("US Rep Waxman Expects To Win First Round Of Panel Challenge," which ran at 2:10 p.m. EST, incorrectly said that Waxman expected to win a majority of votes in the House steering committee.)
By Fawn Johnson
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Tuesday that he expects to win enough support in a House steering committee to ensure that all House Democrats will vote on his bid unseat the powerful chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.
Asked whether he would have the steering committee votes necessary to bring the challenge to a vote in the full caucus, Waxman said, "Certainly I'll get that."
When asked whether he's open to cutting a deal with Dingell before a vote, Waxman added, "I don't see that happening."
If the steering committee's decision for a particular committee is challenged, as it likely would be, all House Democrats would then vote on who should be chairman.
The steering committee could meet as early as Wednesday to decide committee chairs. It is unclear when the full caucus vote will occur.
Education and Labor Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., who is close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said going into the meeting that he believes Waxman is "going to win."
Waxman is more liberal than Dingell, and his chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee would send ripples across a host of industries, including the automobile and energy sectors. The committee also has jurisdiction over telecommunications, consumer protection issues and the drug industry.
Dingell claims he has the votes to beat back Waxman's challenge, but Capitol Hill insiders say Waxman could muster the support he needs.
The Congressional Black Caucus may be critical to the overall vote on the committee race. CBC members Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga. and Bobby Rush, D-Ill., sent a letter to their colleagues last week asking them to support Dingell.
The highest ranking CBC member, Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., is staying out of the fray, although he has in the past expressed support for the House Democrats' seniority system.
-By Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9263; fawn.johnson@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 18, 2008 18:45 ET (23:45 GMT)

Publié le 19 novembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones