Menendez Stepping Down as Senate Foreign Relations Chairman (1)

Sen. Bob Menendez will step down as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with Democrats likely to turn to a seasoned lawmaker to replace him at a critical time for US foreign policy in eastern Europe and Asia.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Friday afternoon said Menendez “rightly decided” to “temporarily” relinquish the gavel after federal prosecutors handed down corruption charges against the New Jersey Democrat in the Manhattan-based Southern District of New York.

“Bob Menendez has been a dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey,” Schumer said. “He has a right to due process and a fair trial.”

Menendez also handed over ranking membership of the committee when he was the top Democrat in 2015 following the first round of indictments in a separate case that was later deemed a mistrial.

Suzanne Wrasse, a spokesperson for Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Friday morning said Risch wanted Schumer to decide Menendez’s fate “as soon as possible so the committee’s important work can go on uninterrupted.”

Senate Democrats’ internal rules dictate that chairmen of committees charged with a felony “immediately step aside in favor of the next most senior eligible Democratic member of the committee in question, who shall serve as acting chair.”

That would be Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who also filled in as ranking member of Foreign Relations in 2015. Cardin chairs the Small Business Committee and could give up that gavel to replace Menendez again. Cardin isn’t seeking re-election next year, and his term expires in January 2025.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is the leading contender to be acting chair of the Foreign Relations Committee

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

If Cardin opts against taking the Foreign Relations gavel, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) would be next in line. The former governor would be the first woman to ever hold the gavel of the storied panel. She could also fill in as chair of the Small Business Committee; she is third in seniority there behind Cardin and Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

The full Senate would likely need to approve any committee replacements on the floor, which is typically done by unanimous consent.

Both potential successors have elevated human rights in their legislative portfolio. Cardin co-authored 2012 Russian sanctions with the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) known as the Magnitsky Act (Public Law 112-208).

Shaheen has especially championed women’s rights and frequently leads the charge against the federal prohibition on funding of foreign non-governmental organizations that provide abortion services.

Neither Cardin or Shaheen have yet to comment on their plans.

Menendez’s ouster would muzzle a hawkish foreign policy voice as the Biden administration and a bipartisan majority of Congress seeks to rebut Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Menendez last week panned a US deal with Iran that swapped prisoners between the two adversaries and the release of $6 billion in Iranian oil proceeds to humanitarian efforts. He has also been a key obstacle to the sale of F-16 jets to Turkey.

Menendez in a statement Friday in response to the indictment highlighted his opposition to “dictators” in Iran, Cuba, and Turkey, “fighting against the forces of appeasement and standing with those who stand for freedom and democracy. I remain focused on continuing this important work and will not be distracted by baseless allegations.”

The chair of the Foreign Relations panel has a front-row seat to foreign arms deals the administration plans to make, and can set up hurdles or ease the sale of weapons to other countries. However, a formal opposition from Congress to weapons sales requires the adoption of a joint resolution that can draw a veto from the president.

Menendez set up a new legal defense fund earlier this year, according to public filings. Menendez’s legal defense fund isn’t required to disclose its donors until next month, campaign finance sources said.