Byrd, 90, Resigns as Appropriations Chairman

Senator, rumored to be under pressure from Reid, will be replaced by Hawaii's Inoyue
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 7, 2008 3:58 PM CST
Byrd, 90, Resigns as Appropriations Chairman
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., will turn 91 later this month.   (AP Photo)

Robert Byrd resigned today as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, acquiescing to Democratic leaders who reportedly wanted him out of the job, the Hill reports. Byrd, 90, has been hospitalized three times in the past year, and said he was willing to leave the committee in younger hands—namely, those of 84-year-old Hawaiian Daniel Inouye.

“A new day has dawned in Washington, and that is a good thing,” Byrd said in a statement. “For my part, I believe that it is time for a new day at the top of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I will step away from the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee effective Jan. 6, 2009.”
(More Robert Byrd stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X