J. Scott Applewhite/ASSOCIATED PRESS House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), the speaker-designate for the new Congress in January, talks to reporters on Tuesday. Representatives of 13 progressive organizations are hand-delivering over150,000petition signatures Thursday to the Capitol Hill office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), demanding that she appoint Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to the influential House Ways and Means Committee. The Steering and Policy Committee has decided on committee chairmanships but has yet to meet to discuss other senior roles, let alone the distribution of seats for rank-and-file members, according to a Democratic House leadership aide. That campaign took a public turn on Monday when the same coalition of progressive groups visiting Pelosi’s office on Thursday ― a contingent that includes Justice Democrats, Social Security Works, UltraViolet and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee ― came forward with specific demands. (Members of the money committees are limited to serving on those committees alone unless they receive a waiver from leadership.)

Source: Huffington Post December 20, 2018 03:00 UTC