Senator Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland will become the first woman to head the Senate Appropriations Committee, after Senator Patrick D. Leahy of Vermont decided to pass up the chairman's job, their offices announced on Wednesday.
Ms. Mikulski, 76, said in a statement that it was “an honor and a privilege†to take the helm of the Appropriations Committee, a spot that opened up when Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii died on Monday. She said it was “especially gratifying to be the first woman to lead†the committee.
Ms. Mikulski is expected to win the approval of her Democratic colleagues to lead the committee, which has jurisdiction over the government's discretionary spending, in a vote on Thursday.
Her rise to the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee reflects the growing influence of women in Congress. With the addition of Ms. Mikulski, women will lead 6 of the Senate's 20 committees. And record numbers of women will be part of the 113t h Congress - 81 in the House and 20 in the Senate.
Mr. Leahy's decision to pass up the chairmanship highlights another change: the diminished appeal of leading the panel. While Republicans' majority in the House has enabled them to pass several budgets, the divisions between the two parties in the Senate has prevented lawmakers from reaching a budget compromise. Instead over the past three years, the government has hobbled along on a series of short-term spending bills, known as continuing resolutions.
Mr. Leahy, 72, said in a statement that he would stay on as chairman of the Judiciary Committee while maintaining his seniority on the Appropriations Committee. The dual roles will “will allow me to protect both the Constitution and Vermont,†he said.
Mr. Leahy, the most senior s enator in the Democratic majority, was sworn in as president pro tempore on Tuesday, taking third place in the line of presidential succession. The position became vacant when Mr. Inouye died.
