Reps. Waxman, Dingell in power-sharing deal

Incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and the old bull he ousted from the post, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) have reached an unusual power-sharing arrangement.

Waxman will cede to Dingell the lead role in drafting health reform legislation, a major priority for congressional Democrats and the incoming Obama administration, the two lawmakers announced late Thursday afternoon.

{mosads}In addition, Dingell will retain a sizable staff, remain an ex officio member of each of the panel’s subcommittees and become “chairman emeritus” of the full committee.

“I am delighted that John Dingell and I will work as full partners on the committee and that he will serve as Chairman Emeritus,” said Waxman, who is giving up his chairmanship of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“I intend to be an active and enthusiastic leader on the committee and I appreciate the efforts of Chairman Waxman to partner with me as we move into the 111th Congress,” Dingell said in a statement that also explicitly acknowledged past disagreements between the two longtime rivals.

The deal appears to be meant as a signal to the party that the two strong-willed lawmakers are moving on from their high-profile battle. That could ease tensions as Democrats prepare for a very full legislative schedule in 2009.

Waxman and Dingell have butted heads in the past, particularly on issues related to energy and the environment, and some House Democrats have worried Waxman’s coup would create a rift among Democrats.

By giving Dingell the reins of the panel’s health reform efforts, Waxman may also be giving himself more room to pursue energy and environmental legislation with less resistance from his predecessor.

The committee’s membership was divided in the vote that propelled Waxman into the top post, with many remaining fiercely loyal to Dingell. Waxman defeated Dingell for the chairmanship in a 137-122 vote.

Dingell is longest-serving member of the House and commands such deep respect that his colleagues continued calling him “Mr. Chairman” even when Republicans controlled the Congress.

Waxman is closer with members of the liberal wing of the caucus and, crucially, to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Many saw the Speaker’s hand in Dingell’s ouster, but she never took a public stand in the fight.

After Waxman bested Dingell in a contest for the chairmanship last month, Dingell was weighing a bid to chair the panel’s Health Subcommittee, a post currently held by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), The Hill reported at the time.

While Dingell won’t get that formal title, he seems to have gotten much more: He will be the lead sponsor of the committee’s share of the House’s health reform bill and a lead negotiator with other House members, the Senate and the White House.

When President Clinton attempted national health reform in the 1990s, Dingell chaired the full committee and Waxman chaired the Health Subcommittee. The subcommittee also was the stage on which Waxman rose to national prominence during a series of hearings on the tobacco industry.