Towns the favorite for Oversight, but decision delayed

Rep. Edolphus Towns (N.Y.), the most senior Democrat left
on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is emerging as the favorite
to take over the panel from Rep. Henry Waxman (Calif.).

But a Democratic aide said the contest will not be
settled until at least December, when Congress is to return to deal with the
bailout of the auto industry. The caucus settled all chairmanships Thursday
except for Oversight.

{mosads}Members and leadership aides have quietly worried about
how aggressively Towns would handle the Republican side of the committee, which
is to be headed next year by the fiery Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.).

Towns’s absence at all but one of the committee’s recess
hearings on the financial meltdown, including the AIG bailout hearing, is also
highlighted by critics.

Towns responded to those concerns in a brief interview
with The Hill Thursday.

“The only hearings I missed were when I had surgery
during the recess,” he said. He added that, as a subcommittee chair in the 110^th
Congress, he has held numerous hearings.

He also dismissed the idea that he wasn’t up to going toe-to-toe
with Issa.

“I’m not a new member of Congress,” Towns said. “I’ll
listen to somebody, but then I’m the chair and we have to move forward.”

Two other senior members, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.)
and Elijah Cummings (Md.), have expressed interest in the slot, but both appeared
Thursday to be deferring to Towns’s seniority.

The next in line after Towns is Rep. Paul Kanjorski
(Pa.), but he is expected to keep his subcommittee chairmanship on the
Financial Services Committee.

Maloney issued a statement Wednesday expressing interest
in the chairmanship, but said she would back Towns if he wants the job. The
position became available earlier Thursday when Waxman took over the
chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

A panel member said Cummings is also backing off and
deferring to Towns. However, Cummings spokeswoman Jennifer Kohl said the
lawmaker remains interested in running the committee, but understands that
there are others who are also interested.

“The congressman has said from the beginning that, while
he would be extremely honored to take Waxman’s place in moving the committee
forward, he respects that he is not the next in line based on seniority,” she
said.

In an interview Wednesday, Towns told The Hill he
supported Rep. John Dingell (Mich.) for the Energy and Commerce chairmanship,
so he expected Waxman to remain Oversight chairman. But Towns said if Waxman
moved to Energy and Commerce, he wanted the Oversight gavel.

“I have the seniority. I’m next in line. I’ve been around
here 26 years,” Towns said.