Byrd to step down as chairman of Appropriations Committee
US Sen. Robert C. Byrd, DW.Va., said he plans to step down as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee Jan. 6, citing health concerns.
While aides said that no senior Democratic senator is publicly talking about life in the Senate after Byrd, there are senior-level discussions among top aides over who would replace Byrd if he were to leave the Senate and how that would shake up current committee chairmanships.