McConnell grants Kansas’ Roger Marshall his wish, a seat on Senate Agriculture panel
Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall has landed a seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, fulfilling a promise he made during his campaign.
Marshall’s GOP predecessor, former Sen. Pat Roberts, chaired the committee for his final six years in office. Marshall’s assignment ensures farm-heavy Kansas will maintain influence on the panel that sets agriculture policy, even as the Senate shifts to Democratic control.
The freshman senator’s decision to join the failed effort to overturn the election — against the advice of GOP leadership — had raised concerns that Marshall damaged his relationship with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other key Republicans.
McConnell-linked groups spent millions on Marshall’s behalf during both the 2020 primary and general election. The GOP leader warned members against trying to block certification of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
But if Marshall’s defiance caused any friction with McConnell, it didn’t affect his committee assignments.
McConnell announced Wednesday evening that Marshall would take Roberts’ seats on both Agriculture and the Senate HELP Committee, which oversees health, education, labor and pensions.
“Agriculture is the largest industry for the Kansas economy, and this assignment will give Kansas a voice at the table to help ensure our farmers, ranchers, and producers remain profitable and our rural communities prosperous,” Marshall said in a statement.
Marshall, who served on the House Agriculture Committee, enjoyed significant support from agriculture groups during his Senate run and was elected partly on the strength of the rural vote.
His assignment was immediately applauded by industry groups, which wielded strong influence during Roberts’ tenure.
“Kansas has a history of strong leadership in Washington, D.C. and is looking forward to continuing that tradition with Doctor Marshall,” said Justin Knopf, the president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.
In anticipation of his committee assignments, Marshall met this week with Tom Vilsack, Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Agriculture, and participated in the confirmation hearing for Miguel Cardona, Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Education.
Marshall’s questions to Cardona focused on reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and the senator’s concerns about transgender students’ participation in school sports.
Kansas will have two seats on the HELP Committee as Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran was also added to the panel, a request Moran made because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moran will remain on his other five committees, including his seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and his spot as the top Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Marshall has also landed positions on the Senate Small Business Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, an assignment that could be important in a state where both oil wells and wind farms are plentiful.
McConnell also did not penalize Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, who led the effort to challenge Biden’s win in the Senate.
Hawley retained his positions on the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees despite Democratic calls after the Jan. 6 riot for his removal from the two panels, which respectively oversee the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.
Hawley’s critics say he helped cause the chaos with his public statements leading up to the insurrection. But the only committee Hawley lost in the reorganization was his position on Special Committee on Aging.
Hawley and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who also kept his seat on the Judiciary Committee, face an ethics complaint from seven Senate Democrats related to their behavior in the days ahead of the riot.
The Senate Ethics Committee has not taken action against a senator in 14 years.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 10:43 AM with the headline "McConnell grants Kansas’ Roger Marshall his wish, a seat on Senate Agriculture panel."
