Roskam lands prime committee assignment

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, just now entering his second two-year term, landed a plum spot on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee today.

The seat, coveted by many in Congress angling for clout, gives Roskam a chance at crafting the GOP's input on the nation's tax, Social Security and Medicare policy.

Roskam, a Wheaton Republican representing the 6th District centering on DuPage County, will likely have the lowest seniority and will sit on the committee's minority side, said the congressman's spokesman. In the coming weeks, the committee is expected to have the first crack at penning President-Elect Barack Obama's proposal for sweeping tax cuts as part of his first major economic stimulus package.

Roskam's selection by House GOP leaders for the committee is a clear indication they see the former Illinois state senator as a rising star in the party.

Illinois lost its clout on the committee with the resignation of U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a Chicago Democrat, who signed on last year as Obama's chief of staff, and the retirement of U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, a south suburban Republican.

For 13 years, between 1981 and 1994, U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, a Chicago Democrat, chaired the committee before he had to resign during a corruption scandal that ultimately put him in prison.

U.S. Rep. Phil Crane, a Wauconda Republican, was on the committee and lost a bid at the chairmanship before Melissa Bean of Barrington unseated him in 2004.