With Democrats in control of the House and Senate, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry M. Reid will lead their party in the 110th Congress.

Pelosi's district covers most of San Francisco. There are no tribes in the district although the city is home to about 3,500 Native Americans, many of whom moved there under the federal government's relocation policy.

Reid used to sit on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, where he supported a number of tribal bills. One of his biggest controversies was a $138 million payout of the Western Shoshone trust fund that tribal activists opposed. He also made statements against reservation shopping and is a staunch protector of Nevada's gaming industry.

In terms of committee chairs, Sen Byron Dorgan of North Dakota is in line for Indian Affairs, Daniel Akaka of Hawaii for Veterans' Affairs, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii for the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and John Kerry of Massachusetts for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The 110th Congress begins in January.

Get the Story:
Reid, Pelosi Expected to Keep Tight Rein in Both Chambers (The Washington Post 11/10)
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Harry Reid, an Infighter With a Sharp Jab (The New York Times 11/10)
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OTHER COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN (The Washington Post 11/10)
Scandals Have Touched Some Key Democrats (The Wall Street Journal 11/10)

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