The addition of Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) to the powerful House Appropriations Committee increases the clout of New Jersey in the newly-organized 116th Congress.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) chairs the House Energy & Commerce Committee, one of the most influential panels on Capitol Hill.
Three other New Jersey congressmen are expected to become subcommittee chairs: Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) is in line to chair the Ways and Means subcommittee on Trade; Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York) will head the Foreign Relations subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere; and Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark) will lead the Homeland Security subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communication.
The lone Republican in the New Jersey delegation, Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton), chaired the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Right and International Organizations. He is expected to return to that post as the Ranking MInority member.