Sen. Cantwell might exit top Indian Affairs Committee job

Tuesday, January 7, 2014  

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) might leave her post as chairwoman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee if she's offered the gavel on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, according to The Washington Post.

Democrats are shuffling committee chair posts due to the pending exit of Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana), who leads the Senate Finance Committee. He's been nominated to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to China by President Barack Obama.

The shakeup could mean the Senate Indian Affairs Committee will lose its first female chairwoman. Cantwell's office declined to speculate on any potential moves, the Post said.

Cantwell took over the committee in January 2013. She has held fewer hearings and has advanced fewer pieces of legislation than most of her predecessors although her staff has held a significant number of listening sessions with tribal leaders and Indian organizations.

A total of eight Democrats sit on the committee. The most senior member is Sen. Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), who is retiring at the end of this year, followed by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), according to Democrats.senate.gov.

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