Chuck Schumer Allows Kyrsten Sinema to Keep Committee Assignments After She Dumps Democrat Party

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) permitted Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) to keep her congressional committee assignments after she announced Friday she will leave the Democrat party and become an independent.

“Senator Sinema informed me of her decision to change her affiliation to Independent,” Schumer stated in a press release. “She asked me to keep her committee assignments and I agreed. Kyrsten is independent; that’s how she’s always been.”

Sinema sits on four Senate committees: Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Veterans Affairs.

Despite Sinema leaving the Democrat party, Schumer said he believes she is a “good” and “effective” senator and that her departure from the party will not detract from the Democrats’ ability to operate the chamber with majority control.

“I believe she’s a good and effective Senator and am looking forward to a productive session in the new Democratic majority Senate,” he said. “We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power, and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes.”