CQ Roll Call: Senate Freshman Appropriators Seek Their Place at the Table
When four Republican freshmen were tapped to join the Senate Appropriations Committee this session, it was taken as a sign of the panel’s waning appeal in a no-earmarks era. Senators used to wait years to join the committee and even longer to rise up the ranks. Four of the once-coveted seats — and even a subcommittee chairmanship — were extended to Steve Daines of Montana, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. Since then, the newcomers have scrambled to find ways to have an impact. Capito said they’re all learning that they can bring change even sitting “all the way at