Blog #4 -- Committees
Senator
Boxer currently serves on three committees: the standing Committee on
Environment and Public Works, the standing Committee on Foreign Relations, and
the Select Committee on Ethics.
Committee on Environment and Public Works
Boxer's position as the ranking
democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works provides her
with many important opportunities. The committee holds jurisdiction over many
issues such as environmental policy, air pollution, flood control, public
works, and even highways. This wide
environmental jurisdiction has allowed Boxer many opportunities for
credit-claiming. For example, Boxer's recent
remarks on the Clean Power Plan and the Clean Air Act explained the
necessity of such legislation especially for her own constituency in
California. Boxer cited the threat of worsening droughts and evidence of
exceptionally high temperatures in the region to illustrate how the
legislation, along with other efforts to act on climate change, was something
to be proud of.
Additionally, Boxer's
environmental jurisdiction has allowed her to even expand opportunities for
credit-claiming for other senators. The best example of expanding this
opportunity for credit-claiming has been the creation of the "Climate
Action Task Force", a coalition among senators created with the goal
of providing consistent votes and support to take action on climate change. The
group itself doesn't necessarily bind senators to acting a certain
way--instead, the group serves a purpose similar to a committee in that it
offers a very vague and noncommittal way for Senators to show their
constituencies that they're pushing for action.
Boxer's work on this committee
has provided her with opportunities for credit claiming; however, Boxer's
impending retirement makes it unlikely that this credit claiming is her
motivation for her work on the committee. The task force's expansion of credit
claiming for other senators that share many of Boxer's views on climate change
is a better example of the importance of Boxer's work because this expansion
makes easier for those senators to keep their seats and continue Boxer's work
on climate change.
Committee
on Foreign Relations
The senate committee on foreign
relations holds jurisdiction on a number of issues
dealing with international affairs such as diplomacy, international law, global
energy policy, and foreign aid. With the emergence of ISIS on the world stage,
the committee has dealt with a slew of information and legislation surrounding
terrorism and the potential for the use of US military force in the area.
Regarding terrorism,
Boxer's position on the senate committee on Foreign Relations has proven to be
an excellent source of credit-claiming as well. For example, the committee
voted on a somewhat limited authorization of military force against ISIS,
providing the opportunity for committee members to say they completed their
parts of the process despite
the fact that the chamber never reached a floor vote on that specific
authorization.
Committee
on Ethics
Boxer's work on the Senate Ethics
Committee has been somewhat atypical because of the nature of the committee.
Many of the issues that this committee handles, such as the
investigations of Sen. John Ensign or Rep. Tom Petri, are dealt with in a
typically private setting and don't frequently reach public awareness. The
private nature of the committee makes it difficult to see how it might benefit individual
senators; however, the presence of an ethics committee fosters a generally more
positive public image of congress as a whole, which could provide reason enough
to keep the committee around. Boxer, an experienced and retiring senator, is
one of the ideal people for her vice chairmanship on the committee because she can
afford the negative perception of being a watchdog or handling investigations
more privately whereas senators seeking re-election would have more reason to
avoid such negative perception of themselves.
