UPDATED:  November 29, 2008 11:26 PM
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Inouye New Senate Appropriations Chair



WASHINGTON–Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) is the new chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations. He replaces Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WVA), 91, who stepped down after heading the panel for ten years.

“I am most honored by the confidence Majority Leader Harry Reid has placed in me as the next Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee,” Senator Inouye said on Nov. 7.

“I hope my Democratic colleagues will have faith in my ability to lead the full Appropriations Committee forward,” he added.

Senator Inouye is the second-ranked member of the committee. He has been a member of the committee since January 1971. He will also continue to serve as chair of the subcommittee on defense appropriations.

The Committee on Appropriations is crucial in moving the Democrats’ legislative agenda in the 111th US Congress, which begins during the first week of January.

The Democrats, in control of both the White House and Congress, are expected to hit the ground running with a flurry of economic stimulus package and other major bills under the new administration of Barack Obama (D).

President-elect Obama won Nov. 4 with an electoral landslide of 364, needing only 270 to triumph. He will assume the presidency on Jan. 20.

Senator Inouye also said he was “humbled by Chairman Robert Byrd’s recommendation that I succeed him as the next Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.”

“I hope that I am sufficiently prepared to succeed my mentor who has assisted and guided me over the past 30 years, and in particular, during the years that he has led this important panel with distinction,” he added.

Inouye is the third most senior member of the US. Senate. He has a distinguished record as a legislative leader, and as a World War II combat veteran, earning the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for military valor.

US Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), promptly congratulated Inouye.

“Senator Inouye is my friend and has been an outstanding leader for the state of Hawaii and the American public in the United States Senate,” he said. “His experience and wisdom will guide him in his new post, as it has throughout his time in elected office and his brave service in the U.S. Army 442nd Regimental Combat Team.”

He added: “I look forward to working with him on appropriations matters important to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and to all Americans.”

Senate Majority Leader Reid (D, NV) made the appointment before the Nov.17-21 lame duck session of the 110th US Congress. The 111th Congress will have the Democrats in firm control of both chambers, after gaining more seats Nov. 4.

Reid met with Inouye about replacing Byrd in January, according to Politico. He wanted to resolve the Byrd issue before his reelection campaign in 2010, when he would likely be a target for Republicans, the report added. Reid believed Byrd needed to be replaced for the committee’s “best efficiency,” a party insider was quoted as saying.

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