Things are a changin’

In case you’ve been living under a rock the past couple years, America just had a midterm election, and the outcome will have a large impact on the way our country will be governed for at least the next couple of years.

In the Senate, Republicans picked up a few seats, which will change the ratios of Democrats to Republicans in committees.

The Senate Agriculture Committee lost two of its best Democratic members in the recent election—Sens. Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota and Joe Donnelly from Indiana. They were defeated by their Republican challengers in politically red states.

The two were not afraid to buck their party and often reach across the aisle to work with Republicans on a variety of issues. That bipartisan attitude is what Washington so desperately needs right now, and their absence will be greatly felt in the new year.

In exchange, Sen. Dick Durbin from Illinois will join the Democrat’s roster, taking away one seat.

As of press time, the list of Republican members of the Agriculture Committee had not been announced.

In an anticipated move, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey recently appointed Republican Congresswoman and Air Force combat veteran Martha McSally to fill the remaining term of Sen. John McCain, who died in August.

The seat was safely Republican all along, as it was also expected that Sen. John Kyl, who served in McCain’s absence for only a few months, just announced his resignation.

In November, McSally lost to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema by less than 2.5 percent. Now, they will be colleagues in the Senate, though who would be considered the senior senator will need to be decided.

On the other side of the Capitol, soon-to-be House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, a Democrat from Minnesota, will have his hands full schooling his new Democrat majority caucus on agricultural issues.

He has publicly said that he can no longer be the guy that his colleagues go to on certain agricultural policy issues—they have to learn things for themselves. Peterson said he wants to train other members to step into agricultural policy leadership roles when the time comes. What a great attitude.

With the farm bill behind us, the task is less arduous but still a tall order, as much of his new caucus is from suburban areas with no farm policy experience.

In addition to the legislative branch shakeups, the executive branch is experiencing changes.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has resigned. He has been wrapped up in multiple investigations into his travel and political endeavors for a while now.

On Twitter, he said, “I love working for the President and am incredibly proud of all the good work we’ve accomplished together. However, after 30 years of public service, I cannot justify spending thousands of dollars defending myself and my family against false allegations.”

As of press time, a replacement has not been announced.

Editor’s note: Seymour Klierly writes Washington Whispers for the Journal from inside the Beltway.