NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Dingell Announces Initial Whip Team for Energy and Commerce Committee Race

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI) announced the first round of the Whip Team for his re-election as Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“I am honored by the tremendous support of my friends and colleagues,” Dingell said. “The strength of our Caucus is our diversity, and I’m pleased that our initial Whip Team Members represent varying backgrounds, different points on the political spectrum, and different geographic regions. I look forward to continuing the Committee’s important work next year.”

Reps. Chet Edwards (TX-17), a Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees, Bart Stupak (MI-01), Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and Mike Doyle (PA-14), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, have been named co-chairmen of the Whip Team.

Stupak:
“I am confident that Chairman Dingell will remain at the Committee’s helm, which is exactly where we need him,” said Stupak. “There is simply no basis for challenging Chairman Dingell. In fact, there is a clear need to keep the gavel in Dingell hands. Dingell’s leadership and legislative-brokering skills are exactly what we need to bring about the change Americans demanded on Tuesday -- and precisely what Speaker Pelosi and President Obama are calling for.”

Doyle:
“When a Member runs for a Committee Chairmanship, he should have a strong case for why the current Chairman cannot or should not continue,” said Doyle. “There is simply no basis for challenging Chairman Dingell. In fact, there is a clear need to keep the gavel in Dingell hands, and I’m pleased by the strong support that Dingell has received in the last couple of days.”

Edwards:
“Next year presents our best chance to repair our broken health care system, protect Americans from unsafe food and drugs, address global climate change, protect our environment, and rebuild our struggling economy,” said Edwards. “Chairman Dingell is without question the most qualified Member of Congress to lead the Committee’s work.”

Additional Members of the initial Whip Team include Reps:

• Robert E. Andrews (NJ-1), Member of the Committee on Armed Services;
  
  
• John Barrow (GA-12), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce;
  
  
• Rick Boucher (VA-9), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality;
  
  
• Allen Boyd (FL-2), Member of the Committee on Appropriations and Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition;
  
  
• Kirsten E. Gillibrand (NY-20); Member of the Committee on Armed Services, Founder of the Congressional High Tech Caucus;
  
  
• Charles A. Gonzalez (TX-20), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus;
  
  
• Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology and member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce;
  
  
• Gene Green (TX-29), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee and Interim Chairman of the House Ethics Committee;
  
  
• Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD); Member of the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, and Leader of the Blue Dog Coalition;
  
  
• Baron P. Hill (IN-09), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and member of the Blue Dog Coalition;
  
  
• Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-2), Member of the Congressional Black Caucus and member of the Progressive Caucus;
  
  
• Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), Member of the Committee on Science and Technology, member of the Progressive Caucus, member of the Congressional Black Caucus;
  
  
• Jim Matheson (UT-2), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Chair of Blue Dog Coalition Energy Task Force;
  
  
• Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and member of the Blue Dog Coalition;
  
  
• Gary Peters (MI-9), newly elected member;
  
  
• Collin C. Peterson (MN-7), Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture;
  
  
• Mike Ross (AR-04), Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition;
  
  
• Bobby L. Rush (IL-1), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, member of the Congressional Black Caucus and member of the Progressive Caucus;
  
  
• Mark Schauer (MI-7), newly elected member;
  
  
• Heath Shuler (NC-11), Member of the Young Democrats, Speaker Pelosi’s “30 Something” Working Group and the Committee on Natural Resources;
  
  
• John S. Tanner (TN-8), Senior Member of the Blue Dog Coalition and member of the Committee on Ways and Means;
  
  
• Ellen O. Tauscher (CA-10), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition and member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure;
  
  
• Edolphus Towns (NY-10), Member of the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Energy and Commerce, and Congressional Black Caucus.

Additional members of Dingell’s Whip Team will be announced as appropriate.

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