Dec. 5, 2006 — Is there a subcommittee chair for Delegate Donna M. Christensen in the next Congress? It is possible now that the Democrats have control of the House of Representatives.
Regardless, Christensen will play a stronger role for the U.S. Virgin Islands in this Congress because she will now be a member of the House majority — not to mention a Pelosi [incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] loyalist.
The delegate had been in Pelosi's corner back when she was running for House Minority Whip; Pelosi then moved up to Minority Leader and will be the Speaker of the House come January.
Christensen is a fairly senior member of the House Resources Committee, which deals with, among other things, the islands and the national parks. Who will be the subcommittee chairs depends on several variables, one of which is how many subcommittees this committee will have next year; another is her level of seniority.
Subcommittee leadership is usually, but not always, allocated to the most senior members of the majority party sitting on the whole committee. Currently there are six Democrats on the committee with more years in harness than the delegate, and there is currently room for a new chairman (Nick Rahall of West Virginia) and five new subcommittee chairs. The rub is that the delegate is seventh in line — one spot away from a more or less automatic subcommittee chairmanship.
But there is a move afoot among the Democrats to add a sixth subcommittee, one to deal with Native American and Insular Affairs; the Republicans had deemed these matters worthy of an Office within the committee, but not a subcommittee.
In the Congress, this is a major distinction. If such a subcommittee were reconstituted it would help Christensen's prospects considerably.
She is said to be in contention for either that chairmanship, or that of the National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands Subcommittee, of which she is currently the ranking Democrat.
Both committees are important to the territory. A decision is likely this month.
Most of the detailed work of the Congress takes place quietly in subcommittees; full committees and the Congress as a whole usually accepts the subcommittee decisions on all but the most controversial subjects.
The U.S. Virgin Islands last had a subcommittee chair in the early 1990s when Democrat Ron de Lugo, then the delegate, was chairman of the Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs. That role for him came to an end in January 1995.
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