Sen. Joe Donnelly to Serve as Ranking Member
Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
1/9/2015
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is in line to be the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, NS&D Monitor has learned. Sessions served as the ranking member of the panel for the last four years and the top Republican on the panel eight of the last 10 years—he temporarily turned over the reins to Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) from 2009 to 2011. With Republicans claiming control of the Senate, Sessions was the natural choice to serve as chairman of the subcommittee, but he was also vying to be the chairman of the powerful Senate Budget Committee. After Sessions yielded the top spot on the budget panel to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) last month, it opened the door for him to take over the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.
Sessions is known as a budget hawk, but he has supported increased funding to modernize the nation’s nuclear deterrent, though he has pressed for finding a way to do so prudently. Sessions’ office did not respond to a request for comment. With the defeat of Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) in the November elections, the top Democratic spot on the subcommittee will be Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), according to Congressional aides.
