Government affairs
Legislative Updates
It’s no surprise that many members of Congress are eager to get their hands on a leadership position. Such roles help control the legislative agenda and provide members with more opportunities to act as spokespersons for their political party. But these positions have a price and require significant fundraising commitments from their party. Often times, the funds raised are used to help incumbents who face tough re-elections and who seek to either preserve a majority status or change who controls a chamber.
Check out some of the top leadership political action committees (PACs) this election cycle:
Some of the top leadership positions include:
Speaker of the House: The position was first established by the U.S. Constitution and is third in line of presidential succession after the vice president. This particular position controls the overall legislative agenda of the House, oversees all appointments of committee chairs and serves as the national spokesperson of the majority party. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is the current Speaker.
House Majority Leader: Until 1911, this position was appointed by the Speaker. Now, the majority party elects the second-in-command, who’s responsible for the day-to-day management of legislation on the House floor. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is currently House Majority Leader.
House Minority Leader: Elected by members of the minority party, the Minority Leader serves as the minority’s spokesperson, is responsible for the minority party’s committee assignments and seeks to amend or block the majority party’s agenda. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is currently the House Minority Leader.
Whips: Those elected by party members to serve as whips are responsible for counting and mobilizing the votes within their parties. They help disseminate scheduling information and serve as floor leaders in the absence of the House Majority Leader and House Minority Leader. In the House, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) serves as the Majority Whip and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) serves as the Minority Whip. In the Senate, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) serves as the Majority Whip and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) serves as the Minority Whip.
While the leadership positions have different responsibilities from one another, those elected to the positions must each fundraise to support the electoral campaigns of their party.
