LIST: The Republicans wielding the most powerful committee gavels of the new Congress
Virginia Aabram
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House Republicans will ratify its chairs for the standing committees of the new Congress on Tuesday, finalizing the GOP Steering Committee‘s picks made this week and late last year.
Many of the nominees were already the ranking Republicans on the committees, and only a handful of the gavels were competitively contested.
WHY ARE SCHIFF, SWALWELL, AND OMAR ON MCCARTHY’S HIT LIST TO LOSE COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS?
“Our committee chairs represent the very best of our conference, and they are ready to get to work on providing oversight and producing meaningful legislation that will take steps to reduce inflation, lower household energy costs, secure the border, support our police, keep our country secure, and put parents back in control of their children’s education,” House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) said in a statement.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) will lead the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for writing and assessing tax laws. Smith has been on the committee since 2014 and pursued the chair position instead of seeking election to the Senate.
The Financial Services Committee chairmanship is going to Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who was previously the ranking member. This committee oversees the entire financial industry, including banking, lending, investing, and housing.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will helm the Energy and Commerce Committee and was the ranking member during the 117th Congress. Prior to becoming the top Republican on the committee, she spent years in Republican leadership as conference chairwoman from 2013 to 2019.
The top spot on the Appropriations Committee, which drafts government spending bills, is going to Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), who was also the ranking member in the last session.
And Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), previously the ranking member, will chair the Judiciary Committee, which deals with matters of law enforcement and is responsible for considering impeachment charges against a sitting president.
The rest of the committees will be led by:
Agriculture — Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
Armed Services — Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL)
Budget — Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX)
Education and the Workforce — Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Foreign Affairs — Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX)
Homeland Security — Rep. Mark Green (R-TN)
Natural Resources — Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR)
Oversight and Accountability — Rep. James Comer (R-KY)
Rules — Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK)
Science, Space, and Technology — Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK)
Small Business — Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX)
Transportation and Infrastructure — Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO)
Veterans’ Affairs — Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL)
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Republican leadership will negotiate the party ratios on each committee with Democrats. The GOP is also adding two new select committees, one under the Judiciary Committee to investigate the “weaponization” of government agencies and another to investigate the U.S. relationship with China.
The GOP has also said it will keep several Democrats off committees in retaliation for Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) being stripped of their committee assignments at the start of the last Congress. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wants Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) off the Intelligence Committee and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) off the Foreign Affairs Committee.