WASHINGTON -- Democrats assigned a heavy workload of six committee posts to incoming Montana Sen. Jon Tester on Tuesday but did not award him the Appropriations seat they promised last month would be his someday.

As the election grew close, the Senate Democratic leader had vowed to give Tester a spot on the Appropriations panel "as soon as possible." GOP incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns had made the federal dollars he delivered to Montana through his seat on the panel and his seniority a cornerstone of his campaign.

"We never really expected they would put him on in January," Tester spokesman Matt McKenna said Tuesday. "We continue to believe leadership will work hard to get him on the committee as soon as possible."

Tester does not know when that will be, McKenna said.

The freshman senator will have spots on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources; Homeland Security and Government Affairs; Veterans Affairs; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and Indian Affairs.

The farmer from Big Sandy does not have a seat on the Agriculture panel.

"Montana already has a senator on the Agriculture committee," McKenna noted. "Sen. (Max) Baucus and Sen. Tester will work hand-in-hand to make sure that Montana farm and ranch families are well represented in Washington."

Tester did not ask for the Banking spot, McKenna said, but did request Energy. "He is excited to get to work making Montana a leader in the effort to make America energy-independent," he said.

Tester said Democratic leaders told him he ranks dead last in seniority of all 100 senators. Seniority plays a role in committee assignments.

Baucus will take the chairmanship of the Finance panel and keep his spots on Agriculture and Environment and Public Works.

Meanwhile, Tester said he is in the "infancy" of hiring a staff. "The majority of them will probably be from Montana," he said.

In town for a four-day orientation program, Tester joined all his fellow Senate Democrats for the first time Tuesday morning to elect their leaders. The group also broke bread at their weekly party luncheon.

"You're looking around and seeing people you've seen on TV only," he said. "Trying to figure out who some of the folks were -- it was very respectful and collegial and positive. Lots of good energy."

Tester attended workshops with other newly elected senators on how to get his office up and running and on the chamber's rules and floor procedures.

"Their customs are a little different than they are in Montana but they're not significantly different," he said. "It's basically the same process. A few less votes, which is fine by me. I by no means know it yet. It's going to take more studying."

He made his first trip to the White House Monday night and briefly met President Bush.

"We had pictures taken with him," Tester said. "It was kind of like, 'Hi, I'm Jon Tester and my wife, Sharla.' We mentioned we were organic farmers from Montana. He said, 'We look forward to working with you on the farm bill.' "

The rest of the week will feature instruction on Senate ethics, communicating with constituents, safety and security on Capitol Hill, the chamber's history, managing the hectic schedule and working across the aisle.

Tester will return to Capitol Hill on Jan. 4 for a swearing-in ceremony. Congress then likely will recess again until Jan. 22, when it will launch its new session.

His wife is looking for an apartment, said Tester, who would prefer a place close enough to the Capitol to walk to work. "But if we've got to bring the Volkswagen up, we will," he said.

Of all features of his new life in Washington, the legions of photographers have struck him odd.

"The clicks every hundredth of a second, boom boom boom boom right down the line, is a little bizarre," he said. "Makes me want to be a camera salesman."