Wicker, Hyde-Smith retain key U.S. Senate committee assignments in next Congress

• Republicans will control the U.S. Senate come January 3rd when the 119th Congress is sworn in. Yet, the GOP is 7 seats from the desired 60-seat filibuster-proof threshold.

Incoming Senator Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, has released the committee assignments for his conference ahead of the start of the 119th Congress on January 3rd.

When the chamber convenes in the New Year, Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate – seven seats short of the desired 60-seat filibuster-proof threshold.

Two seats look to change occupants in the weeks ahead. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance will be sworn in as Vice President on January 20th while Florida Senator Marco Rubio could be confirmed as Secretary of State soon thereafter. The Governors of Ohio and Florida, both Republicans, are expected to appoint GOP members to those seats ahead of special elections.

A release from Thune’s office on Friday said the Senate committee assignments have been ratified by the Republican Conference and are expected to be ratified by the full Senate early next Congress.

Mississippi Senators’ Appointments

For Mississippi, Majority Leader Thune’s assignments will be key as both of the Magnolia State’s U.S. Senators will be in the GOP conference. Their influence related to Mississippi’s economy as well as its industrial base will continue to be important.

Recently re-elected senior Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, 73, is in line to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee, a role that will no doubt be welcomed by the state’s many military communities as well as defense contractors such as Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula.

Wicker will also continue to serve on the Commerce (a committee which he previously chaired), Environment and Public Works, and Rules committees. He has served in the Senate since 2007.

Mississippi junior Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, 65, will join Wicker on the Senate Rules Committee, while also serving on the Appropriations, Agriculture, and Energy committees. Hyde-Smith’s return on these committees, all of which directly impact Mississippi in a variety of ways, will help her continue to move up the ranks in the conference.

Hyde-Smith, who has served in the Senate since 2018, is up for re-election in the 2026 midterms. She said in recent weeks that she plans to seek re-election. Hyde-Smith is the first woman elected to federal office from Mississippi.

Other GOP Conference Notes

Joining Thune in the Senate Republican leadership will be Wyoming Senator John Barrasso as Majority Whip, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton as Conference Chair, West Virgina Senator Shelly Capito as Policy Committee Chair, Oklahoma Senator James Lankford as Policy Committee Vice Chair, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott as Senatorial Commitee Chair.

The GOP conference welcomes six new members to its ranks in the incoming Congress, having flipped four seats from Ohio, Montana, West Virginia and Pennsylvania this cycle.

Notably, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, 91, will continue to be the most senior member of the U.S. Senate in the 119th Congress, having served since 1981.

With the GOP now in the majority, Grassley will hold the title of President Pro Tempore of the Senate and be third in the line of succession to the presidency behind the Vice President and Speaker of the House.