Cox Reelected as House GOP Policy Chair

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday reelected Rep. Christopher Cox of Newport Beach to serve as their policy chairman, making him one of the most influential Californians in Congress.

Cox, however, still offered no word on whether he will run for the Senate in 1998, saying he will wait until returning to California for Thanksgiving before making an announcement.

“I guess I’ll have to say sometime soon,” Cox acknowledged right after House Republicans elected their leadership for the coming 105th Congress.

In the meantime, the Orange County lawmaker has been busy helping to organize House Republicans for the coming 105th Congress. As part of the GOP leadership, Cox plays an influential role in helping to make committee assignments to accommodate incoming House members.

As policy chairman for the House Republican Conference, Cox is charged with helping to establish his party’s positions on every aspect of domestic policy, foreign policy and national security.

“It’s an honor to be selected by my colleagues to continue to help lead this historic Congress and a privilege to serve,’ Cox said.

Cox also said he looks forward to advancing legislation that would provide for a binding one-page budget agreement between the president and Congress.

“That way we can get the president to agree on the big picture and then get down to the details,” Cox said. “And we would avoid government shutdowns by freezing government spending to prior year levels, if an impasse occurs.”

Cox has been working on such a proposal ever since he was first elected to Congress eight years ago, but he thinks this Congress may provide the best chance for its passage.