Sanders ally to join Senate leadership team
Sen. Jeff Merkley — the only Democratic senator to back Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) presidential bid — will join Senate leadership next year.
The Oregon lawmaker announced on Monday that he will join incoming Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer's (N.Y.) expanded leadership team as Democrats' chief deputy whip.
“I am honored to join the leadership team and help carry the fight for good living wage jobs, a secure retirement, and opportunity for all Americans,” Merkley said in a statement.
He added that "now, more than ever, billionaires and special interests are looking to stack the deck in their favor at the expense of the rest of us. We have big battles in front of us, and I’m ready to fight for our vision of a ‘We the People’ nation."
Schumer rolled out a larger leadership team last month, putting Sanders in charge of outreach. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) were also added, ensuring the leadership team includes voices from the caucus's various factions as Democrats try to move forward from disappointing 2016 election results.
Merkley will also join the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expanding the panel's progressive wing.
The move will also put the Oregon senator at the heart of the upcoming fight on Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the State Department, as well as a looming showdown over allegations that Russia meddled in the U.S. election to help Trump.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/311078-sanders-ally-to-join-senate-leadership-team
= new reply since forum marked as read
Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
