Democrats Take House; Subpoenas to Follow? Several aggressive critics of the Bush administration are in line to head key House committees after Democrats won a majority in Tuesday’s elections. With a Republican in the White House and control of the Senate undecided at press time, Democratic legislative initiatives may not go anywhere, but party leaders have said they plan to step up congressional oversight of administration policies. Among those expected to be chairmen in next year’s congressional session: *Rep. Henry Waxman (CA), Government Reform Committee. The committee has jurisdiction over procurement issues and Waxman has been a leading critic of contracting in Iraq and in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. He told the Wall Street Journal he would target waste, fraud and abuse in procurement as well as what he called “profiteering.” *Rep. Ike Skelton (MO), Armed Services Committee. The committee produces the annual defense authorization bills that set Pentagon acquisition policy. He has harshly criticized the Bush administration’s handling of postwar Iraq. *Rep. John Murtha (PA), Defense Appropriations subcommittee. The panel writes the defense budget. Murtha has indicated he may seek a post in the House leadership. The former Marine was among the first to call for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. *Rep. Nydia Velazquez (NY), Small Business Committee. A firebrand critic of the Bush administration’s policies toward small business, she is a passionate defender of the 8(a) program and has resisted efforts to give other socioeconomic groups equal priority in procurement. *Rep. Bennie Thompson (MS), Homeland Security Committee. He has said he would step up oversight of the hurricane recovery. In an interview with the Washington Times he lamented that the committee under Republicans had “not issued one subpoena.” Before Democrats take over the House in January, the lame-duck Congress will spend the rest of this month dealing with 10 appropriations bills for the 2007 fiscal year that began October 1. The Senate has passed only two spending bills, for defense and homeland security.