U.S. Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-AL) will continue to serve as the top Republican on both the Senate Committee on Appropriations and its subcommittee on Defense.

With Democrats controlling the Senate, albeit with a 50-50 split, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is now chairman of Appropriations, taking the helm from Shelby.

Alabama’s senior senator is now vice chairman of the powerful committee.

In a joint announcement, Shelby and Leahy unveiled the Appropriations subcommittee assignments for the 117th Congress, which is set to expire on January 3, 2023.

Shelby will now serve as vice chair of the Defense subcommittee, after he had been serving as chair when Republicans were in the majority.

The history-making senator, who resides in Tuscaloosa, will also serve as a senior member of the following Appropriations subcommittees:

Energy and Water Development

Homeland Security

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies

Legislative Branch

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

This comes after Shelby on Monday announced he would retire at the end of his current term, which expires upon the conclusion of the 117th Congress.

Shelby and Leahy will also serve as ex-officio members of all Appropriations subcommittees on which they are not full members.

In two tweets on Friday, Shelby stressed his longtime friendship and working relationship with Leahy, as well as the bipartisan legacy of Appropriations.

“This committee has a record of working together to complete our bills. I am hopeful we can produce real results in a timely manner,” Shelby wrote, before congratulating Leahy. “Pat and I have a long-standing relationship built on trust and fairness. I look forward to continuing our work to fund national priorities in a bipartisan manner.”

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn