Bingaman, Udall have busy first day in the majority

Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall had a busy first day in the new session of Congress that began Thursday with the election of the first woman to the position of speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Like all others who won in November the right to keep (or hold for the first time) their offices, Bingaman and Udall were sworn in Thursday at the start of the 110th Congress.

As Democrats took control of the Senate, New Mexico’s Bingaman took the chairmanship of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, but pledged cooperation with the man he replaced, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, and all Republicans.

“The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has a strong tradition of bipartisan accomplishment that I plan on continuing in this new Congress,” Bingaman said in a speech on the Senate floor, according to a news release. “I look forward to working with my colleague, Senator Pete Domenici, and all the members of the committee as we forge an effective path forward to promote our energy and energy-related environmental security.”

In the release, Bingaman said his priorities for the new Congress will be energy independence, affordable health care, America’s competition in the global marketplace and bringing American troops home from Iraq.

“The only way we’ll be able to make any progress on any of these issues is to work across party lines,” he said.

Northern New Mexico’s Udall, who is in the majority in the House for the first time in his career, had already been granted a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee. On Thursday, he was given assignments on the Interior and Environment Subcommittee, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee and the Legislative Branch Subcommittee.

“I look forward to the challenges of my new subcommittee assignments, through which I will continue to fight for our shared priorities, like assisting our veterans, improving access to health care, making education more affordable, and protecting our natural resources,” Udall said in a news release.

Udall’s first vote in the majority was in favor of strong ethics rules changes for House members which, according to the New York Times, were unexpected and put pressure on the Senate to do much more than it had planned in order to match the changes in the House.

The new House rules prevent members from accepting almost all gifts, in addition to meals and trips from lobbyists or the organizations they represent, and also put in place several other safeguards.

“As I travel the district, many New Mexico families are worried about special interests taking over the people’s business in Washington,” Udall said in another new release. “I promised to make ethics a priority and am proud that my first vote in the 110th Congress was to make this Congress the most ethical Congress in history. It’s time hardworking families come first and special interests last.”

I’ll be in Washington, D.C. later this month and will meet with Bingaman and Udall to discuss what Democratic control of Congress will mean for the nation, and I’ll report to you afterward. In the meantime, check out this interview Udall gave to PoliticsTV about the new session: