Dicks to replace Murtha as defense spending cardinal
Washington Rep. Norm Dicks, shown here shaking hands with actor Chris Klein, has effectively taken over control of the House defense appropriations subcommittee and is expected to be voted its next chairman following the unexpected death of John Murtha, a democratic house leadership aide told The Cable. “Mr. Dicks is now acting chair of defense ...
Washington Rep. Norm Dicks, shown here shaking hands with actor Chris Klein, has effectively taken over control of the House defense appropriations subcommittee and is expected to be voted its next chairman following the unexpected death of John Murtha, a democratic house leadership aide told The Cable.
Washington Rep. Norm Dicks, shown here shaking hands with actor Chris Klein, has effectively taken over control of the House defense appropriations subcommittee and is expected to be voted its next chairman following the unexpected death of John Murtha, a democratic house leadership aide told The Cable.
“Mr. Dicks is now acting chair of defense appropriations and likely will be approved by the caucus for it permanently, should he choose that over [his current chairmanship of] the interior subcommittee,” the aide said.
That confirms the somewhat less definitive statements by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-MD, who told reporters Tuesday, “My expectation is, assuming the system works as it has historically worked in terms of seniority on the committee, that an extraordinarily able member of the Congress of the United States, very well-rounded in defense policy who has served on the committee for well over two decades, Norm Dicks, will presumably take the chairmanship.”
The Dicks ascension spells trouble for the Air Force, which has been battling to complete the first part of its $100 billion contract for a new fleet of aerial refueling tankers. Dicks represents a district where Boeing is a major employer and campaign donor. He makes no excuses for defending Boeing’s interests at every turn.
Boeing is one of two competitors for the contract. The Air Force initially selected the consortium of Northrop Grumman and the North American division of EADS, but Boeing successfully protested that award. Dicks could also thwart the administration’s plans to stop building the C-17 cargo aircraft, also produced by Boeing.
“For the past 30 years or so, one would have been wise to bet on the town of Johnstown, PA,” said one senior congressional aide, referring to Murtha’s district, which saw a multi-billion-dollar windfall during Murtha’s rein as chairman, “Now it’s time to buy Boeing stock.”
In Congress, the use of leadership positions to drive dollars to constituents rarely fails to raise questions about the conflicting responsibilities of representing a district and looking out for the best interests of the nation. But earmarks and pork-barrel spending are a legal and time-honored part of the system.
“This is just the way some of these guys work, If they can do something for their districts, they will,” the aide said. “And there’s a good argument to be made that’s what they were sent there to do.”
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Josh Rogin covers national security and foreign policy and writes the daily Web column The Cable. His column appears bi-weekly in the print edition of The Washington Post. He can be reached for comments or tips at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.
Previously, Josh covered defense and foreign policy as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, writing extensively on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, U.S.-Asia relations, defense budgeting and appropriations, and the defense lobbying and contracting industries. Prior to that, he covered military modernization, cyber warfare, space, and missile defense for Federal Computer Week Magazine. He has also served as Pentagon Staff Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, in its Washington, D.C., bureau, where he reported on U.S.-Japan relations, Chinese military modernization, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and more.
A graduate of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Josh lived in Yokohama, Japan, and studied at Tokyo's Sophia University. He speaks conversational Japanese and has reported from the region. He has also worked at the House International Relations Committee, the Embassy of Japan, and the Brookings Institution.
Josh's reporting has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, CBS, ABC, NPR, WTOP, and several other outlets. He was a 2008-2009 National Press Foundation's Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow, 2009 military reporting fellow with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the 2011 recipient of the InterAction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He hails from Philadelphia and lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @joshrogin
More from Foreign Policy
A New Multilateralism
How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.
America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.
The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy
Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.
The End of America’s Middle East
The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.