Sen. Thune takes over gavel from new full committee chair Sen. Wicker

Senate Commerce Committee leaders have set the leadership and membership of the various subcommittees.

The announcement came from new chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

As expected, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who had to give up his chairmanship of the full committee to former Communications Subcommittee chair Wicker, will trade places and chair the Communications Subcommittee.

Traditionally most of the communications heavy lifting has been done in the full Committee--in contrast to the House side--but it was more active under Wicker and Thune is expected to continue that trend given his former post.

Sen Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) will remain ranking member of the subcommittee in the new Congress.

Republican (majority) members of the subcommittee are: Sens. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.); Roy Blunt (Mo.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee, (Utah), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Todd Young (Ind.).

Sen. Blackburn brings a lot of experience on the communications front from her former post as chair of the House Communications Subcommittee, which is now headed by Democrat Mike Doyle (D-Pa.).

Democratic (minority) members of the subcommittee are Sens. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Gary Peters (Mich.) Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), John Tester (Mont.), Tom Udall (N.M.).