U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway had lunch with a room full of agriculture leaders from across West Texas Saturday during a stop at San Angelo's Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in what he termed a grassroots listening session.

A special congressional committee, headed by Rep. Rob Andrews (D., N.J.), is beginning an investigation of the Defense Department's troubled procurement process with a mandate to trim wasteful spending.

"We're going to follow this inquiry where the facts lead us," Andrews said. "There's a bipartisan consensus that there's a problem here."

As their party's influence wanes, Republicans serving West Texas said new committee leadership posts will allow them to continue working for their constituents.

San Angelo's congressman, Rep. Mike Conaway, scored his first leadership post on a committee. The Midland Republican was tapped to serve as the ranking Republican on a subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee that deals with specialty crops and rural development.

From Clear Channel to Texas Instruments, employers are hemorrhaging jobs. Will the stimulus bring them back?

The House's passage Wednesday of an $819 billion stimulus raises hopes that the massive package will speed the recovery from a recession whose victims now include Texas.

The mood was almost jubilant in the 747 carrying former President George W. Bush back to Texas on Tuesday with family members, politicos and former presidential pooches Barney and Miss Beasley along for the ride.

U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, a close friend of Bush, was with Bush when he flew out of the nation's capital just a few hours after the end of a presidency some say was marked by mistakes and growing unpopularity.

That probably was not the opinion of the intimate group on the plane with Bush.