While Congress is wrapping up its 112th legislative session by dealing with the fiscal cliff and Hurricane Sandy emergency funding, plans are already underway for the upcoming session, set to kick off tomorrow.

In local news, U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) has been named as the chair of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education under the House Committee on Appropriations.

Last year under its Republican leadership, the subcommittee worked to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), more commonly called ObamaCare, and tried to cut Planned Parenthood funding unless it ceased providing abortions.

If there are “trenches” in the figurative battle between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, they are inside of the House Appropriations subcommittees where funding for government programs is proposed.

“This legislation reflects our strong commitment to reduce over-regulation and unnecessary, ineffective spending that feeds the nation’s deficits and hampers economic growth,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers said in 2012 after introducing the yearly budget. “A careful look was given to all programs and agencies in the bill, with the budget knife aimed at excess spending and underperforming programs, but also with the goal of making wise investments in programs that help the American people the most.”

In other words, programs covered by the subcommittee like the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and Health & Human Services have seen a reduction in funding or a cap in funding levels as the Republican leadership looks for areas to cut spending.

Voters should likely expect more of the same from Kingston and his colleagues in 2013 with regard to cuts. Republicans, especially those in the House, have continually vowed to fight against ObamaCare and other spending as it deals with the budget, taxes and debt ceiling in the coming months.

Kingston has a well-established history of bucking gay rights in the House. He's against marriage equality, fought against the repeal of the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, and has a whopper of an HRC congressional scorecard ranking of ZERO percent.

But in this recent video of an interview with MSNBC's Chris Cillizza, Kingston seems to strike a conciliatory tone while discussing the fiscal cliff.

Top photo: Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.-1) via http://kingston.house.gov