Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the House’s most powerful and far-reaching committees, will have a New Jerseyan at the helm for another two years.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), who represents New Jersey’s 6th congressional district, was unanimously chosen today to continue on as ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee for the 119th Congress. Pallone has been the committee’s top Democrat since 2015, and served as its chair when Democrats held the majority between 2019 and 2023.
“I look forward to continuing to work together to deliver for the American people, protect the progress we’ve made, and hold the incoming Trump Administration accountable,” Pallone said in a statement. “I am grateful to my Democratic colleagues for once again entrusting me to lead this Committee and look forward to getting to work.”
Pallone was first elevated to the ranking member role shortly after the 2014 elections, when he defeated Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-California) – the choice of then-House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi – 100 votes to 90 in an internal caucus vote.
The 73-year-old congressman hasn’t faced a serious internal challenge since that first vote, a streak that continued this year even as House Democrats have mutinied against other long-serving committee heads. At least three committees will be getting new ranking members next year following intense internal contests, but Pallone and the four other Democrats atop so-called “exclusive committees” – Ways and Means, Financial Services, Appropriations, and Rules – all won new terms uncontested.
During his four years as chairman, Pallone used the committee to advance a wide range of legislation related to health care, consumer protection, green energy, tech policy, and more. But with Democrats soon to be locked out of power again, Pallone will have to revert to the goals he had in 2017 and 2018: fighting against the Trump administration and the Republican majority.
He’ll also be working with a new Republican chairman; with current chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington) retiring from Congress, Republicans chose Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky), who currently leads an Energy and Commerce subcommittee, as their new leader.
“I will fight vigorously to defend all that we have accomplished together in recent years, including historic health care enrollment, lowering prescription drug prices, combating the climate crisis, and investing in American infrastructure and manufacturing,” Pallone said. “Committee Democrats will not back down from lowering everyday costs for American families, growing our economy, protecting consumers, and leading the clean energy transition. I’ll also continue to seek bipartisan consensus in order to advance meaningful legislation that will make a difference in the lives of the American people.”
Pallone is currently the only New Jerseyan in either chamber, and of either party, to be a committee leader. Former Senator Bob Menendez had been chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but he had to step down from that role last year after he was indicted on corruption charges; long-serving Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) chaired the Veterans’ Affairs Committee two decades ago, but he’s now a subcommittee head on the Foreign Affairs Committee instead.