Senate Democratic leaders plan to cut Republican committee seats to reflect the new balance of power in the upper chamber, according to Democratic aides.
Republicans will lose at least one seat on most committees and may lose as many as two on some of the larger panels, such as the powerful Appropriations committee.
One aide said that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will likely follow the model set at the start of the 103rd Congress, when Democrats held a 57-seat Senate majority, the same margin they are expected to hold when the results of the election become final. The aide said leaders are not likely to add Democratic seats to achieve the proper ratios. |