Huffman in September. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Democrats elected Rep. Jared Huffman on Tuesday to be ranking member on House Natural Resources next Congress, Nick writes.
Why it matters: Huffman will lead House Democrats' opposition to the Trump administration's public lands policy and become a top voice in the permitting debate.
Driving the news: Huffman was elected unanimously by the Democratic caucus after Rep. Melanie Stansbury withdrew from the race. He'll succeed Raúl Grijalva.
- He got the nod from the party's Steering and Policy Committee on Monday. Huffman called it "the honor of my lifetime."
- "My entire career has been centered around natural resources — from my time as an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council to the past 12 years serving on this committee," he said in a statement.
Democrats will also have a new face atop the House Agriculture Committee: Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota.
- Craig beat Rep. David Scott, per Axios' Andrew Solender. She said she's "ready to help us win back rural Americans."
