Committee assignments begin to take shape for Mississippi members of Congress

Wicker Perlis, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·4 min read
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In Washington D.C., the makeups of congressional committees are beginning to take shape, and Mississippi members of Congress are finding out on which ones they will serve.

While all committee positions have not yet been filled, here is a glimpse of what committees members of Congress are confirmed to be serving on, and some that they are likely being considered for.

Michael Guest

Michael Guest (R-MS), who won the 3rd district Congressional race, holds an election party for the 2022 midterm elections at the Republican Party Headquarters in Jackson, Miss., Nov. 8, 2022.
Michael Guest (R-MS), who won the 3rd district Congressional race, holds an election party for the 2022 midterm elections at the Republican Party Headquarters in Jackson, Miss., Nov. 8, 2022.

Republican Michael Guest, of the state's third congressional district, will be chairing one of Congress' most revered committees: the House Ethics Committee. This is the body that conducts internal investigations of alleged impropriety by members of Congress. Guest became the committee's ranking member last summer, when the previous ranking member died.

With Republicans taking control of the chamber, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy again appointed Guest to the committee.

Guest has also been chosen by McCarthy to sit on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, ensuring that Mississippi keeps a spot on the committee that deals with federal spending. Steven Palazzo, who lost his Republican primary in June, had been on it previously.

"I'm honored to join a distinguished list of Mississippians who have served our great state on the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. I plan to devote sincere attention to the priorities of our great state and to tackle some of the most important issues facing our nation by using the power of the purse," Guest said in a statement.

Additionally, Guest was chosen to again sit on the House Homeland Security Committee.

While full appointments have not yet been made, Guest has previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Bennie Thompson

Democrat Bennie Thompson, who represents the second district, has lost the gavel on the homeland security committee, with Republicans taking control of the chamber, but he maintains the Democrats ranking member status. Thompson chaired the committee twice, once from 2007 to 2011, and again from 2019 to 2023.

Thompson also co-chaired the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol during the previous Congress. Thompson will lose his gavel on that committee as well, since it no longer exists. Thompson recently reflected on his time as its chair while he was a guest on fellow Rep. Jim Clyburn's podcast.

"To be in that role and be able to make it work, I think, says to Black boys and Black girls all over America that we all have our role to play, and we can make it work. It can't be done overnight. We have got to roll up our sleeves and participate in it," Thompson said.

Mike Ezell

A poll worker gives Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, the Republican candidate for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District, a voting sticker after he voted at First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
A poll worker gives Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, the Republican candidate for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District, a voting sticker after he voted at First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

Mississippi's newest member of Congress, Republican Mike Ezell of district four, has been appointed to two committees so far.

Ezell will join Thompson and Guest on the homeland security committee, and he will serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

"I'm honored to be selected to serve on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and the House Committee on Homeland Security. Both of these assignments will allow me to serve the people of South Mississippi and address the issues that matter to our communities," Ezell said in a tweet.

Trent Kelly

Maj. Gen. John "Trent" Kelly, of the Mississippi Army National Guard is also the Republican congressman for Mississippi's First Congressional District.
Maj. Gen. John "Trent" Kelly, of the Mississippi Army National Guard is also the Republican congressman for Mississippi's First Congressional District.

Trent Kelly, a Republican representing the first district who is also a major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard, has been appointed to the House Armed Services Committee, where he will chair the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces.

Kelly has previously served on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Intelligence, though the list of those serving on those committees for this Congress is not yet complete.

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith

Full Republican Senate committee assignments have yet to be released. Some chairships have been announced, and looking at past assignments for Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith can give observers a glimpse of what might happen.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (Tupelo-R) addresses residents of the south Delta gathered at a town meeting held in Rolling Fork to address the decades-long failure to install the Yazoo Pumps to mitigate flooding Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (Tupelo-R) addresses residents of the south Delta gathered at a town meeting held in Rolling Fork to address the decades-long failure to install the Yazoo Pumps to mitigate flooding Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022.

Roger Wicker is slated to become the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, while his time as ranking member of the commerce committee will be coming to an end. Wicker has also previously served on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Senate Rules Committee.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., speaks during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 11, 2021, on climate change.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., speaks during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 11, 2021, on climate change.

Cindy Hyde-Smith has previously served on a number of Senate committees, including the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Senate rules committee.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: See what committees MS members of congress will serve on