Rep. Tom Cole’s expected ascension to the full Appropriations Committee gavel next week would open up the coveted Transportation-HUD Subcommittee chairmanship, triggering a potential domino effect among the panel’s dozen cardinals, as subcommittee chairs are known.
The early betting among appropriations watchers is that Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., is favored to slide over into Cole’s seat — assuming the GOP conference ratifies the Oklahoma Republican, who is currently running unopposed, next week as full committee chairman.
No decisions have been made and Womack wasn’t commenting on his subcommittee intentions Thursday. But the “T-HUD” panel is an attractive perch.
