What mechanism allows senators who criticize leadership to rise to committee leadership positions?
The Senate runs on seniority, which allows senators—even those willing to buck their party or criticize leadership—to climb the committee ranks.
Q&A ID 9cc8131b-719d-4065-80ec-ff176d5e36a5
What roles does Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) hold within the Senate and the GOP?
Senator Rick Scott chairs the Aging Committee and leads the GOP steering committee, which is described as an unofficial, conservative group. He uses the group's weekly lunch to bring in top government officials, including President Trump, to discuss current issues.
Q&A ID b26538e7-94cd-4b7d-a1f1-dfd11da8a6c4
What is Senator Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) current role in the Senate and his stance on agency spending?
Fiscal hawk Rand Paul chairs the Homeland Security Committee. In this role, he has been skeptical of massive agency budgets and recently voted "no" on the nomination of Markwayne Mullin to be DHS secretary.
Q&A ID e3f14648-1c17-460c-a630-d2b8a77d479f
Who is expected to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, and why is this vacancy occurring?
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) is next in line to take the gavel on the Judiciary Committee. This follows the death of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and the primary loss of Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas). If he takes this role, Lee would forfeit his current position as chair of the Energy Committee, a move he has indicated he is willing to make.
Q&A ID e401c178-013d-4f50-a827-13cdd4a4663e