Michaud bid fails for panel chair Californian to lead VA committee

PORTLAND – Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine has lost his bid for chairmanship of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

The Democratic House Caucus voted 112-69 Friday afternoon in favor of Rep. Bob Filner of California, the longest-serving Democrat on the committee. A day earlier, the Democratic Steering Committee had voted 24-20 in favor of Filner, but because of the closeness of the vote, Michaud invoked a rule that allowed for the full caucus vote Friday.

Michaud said that the two men share a similar agenda of improving health care for veterans but that there’s a contrast in style. He said he’s willing to reach out to Republicans, but said Filner tends to be more fiercely partisan.

“The style is dramatically different,” Michaud said. “I’m more of one who is going to reach across the aisle to find solutions to a lot of problems.”

The committee’s top Democrat, Illinois Rep. Lane Evans, who’s retiring because of illness, endorsed Michaud in a letter to incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Evans said Michaud focused a harsh and telling light on shortcomings in funding for medical facilities, counseling centers and assistance for the homeless.

Maine, with a population of 1.3 million, is home to more than 150,000 veterans. Lawmakers often hear from veterans who have trouble getting access to adequate health care and complain of long waiting lists and long drives to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital at Togus.

Calling his effort “an uphill battle,” Michaud, a former millworker and state lawmaker, acknowledged the difficulty in trying to leapfrog over four more senior members of the committee for the chairmanship.

He added, however, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”