House Majority Whip James Clyburn announced that Congresswoman Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, has been selected as a chief deputy whip for the Democratic Party House Majority during the 117th Congress. Sewell has served as a chief deputy whip since she was appointed in the 113th Congress in 2013.
“I proudly accept the honor of serving as a Chief Deputy Whip under the leadership of Democratic Whip James Clyburn’s for the 117th Congress,” Sewell said. “I am thrilled to continue working with this dynamic team and Democratic Leadership in the House to advance an agenda focused on providing for the lives and livelihoods of the American people during this unprecedented time in our nation’s history. As this public health crisis continues, I am confident we have the leadership necessary to meet the challenges for the American people that include crushing this virus, strengthening our economy, improving our nation’s infrastructure, and putting Alabamians back to work.”
“I am pleased that Terri will continue serving as Chief Deputy Whip in the 117th Congress,” Clyburn said. “Terri’s experience and work ethic will continue to serve the Whip team well as we face historic challenges and opportunities next year. I look forward to working with her in collaboration with the incoming administration to advance our legislative priorities.”
Clyburn announced ten total representatives who will serve as chief deputy whips in the 116th Congress, including North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield and Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who will serve as Senior Chief Deputy Whips; and Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee, Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy, California Rep. Jimmy Panetta, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Vermont Rep. Peter Welch as chief deputy whips.
It is the job of the whips to communicate between the Democratic membership and the Democratic leadership in the House so that Speaker Nancy Pelosi knows how the Democratic members in the House are going to vote. The whips also strongly encourage members of the Democratic majority to vote with the leadership and where possible work to address concerns of the members with pending legislation so that they can support that legislation.
The 116th Congress, which began in 2019, was the first Congress since 2010 that the Democrats had the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats were able to keep control of the House in the 117th Congress, which begins in 2021, but their majority has grown smaller, making the job of the whips both more difficult and more important as Democrats hope to advance the agenda of the Biden administration.
Sewell was just re-elected to a sixth term representing the 7th Congressional District.
