.Y.) |
Mike McCaul (Texas) |
| Homeland Security |
Bennie Thompson (Miss.) |
Mike Rogers (Ala.) |
| House Administration |
Zoe Lofgren (Calif.)* |
Rodney Davis (Ill.) |
| Intelligence |
Adam Schiff (Calif.)* |
Devin Nunes (Calif.) |
| Judiciary |
Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) |
Doug Collins (Ga.) |
| Natural Resources |
Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) |
Rob Bishop (Utah) |
| Oversight and Government Reform |
Elijah Cummings (Md.) |
Jim Jordan (Ohio) |
| Rules |
Jim McGovern (Mass).* |
|
| Science, Space & Technology |
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas) |
Frank Lucas (Okla.) |
| Small Business |
Nydia Velázquez (N.Y.) |
Steve Chabot (Ohio) |
| Transportation & Infrastructure |
Peter DeFazio (Ore.) |
Sam Graves (Mo.) |
| Veterans' Affairs |
Mark Takano (Calif.) |
Phil Roe (Tenn.) |
| Ways and Means |
Richard Neal (Mass.) |
Kevin Brady (Texas) |
Note: Bolded are new top members; asterisks are based on reporting; Democrats' picks are subject to caucus approval; Democrats plan to change the name of the Education and Workforce Committee.
Sources: Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Nov. 30 press release; Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Dec. 12 press release and Dec. 11 press release
U.S. Senate
With Republicans maintaining control of the Senate, party leadership will not change significantly. In addition, most committees will maintain their current chairs and ranking members in the 116th Congress. Here are the expected Senate committee leaders as currently announced.
| 116th Congress Committee |
Chairman |
Ranking Democrat |
| Aging |
|
Bob Casey (Pa.) |
| Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry |
Pat Roberts (Kan.)* |
Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) |
| Appropriations |
Richard Shelby (Ala.)* |
Patrick Leahy (Vt.) |
| Armed Services |
Jim Inhofe (Okla.)* |
Jack Reed (R.I.) |
| Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs |
Mike Crapo (Idaho)* |
Sherrod Brown (Ohio) |
| Budget |
Mike Enzi (Wyo.)* |
Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) |
| Commerce, Science & Transportation |
Roger Wicker (Miss.)* |
Maria Cantwell (Wash.) |
| Energy & Natural Resources |
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)* |
Joe Manchin (W.Va.) |
| Environment & Public Works |
John Barrasso (Wyo.)* |
Tom Carper (Del.) |
| Ethics |
|
Chris Coons (Del.) |
| Finance |
Charles Grassley (Iowa)* |
Ron Wyden (Ore.) |
| Foreign Relations |
James Risch (Idaho)* |
Bob Menendez (N.J.) |
| Health, Education, Labor & Pensions |
Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)* |
Patty Murray (Wash.) |
| Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs |
Ron Johnson (Wis.)* |
Gary Peters (Mich.) |
| Indian Affairs |
John Hoeven (N.D.)* |
Tom Udall (N.M.) |
| Intelligence |
Richard Burr (N.C.)* |
Mark Warner (Va.) |
| Judiciary |
Lindsey Graham (S.C.)* |
Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) |
| Rules & Administration |
Roy Blunt (Mo.)* |
Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) |
| Small Business & Entrepreneurship |
|
Ben Cardin (Md.) |
| Veterans' Affairs |
Johnny Isakson (Ga.)* |
Jon Tester (Mont.) |
Note: Bolded are new top members; asterisks are based on reporting; Democrats’ picks subject to caucus approval.
Source: Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Dec. 13 press release