The recent Speaker fight made headlines due to a productive give-and-take among the Republican party. Yet, a bigger task faced the GOP afterward. Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) leadership committee began choosing who should chair and sit on various House committees. These assignments are instrumental in crafting, debating, and moving good legislation. That’s why several members made sure they secured their seats through concessions from McCarthy’s Speaker vote.
Before any committee assignments could be made, and even before the new Congress, McCarthy formed the Steering Committee which makes those decisions. This is made up of those in leadership and members who are chosen to represent regions of the country. McCarthy chose Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) to be the Majority Leader. Scalise was formerly Minority Whip working closely with McCarthy who was Minority Leader at the time, so continuing as second-in-command made sense. Other leadership positions were given to Reps. Tom Emmer (R-MN) as Majority Whip, Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as Conference Chair, and Gary Palmer (R-AL) as Policy Chair. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) who was nominated to challenge McCarthy as Speaker was given the title of Designee Speaker. The rest of the Steering Committee roles can be found here.
Afterwards, the Steering Committee began its selection process for chairs of committees. Typically, chairs are selected based on seniority, but they were faced with four contested chairmanships this year for the Budget, Education and Workforce, Homeland Security, and Ways and Means Committees. These four committees are essential to moving legislation regarding fiscal matters, taxes, schools, and immigration which are hotly debated topics within the Republican party. Americans are looking for conservative solutions to inflation, their child’s education, and the border crisis, so having the right members to chair these committees is key. Without too much political drama, the Steering Committee chose Reps. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) as Budget Chair, Virginia Foxx as Education and Workforce Chair, Mark Green (R-TN) as Homeland Security Chair, and Jason Smith (R-MO) as Ways and Means Chair.
Although Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)’s name was thrown into the Speaker’s race, he had already secured the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. He also passed legislation to create the Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government which will investigate how various agencies under the President’s directives have suppressed the rights of Americans. The recent Department of Justice targeting of Alabama Eagle Forum is one example of these aggressions. Several of the McCarthy holdouts were placed on that committee as well. They are Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-S.C.), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Victoria Spartz (R-IN).
Perhaps one of the most important committees over the next couple of years will be the Appropriations Committee. With Republicans having a small majority in the House and Democrats having a majority in the Senate, Republicans will have to find creative ways to pass good policy. One option is to put those policies in must-pass bills such as appropriations legislation that funds the government. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) was tapped to chair this committee despite on her disagreement with McCarthy’s concessions to cut defense spending. She is not alone in her assertions but will still have the task of cutting that spending domestically. If she needs a place to start, Sen. Rand Paul’s 2022 waste report is worth a read!
Historically, many present and past Freedom Caucus members have been slighted from receiving seats on these prominent committees. Thanks to the twenty conservatives who held the line during the Speaker fight, we have more representation in Congress. You can find information about all the committees, the members, and their legislation here.