Texas congressman Kevin Brady will be the new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
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The House Republican Steering Committee, which includes House GOP leadership and House members representing regions across the country, backed The Woodlands Republican to succeed Paul Ryan as the next chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the sources confirmed.
“I’m a pro-growth conservative advancing a pro-growth agenda”, Brady said. It won’t become official until the full House Republican conference signs off on his nomination at a meeting on Thursday morning.
Tiberi faced an uphill race for the seat, vying for the coveted committee slot against Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who had more seniority.
Before the steering committee made its endorsement Wednesday, Brady and Tiberi each gave presentations to the committee to make their best for the chairmanship.
This was the second time Brady ran for the slot – he pulled out just before voting began in a 2014 run against Ryan, who now serves as House speaker.
Brady cited tax reform, increasing jobs, and opening up new markets for US businesses through trade deals as his priorities for the chairmanship, as well as setting up Social Security and Medicare for the long term, and replacing the Affordable Care Act “with patient centered care”. Since helping to depose John Boehner, R-Ohio, as speaker, the rebellious House Freedom Caucus has demanded that the speaker’s influence on the Steering committee be weakened, and Ryan is considering still-undefined changes.
“I’m sure that carried a lot of weight”, Westmoreland told reporters.
One Steering committee member, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., said Ryan spoke up on Brady’s behalf.
“We’re going to play a crucial role in moving the big issues forward”, Brady said.
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The Ways and Means Committee has sweeping purview over a bevy of economic issues, including tax policy, entitlement programs, and trade legislation. “Don’t think this gets you out of doing the dishes though!”
