Rep. Kay Granger to step down as House Appropriations chair

• Granger, 81, announced last fall that she would not seek reelection for her congressional seat.
• She is the first Republican woman to lead the House Appropriations Committee.

The intrigue: Her exit tees up a race for the coveted gavel, with Appropriations members speculating Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) are likely to hop into the race.

• Multiple members of the Steering Committee said Cole is the frontrunner to be Granger's replacement.
• If Cole is tapped by Steering for the role, the speaker would be tasked with selecting his replacement to head the Rules Committee.

The big picture: The shakeup comes as the House Appropriations Committee begins its work on next year's appropriations bills following a struggle to get this year's over the finish line.