Levin takes Rangel chairmanship

In the wake of Rep. Charles Rangel’s resignation, perhaps temporary, of his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan is taking over that position. The New York Times reports that Levin, who was 2nd in line in terms of seniority, was chosen over the more senior Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) because Stark was “known to be abrasive and had his own brush with the ethics committee.”

The Ways and Means Committee is the most powerful committee in the House of Representatives because it is in charge of tax policy. That brings both enormous attention and enormous fundraising ability for those on the committee, particularly those in a leadership position.

And although Rangel’s resignation was called a temporary one pending the final outcome of the ethics investigation into his financial irregularities, the Times reported yesterday that it is unlikely that he would regain his chairmanship no matter what the outcome because of the support he’s lost in the Democratic Caucus.