Traditionalist GOP Lawmakers to Lead Key Panels .
House Republican leaders cleared the way for two longtime traditionalist lawmakers to head two powerful congressional committees over the objections of some tea-party and conservative activists. Rep. Hal Rogers (R., Ky.), who has sought earmarks throughout his career, is set to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee, which oversees all federal spending. Rep. Fred Upton (R., Mich.), criticized by some conservatives for votes in support of some Democratic initiatives, was chosen to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee. Mr. Rogers, 70 years old, has served in Congress for 30 years, and Mr. Upton, 57, for 24 years. Air Jordan 7 Messrs. Rogers and Upton were officially backed Tuesday by the Republican Steering Committee, a 34-member panel that makes committee assignments. The full complement of House Republicans will consider the choices on Wednesday, and approval is likely. These chairmanship battles were particularly contentious because of the enormous power wielded by the two committees in areas of keen interest to conservatives who energized the Republican surge in the midterm elections—federal spending, health-care policy, environmental regulation and energy policy. The Appropriations battle was especially close. Both major candidates, Mr. Rogers and Rep. Jerry Lewis (R., Calif.), are among Congress's longtime pursuers of earmarks, the special items that lawmakers insert into spending bills. Earmarks are a big target of the tea-party activists who helped fuel the GOP takeover. Critics say the use of earmarks essentially means spending priorities are determined by deal-making, while defenders say the Constitution gives lawmakers the job and duty of making spending decisions this way. Mr. Rogers over the past three years obtained 135 earmarks worth $246.4 million, according to the Taxpayers for Common Sense, which opposes earmarks and subsidies. Mr. Lewis and a third candidate, Rep. Jack Kingston (R., Ga.), also won millions in earmarks. Yet as they sought the chairmanship, each insisted he was best-positioned to fight earmarks. Some activists weren't persuaded. "The whole system has been go-along, get-along as far as spending," said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. "It's something they all grew up in. They are all recent converts."Air Jordan 6 Speaker-designate John Boehner (R., Ohio), in part to ward off such criticism, announced this week he was supporting a seat on the Appropriations Committee for Rep. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), a longtime earmark opponent. The fight over the Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship was similarly bitter. That panel oversees enormous sectors of the economy, including health care and telecommunications. With Republicans in control, the committee could become a launching pad for efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's health-care law and for challenges to the administration's energy policies, including a move by the Environmental Protection Agency to curb greenhouse gases. Mr. Upton's candidacy came under siege from conservatives who disagreed with his votes in support of expanding a children's health program and his backing of energy conservation measures, such as a phase-out of the 100-watt incandescent light bulb. Congressional offices were deluged in recent days with calls from activists opposing Mr. Upton's bid. Seeking to tap into that frustration was Rep. Joe Barton, a Texan who had led the committee before the Democrats' claimed the majority in 2006. Mr. Barton was rebuked by leaders of both parties earlier this year when he apologized to BP PLC executives during a hearing on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Mr. Barton's candidacy also was complicated by other political baggage. Like Mr. Lewis, he would have needed a waiver to become chairman, since GOP party rules prohibit any lawmaker from holding the top slot on a committee for more than six years. Many of the more than 80 newly elected Republicans made it clear they didn't want to circumvent that rule. "Consistently the freshman class thinks that the rule, which doesn't allow waivers, is a good one," said Rep.-elect Tim Scott of South Carolina. Mr. Upton has played up his conservative bona fides in recent weeks, vowing more vigorous oversight of Mr. Obama's special assistant for energy and climate policy, Carol Browner, a longtime nemesis of coal producers and oil companies. Air Jordan 5 A more immediate challenge for Mr. Upton may be preserving his panel's turf. Rep. Doc Hastings (R., Wash.), the likely chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, is lobbying House leaders to give his panel jurisdiction over energy. But such maneuvers are common when power shifts on Capitol Hill, and it isn't clear how much support Mr. Hastings's proposal has among Republican leaders. The steering committee also backed Rep. Spencer Bachus (R., Ala.) to head the Financial Services Committee, over Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.) As chairman, Mr. Bachus could play a central role in determining the future of mortgage- guarantee agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Mr. Bachus has called for taxpayer exposure to Fannie and Freddie to be capped and for the two troubled agencies to compete in the private market or be placed into liquidation. Aides to the lawmaker said he would also conduct rigorous oversight of the Obama administration as officials implement the sweeping Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law. Air Jordan Q4