Rep. Norm Dicks is likely to succeed the late Rep. John Murtha as chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending.
Murtha died Monday at age 77 after suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. The Pennsylvania Democrat was head of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee since 1989. Dicks, 69, a 17-term Democrat from Belfair, has sat on the committee since 1979, making him second in seniority behind Murtha and second only to chairman Rep. David Obey, D-Wisc., on the full budget panel.
“The country has lost a real patriot; the Congress has lost a real workhorse; and I have lost a great friend,” Dicks said in a statement. “As much as he enjoyed hearing from the generals and the admirals in command, he always took the time to visit the mess hall and talk with individual troops who would give him a ‘boots-on-the-ground’ view of the conflict.”
George Behan, Dicks’ chief of staff, said Monday that there’s no time frame on when the change could take place, but that it likely would happen soon. He said the Appropriations Committee would have to agree to it, as would the House Democratic caucus. Dicks would have to give up his post leading an environmental spending panel, but would remain on the committee.
Ascension to the prized chairmanship could pay off for Washington state. As a senior member of the budget panel, Dicks has won earmarks for Washington’s military bases and defense contractors and championed The Boeing Co.’s bid to win a contract for new Air Force refueling tankers.
Staff and wire reports
More on Rep. John Murtha, page a4.
