The Senate is still reeling from South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, and GOP leaders will soon have to turn to the weighty question of who will fill his spots on key congressional committees.
Those include Judiciary, Appropriations, Environment and Public Works, and his Budget Committee chairmanship. It’s not clear whether Graham’s committee seat on Judiciary will be filled before Todd Blanche’s nomination hearing on Wednesday to be attorney general; Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, referred Semafor to Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who leads the Committee on Committees.
“Those are important things to talk about, but right now we’re talking about Lindsey,” Crapo told Semafor. “Some things have to happen rather quickly, but [Leader John] Thune and I will discuss that — it may be very soon on some things. But right now it’s just remembering Lindsey.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is the most senior member on Budget without a chairmanship.