Whether This Means Brighter Outlook For Missile Defense Programs Isn’t Yet Clear

The leading congressional critic of missile defense systems will leave the powerful post where she was able to push for drastic cuts in authorizations for some missile shield programs.

Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.) will leave her seat in Congress, where she is a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), to become under secretary of state for arms control and national security, she announced.

Tauscher, who chairs the HASC strategic forces subcommittee with jurisdiction over authorizations for missile defense programs, was congratulated on her move by members of the panel at a public hearing on space and security.

Who would succeed her in chairing the subcommittee is unclear at this point.

Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina is the next most-senior Democrat on the strategic forces panel. However, he already has a major challenge, being the House Budget Committee chairman.

A key Capitol Hill figure with intimate knowledge of the subcommittee said it is unclear at this point whether Tauscher’s departure will result in less likelihood of devastating cuts in some missile defense programs.

Two years ago, for example, Tauscher led a move to cut the authorization for the Airborne Laser from a requested $549 million to $149 million, and made deep cuts in enabling limits for other programs.

With Tauscher moving to State, that means a new Democratic lawmaker will become chairman, paralleling the change in the other party. The former ranking Republican on the subcommittee, Rep. Terry Everett of Alabama, retired rather than seek reelection, so the ranking GOP position was filled in the new 111th Congress by Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio.

Assuming her nomination goes through, Tauscher leaves Congress just after being elected in November to a seventh term in the House of Representatives.

Tauscher in the campaign last year supported Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady who lost her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination to then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. After winning the White House, Obama named Clinton to be his secretary of state. Thus, assuming the Senate confirms Tauscher’s nomination, she will end up working for Clinton.

"For the past 13 years, I have had the honor and privilege of serving … in Congress," Tauscher said. "Representing California’s 10^th Congressional District always has been and remains – especially in these trying times – my first priority," Tauscher said.

But a new opportunity arose, she added.

"Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton asked me to serve as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

"While her offer is both generous and flattering, I did not take the decision lightly. I accepted it after much soul searching and long discussions with my family and friends."

The new post would permit Tauscher to continue her work pressing for controls on nuclear arms, the congresswoman said.

"Keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists, making sure other countries do not obtain them and, one day, I hope, ridding the world of these terrible weapons, has become my passion and, I hope, my life’s work," she said.

To be sure, Tauscher noted that she won’t be leaving her congressional seat immediately.

"The confirmation process for senior posts in government is fraught with uncertainty and can take weeks, if not months," she said. Meanwhile, "My staff and I will continue to work on the issues and challenges facing the 10^th District and our nation."