New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who changed parties to become a Republican after voting against the impeachment of President Trump, is the second lawmaker to lose his seat on the House Agriculture Committee in a year. The other was anti-immigrant Republican Steve King of Iowa.
House Democrats canceled Van Drew’s assignments to the Agriculture and Natural Resources committees on Tuesday because of his change in political allegiance. The decision created a vacancy for the party to fill on the Agriculture Committee. Van Drew’s name and photo no longer appear on the list of committee members. House Republicans have yet to appoint Van Drew to panels.
“The steering committee will meet next week, and we should know in about a week what our assignments will be,” responded a Van Drew aide when asked if Van Drew wanted to return to the Agriculture Committee.
For the moment, Van Drew is among four representatives, other than members of House leadership, who do not serve on a committee, according to House data. One of them is King, who is running for re-election. House Republicans stripped King of his committee assignments in the wake of a New York Times interview in which he questioned why the language of white supremacy had become offensive.
Also without committee assignments are Justin Amash of Michigan, a Republican who became an independent last year after supporting the impeachment of Trump, and Republican Duncan Hunter of California, who has resigned effective Jan. 13. Hunter pleaded guilty last month to misuse of campaign funds.
Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally on Jan. 28 in Wildwood, near Cape May, in Van Drew’s district in southern New Jersey.