They are now among the most powerful women in Congress. But when they were first elected in the 1990s, they were often overlooked, or even talked down to. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, remembers that men would avoid asking her questions, addressing other men in the room instead. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., says a male colleague once challenged her at a hearing to describe a military tank engine produced in her district without looking at her notes. (She shot back: "Damn straight I can!") Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says that one of the first times she chaired a committee hearing, she looked around the room and realized she was the only female senator there. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., recalls being seated on the far edge of the committee dais, with the more senior men making the decisions in the middle. "I remember finally just standing up at the end of the table going, 'Excuse me!' Because you couldn't get their attention," Murray says. "Everything was decided in the middle of this table. I think it's pretty amazing that we're at the middle of the table now." This year, for the first time in history, the four leaders of the two congressional spending committees are women. Granger is chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, while DeLauro is the top Democrat; Murray is Senate Appropriations chairwoman and Collins is the top Republican.
They are now among the most powerful women in Congress. But when they were first elected in the 1990s, they were often overlooked, or even talked down to.
It’s the first time the four leaders of the two congressional spending committees are women. Sitting down for their first joint interview, along with Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, the women say their camaraderie and willingness to collaborate will be crucial this year.
A string of historic bipartisan victories during the last Congress — including an update of the Electoral Count Act and transformational investments in infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, veterans protections and energy transitions — demonstrate that Congress really can work in a bipartisan and productive manner for the American people.
