WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., has told colleagues that he intends to become the next chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which would require him to forgo a crowded GOP primary for a unique available Senate seat.
Smith, the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, is set to announce his candidacy for a sixth term serving his southeastern Missouri House district in a video on Wednesday.
According to NBC NEWS, Smith’s choice will put him against two other senior GOP members of the Ways and Means Committee, Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Vern Buchanan of Florida, who are already fighting for the chairmanship of Republicans retake the House in November’s midterm elections.
One of the most influential and valued positions in Congress is the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee. All taxes, tariffs, and trade concerns, as well as Social Security, Medicare, and welfare programs are under the committee’s authority.
A tight contest to lead the committee is forming as a result of two important departures from the House.
Kevin Brady of Texas, the senior Republican on Ways and Means, is retiring after 13 stints on the committee. He headed the committee throughout the passage of the 2017 tax reform law. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., the legislator widely expected to follow him, quit Congress into becoming CEO of former President Donald Trump’s new media venture.
The Steering Committee, directed by Republican member Kevin McCarthy of California, selects Republican committee members. Smith claims to have talked with a large number of participants of the Steering Committee.
Jason Smith has been considering a run to succeed retiring Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., for the last year, even recruiting former Trump campaign advisor Bill Stepien as a consultant. However, at least a half-dozen Republicans have entered the Senate campaign, including two of Smith’s House colleagues, Billy Long and Vicky Hartzler, as well as former Gov. Eric Greitens and state Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
Smith would have been taking a risk by entering a field with so many high-profile competitors. Instead, he’ll have a far better chance in the House, where Republicans are expected to flip at least 5 seats and retake control.
Since January 2021, Smith, 41, has served as the leading Republican on the Budget Committee, having previously served on the GOP leadership team. Even if Ryan loses the Ways and Means contest, he’ll almost certainly have the inside track on the top Republican spot on the Budget Committee.