4 hours Ago By Rachel Acenas
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. 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. 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..
