Currently,
Senator Landrieu’s highest-ranking position is serving on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations as the chair of the
subcommittee on Homeland Security. The committee is in
charge of supplemental spending bills that are necessary in times of natural
disaster or military intervention. This chair position is a key tool for
Landrieu to draft pro-Louisiana legislation during times of natural disaster,
such as, Hurricane Katrina.[1]
Ironically, Senator Landrieu fell under fire in February when the Huffington Post published an article revealing that
Landrieu currently owns over $1,000 in tax penalties on her Washington D.C.
home. The Senator who recently claimed that the government must bring in more
tax revenues seems to not be prescribing to her own medicine. The more ironic
portion of the story is that Landrieu, besides servicing on the Senate Appropriations
Committee, also serves on the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affair that oversees the District of Columbia’s government
management and efficiency.[2]
Other subcommittees that Landrieu serves on within the Committee on
Appropriations include: Subcommittee
on Energy and Water Development, Subcommittee
on Financial Services and General Government, Subcommittee
on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Subcommittee
on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies, and Subcommittee
on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
Landrieu
also chairs the U.S. Senate Committee
on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The committee is in charge of studying
issues relevant to American small business enterprise. Landrieu considers
herself a champion of small business and entrepreneurship and was awarded the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Enterprise Award in 1999.[3]
Currently the committee is dealing with bills that will help small businesses
recover after natural disasters. Landrieu has an important stake in this legislation
due to Louisiana’s propensity to be hit by natural disasters and having to deal
with the recovery efforts. Landrieu considers small businesses the backbone to
the nation and considers herself a champion of small business.[4]
She
currently serves on U.S. Senate Committee
on Energy & Natural Resources. Landrieu uses this seat to move the United
States towards cleaner fuel sources and energy independence. In 2006, Landrieu
used her position on the committee to pass the Gulf of Mexico Energy
Security Act. The legislation will, among other things, grant her home state of
Louisiana over a third of revenue share for offshore drilling in their area.
The money will be set aside for costal restoration and hurricane protection and
repair.[5]
Although Landrieu’s personal website touts her “clean energy” stance, the New
Orleans branch of NPR recently published an article showing Landrieu taking a contrary
position in regard to the Keystone XL Pipeline. An important issue
that will come before her committee, Landrieu has become a key backer of the
legislation. The pipeline would transfer oil from Canada to Texas and her home
state of Alabama.[6] Personally,
I think she would not support the legislation if a vote no would not constitute
political suicide.
Within the Committee on Energy & Natural Resources Landrieu serves
on the Subcommittee
on Energy, Subcommittee
on National Parks, and Subcommittee
on Public Lands and Forests.
The
final committee that Landrieu serves on is the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs. The committee is a catchall category in charge of overseeing the
senate. Its issues range from monitoring the efficiency of government
department agencies to studying intergovernmental relationships.[7]
Senator Landrieu serves on the
Subcommittee
on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District
of Columbia and Ad
Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and
Integration. She is the chairwoman on the Ad
Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery. Again, her memberships on these
subcommittees are a result of the Senator’s position on disaster relief that
was prompted after Hurricane Katrina devastated her region.
[1] http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/?p=committee_assignments
[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/landrieu-property-taxes_n_2718196.html
[3] http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/?p=committee_assignments
[4] http://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=4214f281-3691-4fa2-9b02-e5fb0f2537d2&ContentType_id=4bfd610b-f7c6-4d07-9c74-7aab32dd9838&Group_id=a0875950-96ae-4d28-900d-2ee01f3cbe57
[6] http://www.wwno.org/post/senator-landrieu-backing-keystone-pipeline
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