Walter B. Jones, R, NC 3 gets dumped from a major House committee | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    Kenny Rogers sang in "The Gambler" that "you've got to learn to play the game ... You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table, There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done."

    Rep. Walter B. Jones, Jr has been disciplined by the House leadership by kicking him off the House Financial Services Committee. Financial Services is considered one of the most important committees in Congress and is a highly sought after slot. It oversees legislation related to banks and investment institutions. The Committee's website says:
3rd District Congressman Walter Jones: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    The House Financial Services Committee has jurisdiction over all issues pertaining to the economy, the banking system, housing, insurance, and securities and exchanges. Additionally, the Committee also has jurisdiction over monetary policy, international finance, international monetary organizations, and efforts to combat terrorist financing.

    The Committee oversees the Nation's economy through its oversight of the Federal Reserve Board and individual reserve banks, the Treasury, the production and distribution of currency, and the Nation's capital markets.

    Agencies under oversight by the Committee include: the Federal Reserve, Treasury, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Export-Import Bank.

    Capitol Hill observers say that the Financial Services Committee is considered a plum appointment in part because its members are in position that attract heavy-hitter in the fundraising that goes on in Washington. The committee attracts abundant attention from lobbyists with deep pockets working for banks and financial interests.

    Roll Call reports that Jones was bumped because of his voting record of going against the Leadership's positions on nearly a third of the bills reviewed. Jones has one of the most liberal voting records of any Republican in the House. He recently won re-election by a wide margin and some observers see the actions are a warning "shot across the bow" that he will be shunned in his own party unless he improves his voting record of voting with the leadership on major issues. The move is also seen as a message to other renegade House members who might be tempted to buck the leadership.

    Jones has a very weak record of getting legislation through Congress. He has been in the House long enough to have enough seniority to even be included in the leadership but he has no major appointments to committee chairmanships. Thus, some question his effectiveness as a representative.

    Capitol Hill observers also note that being at odds with the leadership also present a problem in staffing a Congressional office. Many of the best career staffers are disinclined to work with an office that is in conflict with the leadership. That hurts he representative, particularly in providing effective constituent services.

    Second term Representative Rene Ellmers from North Carolina's second district depicts the opposite picture than Jones. Ellmers has been a strong supporter of the House leadership and was recently appointed to the prestigious House Energy and Commerce Committee. That committee is viewed as one of the most powerful in Congress. According to a press release from Ellmers it: "it has responsibility for the nation's telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality, energy policy, and interstate and foreign commerce. It oversees multiple cabinet-level Departments and independent agencies, including the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, Commerce, and Transportation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission."