Ohio Rep. Tubbs Jones makes History with House Ways and Means Post
by Gilbert Price
COLUMBUS, Ohio (NNPA)—There have been a number of influential Black women who have paved the way for Stephanie Tubbs Jones in Congress. Shirley Chisholm of New York was the first African-American woman to serve in Congress. Yvonne Braithwaite Burke of California was a key member of Congress for years. Maxine Waters was the first woman to head the Congressional Black Caucus, and remains a potent voice for African-Americans in Congress.
But in her fourth term in Congress, Stephanie Tubbs Jones has done something these talented, influential women—and all the other African-American women who served in Congress—had never done before: gain a seat at the table where the tax pie is divvied up.
Tubbs Jones was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, where she will immediately be looking at President Bush’s proposed $674 billion tax cut. The Ways and Means Committee is responsible for shaping the nation’s tax code. It is considered one of the most powerful committees in the House.
“I am pleased, proud, privileged and humbled that I have an opportunity to serve on Ways and Means,” Tubbs Jones said in an interview with The Call and Post.
Tubbs Jones’ selection caps a two-year bid to gain access to the committee, which has long been a preserve of men. Now, even though she is one of four African-American members of the committee, Tubbs Jones is the only Democratic female member.
Tubbs Jones’ selection to the panel was not without controversy. Originally, she and Max Sandlin of Texas were proposed by the Democratic Steering Committee to serve on the committee. But Republican leadership, who control the House, proposed the reduction of the committee by eliminating one Democrat and one Republican, and Jones was the odd person out.
Some in Washington had said that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas—who is viewed as the power behind the throne of House Speaker Dennis Hastert—was pushing for Tubbs Jones’ elimination from the committee, allegedly in order to reduce committee sizes.
But a fierce political battle ensued that held up floor discussion on other issues for several hours, until the Republicans relented and kept the committee the same size. One newspaper, the Capitol Roll Call, went to press the next day with its lead story titled, “Ways and Means Appointment Vanishes.”
But pressure from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who made the appointment, and ranking Ways and Means minority member Charles Rangel, D-New York, who leveled allegations of racism against the committee, pushed the leadership to maintain the committee at the same size.
One observer noted that the Republicans did not want to be tarred with charges of racism so soon after the remarks of Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, who had praised the 1948 presidential candidacy of outgoing Sen. Strom Thurmond.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the new Democratic leader,” Tubbs Jones said. “Nancy Pelosi stood tall and said, ‘Don’t you dare.’ I was so pleased [that] I had supported her as Democratic leader, and Democratic whip. She went to the wall for me, and I’m grateful.”
Tubbs Jones said that Pelosi is pushing for the inclusion of African-American members to key positions in the 108th Congress.
“I was pleased to be on the slate of the leader, where she recommended two people to sit on Ways and Means and two people to sit on Appropriations,” Tubbs Jones said, noting Sanford Bishop of Georgia’s appointment to the House Appropriations Committee. “There were four seats on two exclusive committees, and two African-Americans got two of those seats. And 50 percent ain’t bad.” In addition to Tubbs Jones and Rangel, the other African-American members of the Ways and Means Committee are John Lewis of Georgia and William Jefferson of Louisiana. All are Democrats.
Tubbs Jones also graciously applauded House Speaker Dennis Hastert.“He made the commitment, and ultimately he said, ‘We’re not going to keep this fight going,’” Tubbs Jones said. “I applaud him for being a man of his word and high character, and being willing to back off.”