Federal Lawmakers Choose Leaders

Congress began its post-election reshuffling last week, with House members choosing leadership teams to guide policy and politics for the next two years.

As expected, Republicans elected Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.) to replace Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) as speaker. Mr. Gingrich is resigning his congressional seat.

Unlike Mr. Gingrich, who served on the House Transportation Committee for years, Mr. Livingston made his congressional mark as a member of the Appropriations Committee, which allocates spending to transportation and other programs. He worked his way up to the chairmanship of the powerful committee.

When Mr. Livingston focuses on transportation issues, his first thought is of the bustling Port of New Orleans and Louisiana’s maritime industry. He has brought more than $1 billion in government contracts to Louisiana’s Avondale Shipyards.

House Republicans re-elected Majority Leader Dick Armey (Texas) and Majority Whip Tom DeLay (Texas), but ousted Republican Conference Chairman John Boehner (Ohio) in favor of Rep. J.C. Watts (Okla.).

s a member of the House Transportation Committee this year, Mr. Watts won inclusion of $97 million for the reconstruction of the Interstate 40 crosstown bridge in Oklahoma City as part of the highway bill signed into law in June.

Mr. Livingston’s ascension to the top leadership job leaves his old post on the Appropriations Committee up for grabs.

Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.) is expected to become chairman of the full committee, and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) was expected to keep his slot as chairman of the subcommittee on transportation appropriations.

Congressional Democrats unanimously re-elected Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (Mo.) and Minority Whip David E. Bonior (Mich.). They also elected Rep. Martin Frost (Tex.) as Democratic Caucus chairman and Rep. Robert Menendez (N.J.), a member of the House Transportation Committee, as caucus vice chairman.

No changes were made in the leadership of the House Transportation Committee.

That panel is expected to shrink from its current 73 members as lawmakers migrate to other committees. The transportation became the largest committee in the House last year as lawmakers flocked on board to help shape the reauthorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.

Congress is expected to have all its committee assignments in the bag before Thanksgiving.