Will resign in January??

Cochran's future in the Senate in doubt

The Appropriations Committee chairman hasn't presided over a hearing in months, and speculation is growing he will resign in January.

By JOHN BRESNAHAN

Sen. Thad Cochran, chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, hasn’t presided over a hearing since early September. The Mississippi Republican has not given a speech on the Senate floor all year, and he’s introduced only two bills during that time, both of them minor.

To the extent that Cochran weighs in on any issue, it's in the form of an official statement from his office or the appropriations panel. He has stopped meeting with anyone about substantive committee business, including other senators or House members, according to several sources familiar with his activities. Cochran’s aides deny this is the case.

The 80-year-old’s feeble performance has fueled expectations — among senators and aides who’ve witnessed his physical and mental decline firsthand — that Cochran will step down from the Appropriations chairmanship early next year, or resign from the Senate altogether.

“The understanding is that he will leave after Jan. 1,” said a Republican senator who serves on the Appropriations Committee. “That’s what most of us believe will happen.”

A spokesman for the Mississippi Republican said Cochran hasn't divulged his plans.

“Sen. Cochran has not made any statements regarding leaving office. He continues to do his work for Mississippi and the nation,” Chris Gallegos, said.

Some sources in contact with Cochran's office believe that he might stay until a major government spending bill is completed, which might happen in January or February.

The concerns about Cochran come at a sensitive time for Senate Republicans. Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee and former GOP presidential nominee, is undergoing treatment for brain cancer and has returned to Arizona to spend the holidays with his family. Democrat Doug Jones, who scored a stunning upset in the Alabama Senate special election this month, will soon cut the GOP majority to 51-49.

And with President Donald Trump sliding in the polls, what had looked like a chance for Republicans to pick up Senate seats in 2018 has now turned into a battle to simply retain control of the chamber. If Cochran resigns or retires, Mississippi would have two Senate elections in November; incumbent GOP Sen. Roger Wicker is also up for reelection. Republicans would be heavily favored to hold both seats in the conservative state.

Gallegos also said there is no new information on whether Cochran will continue as chairman of the appropriations panel. He used the same formulation in his response that the senator's staffers employed for months in fending off questions about their boss’ health.

“He has not made any statements about relinquishing his chairmanship,” Gallegos said.

When asked about why Cochran has stopped meeting with senators or members about committee business, Gallegos said, “Sen. Cochran continues to meet with constituents, advocates and administration officials, including those related to his work on the committee. Many of these meetings have been related to defense appropriations.”

Gallegos pointed to Cochran’s Twitter account as proof of this statement. The account includes pictures of Cochran shaking hands with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and King Abdullah II of Jordan in recent weeks, among others.

Cochran was absent from the Senate for several weeks during September and October due to a urinary tract infection. His wife, Kay Bowen Webber, makes $165,000 as an executive assistant in his office, according to Senate disbursement records.

If Cochran steps down in 2018, Gov. Phil Bryant (R) would appoint a replacement for him, with a special election to fill the rest Cochran’s term taking place in November, the same day as the regularly scheduled election for the seat held by Wicker. If Cochran leaves office before the end of this year, the special election would take place within 100 days, according to Mississippi law.

GOP sources said they've been hoping Cochran doesn't resign or retire before next year to avoid a quick special election.

Potential appointees to replace Cochran, according to Mississippi political insiders and news reports, include Rep. Gregg Harper, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, among others.

Chris McDaniel, a state senator who lost to Cochran in a bitter 2014 primary, is considered a leading candidate for the seat as well. McDaniel, however, might challenge Wicker or run for lieutenant governor, he said in an interview.

“My hope is that he’s healthy and happy, I just want to see him back to his normal self,” McDaniel said of Cochran, adding that he didn’t want to speculate on whether a Senate seat would come open soon. “There’s just no way to know for sure what will happen.”

“Whatever he does, I still have to prepare for a race,” McDaniel added. “If I run against Wicker, the race is in June. If there is an open seat, the race is in November. If I run for lieutenant governor, that race is in 2019."

The Senate Appropriations Committee has limped ahead in Cochran’s absence. The panel approved two continuing resolutions to keep the government funded, as well as two disaster aid packages.

A Cochran aide noted that any subcommittee chairman can call for hearings, adding that the panel's work typically slows in the fall. There have been two subcommittee hearings on opioids in recent months.

However, Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.), the No. 2 Republican on the panel, is effectively serving as chairman, according to numerous senators and GOP staffers. Shelby is expected to take over if Cochran steps aside.

Shelby declined to discuss Cochran or his own role on the panel.

Both the House and Senate have been forced to replace aging or sick committee chairmen in the past, an extraordinarily delicate undertaking. Few of these senior lawmakers easily give up their powerful posts: The decision affects not only them but their home states and districts, as well the network of lobbyists and consultants who rely on their patronage.

The late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) voluntarily gave up his gavel at the Senate Appropriations Committee in November 2008. Byrd was 91 and faced questions about his health and ability to manage the panel.

The late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) stepped down as chairman of the Armed Services Committee in 1997, when he was 95 years old. And former Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), at age 82, was ousted as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee by the now-retired Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman.