Mass. delegation eyes power in US House

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts holds only nine of 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, but after eight years in the political wilderness the state’s all-Democrat delegation is suddenly playing an outsized role in both the leadership and palace intrigue of the incoming Congress.

Among the nine are two presumed committee chairmen, a rising star in the freshman class, another rising star on the Democratic Party leadership ladder, and a leader of an insurgent wing inside the Democratic Party.

All that and a Kennedy, too. One Massachusetts representative playing a critical role is Richard Neal, set to step into the role of chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Neal, who represents western Massachusetts, rose up the party ranks during his nearly three decades in office.

While the committee has a range of tasks – from tax policy to helping oversee Social Security and Medicare – Neal has also pledged to seek the release of President Donald Trump’s tax returns.

“Legally, it meets the law,” Neal said after the midterm elections last month. “I hope that the president would do this on his own.”

Jim McGovern, whose district includes Worcester, is also on route to chair an influential panel – the Rules Committee.

McGovern, first elected in 1996, has already indicated he would allow a House debate on marijuana laws. Massachusetts and other states have legalized the recreational or medicinal use of the drug.

Another Massachusetts representative moving up the Democrat leadership ladder has served for far fewer years.

Katherine Clark, first elected in 2013, has been elected vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, a post that could be a stepping stone to a higher rung on the leadership ladder.

Clark helped spearhead the party’s successful “Red to Blue” initiative that aimed at flipping seats in the midterm elections.

Clark said that as vice chair she’s eager to get to work “protecting Social Security and Medicare, improving access to affordable, quality health care, and ensuring equal pay for equal work.”