Three of the House's longest-serving Republican elders, each touting his energy, fundraising prowess and commitment to fiscal austerity, are battling this week for a final prize to cap long political careers: the chairmanship of the influential Appropriations Committee.
The candidates, with a combined House service of 82 years, are Reps. Ralph S. Regula (Ohio), 80; Jerry Lewis (Calif.), 73; and Harold D. Rogers (Ky.), 67. One will replace Chairman C.W. "Bill" Young (R-Fla.) and supervise the annual drafting of 13 spending bills, which gobble up about one-third of the federal budget.
Late yesterday, a number of GOP sources said it was still unclear which candidate would have the edge today when the House Republican Steering Committee meets to select its nominee. Under GOP procedures, the House Republican Conference, consisting of all GOP members, must give final approval.
For the GOP leadership, which controls the Steering Committee, the decision is crucial because regaining control over spending from the often balky -- and traditionally independent -- Appropriations Committee will be a key to taming the soaring budget deficit.
Spending approved by the committee rose steadily in the first four years of the Bush administration, although domestic programs other than counterterrorism are virtually frozen in fiscal 2005.
In closed-door interviews Monday with the Steering Committee, Regula, Rogers and Lewis asserted that they have the grit to face down the spending pressures, take on Democrats, and work closely with the GOP leadership and the White House.
But some said none of the three is ideal from the standpoint of GOP conservatives.
"These guys are all steeped in the culture of appropriations, which means spending money and keeping government going at the same time you claim you're guarding the treasury," said Allen Schick, a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland. "It's the fox guarding the chicken coop."
Spending has been rising rapidly in bills drafted by the three candidates: defense (Lewis), homeland security (Rogers), and education and health (Regula).
Schick noted that Lewis and Regula have a long-standing reputation for working closely with Democrats, although they "surprised everybody" in the past few years by showing a far more partisan edge. Two years ago, Regula punished Democrats and some Republicans who opposed a spending bill he drafted by eliminating projects in their districts.
In 1995, Lewis attempted to slash the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency and add pro-business measures to a bill he drafted. The effort largely failed, but he won the respect of younger GOP conservatives. Lewis promised the steering committee Monday that he would move bills "on time and under budget."
In a letter to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Rogers asked for the speaker's support. "The appropriations process is broken and in dire need of repair," he said.
Rogers boasted that he had "raised and given" more than $5 million to GOP candidates. But several Steering Committee members questioned those figures during Rogers's presentation Monday, sources said.
According to PoliticalMoneyLine Inc., which tracks campaign spending, Rogers donated $396,500 of his campaign funds to the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2004, compared with $600,000 from Lewis and $320,000 from Regula. Separate political funds controlled by Lewis and Regula provided sums of $5,000 to more than a dozen state Republican parties, the records show, while a similar Rogers entity gave only to the party in South Dakota.
Republicans from Lewis's home state of California chair three other major committees: Ways and Means, Armed Services, and Rules. Lewis partisans noted that members from Regula's home state head the Administration Committee, the Education and Workforce Committee, and an Appropriations subcommittee.
Staff writer Charles Babcock contributed to this report.
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