The longest-serving senator in U.S. history is transitioning away from his role in GOP leadership.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will chair two key committees in the new Congress, according to his announcement on Thursday.
McConnell said he will head the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and the Senate Rules Committee.
The longest-serving senator in U.S. history is transitioning away from his role in GOP leadership.
“America’s national security interests face the gravest array of threats since the Second World War,” McConnell wrote in a Nov. 21 statement. “At this critical moment, a new Senate Republican majority has a responsibility to secure the future of U.S. leadership and primacy. I intend to play an active role in this urgent mission as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and I look forward to working closely with incoming Chair Susan Collins to accomplish our shared goal.”
The subcommittee drafts the Pentagon’s annual spending bill which currently stands at $825 billion. The panel also focuses on the U.S. response to evolving global threats, such as Russia, Iran, and China.
The defense subcommittee position aligns with McConnell’s push for more defense allocations, which he has said are too low.
As chairman of the defense subcommittee, he would have an influence on funding for military operations and modernization efforts. Notably, McConnell has supported sending weapons and other aid to Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia.
McConnell also said he looks forward to leading the Senate Rules Committee, which has “important work to accomplish” in the new Congress. Among the priorities of the panel is protecting the right to political speech in elections, according to the senator.
Meanwhile, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has been elected by fellow senators to succeed McConnell as GOP majority leader.
“John Thune’s election is a clear endorsement of a consummate leader. The confidence our colleagues have placed in John’s legislative experience and political skill is well deserved,” McConnell said in a statement last week.
In February this year, President Joe Biden weighed in on McConnell’s plan to shift away from leadership, saying he had a great working relationship with him and that he “never misrepresented anything.”
McConnell also worked with Donald Trump during his first presidential term on tax legislation and pushed for a more conservative judiciary.
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and has been serving in the upper chamber ever since.
The senator’s team noted that his decision to step away from GOP leadership was not health-related. McConnell’s health came into the spotlight after he suffered a concussion from a fall last year and twice froze while publicly speaking.
McConnell, 82, is up for reelection in 2026. The senator, however, has not announced whether he would seek another six-year term in the upper chamber, or retire instead.
From NTD News