Republican lawmakers jockeying to steer Home committees within the subsequent Congress are touting their loyalty to President-elect Donald Trump as a lot as their capacity to advance coverage priorities as they make appeals to colleagues over the subsequent two weeks.
With scores of members competing for just a few key positions, contenders consider that success may hinge on their capacity to point out simply how well-positioned they’re to drive Trump’s legislative agenda throughout a spread of coverage areas together with finance, vitality and training.
“It is going to be supremely vital,” Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), a high contender to switch outgoing Home International Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas), mentioned in an interview after Trump addressed Home Republicans final week. “What he spoke to us about is how his relationship with the Home is healthier and stronger than the one he has with the Senate, and so he will lean on us to get his agenda via.”
That agenda will embody efforts to develop faculty alternative, produce extra fossil fuels and advance business-friendly cryptocurrency regulation — in addition to sweeping rollbacks of Biden administration insurance policies.
The extent to which allegiance to Trump carries the day shall be a key first take a look at of his maintain on Congress, notably since many of the races shall be determined by secret poll. Contenders will make their circumstances to a choose group of colleagues, often known as the steering committee, originally of subsequent month. These members will then vote anonymously to find out the winner.
“It is actually about, ‘How are they going to get one thing completed?’” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who serves on the steering committee, mentioned in an interview. “That’s going to be crucial factor.”
The highest Republicans on the Home Guidelines, Power and Commerce, and Monetary Providers committees are all retiring when the present Congress ends in December. Different panels, together with Home International Affairs, Training and the Workforce, and Transportation, will want new leaders due to time period limits.
Monetary Providers
Reps. Andy Barr of Kentucky, French Hill of Arkansas, Bill Huizenga of Michigan and Frank Lucas of Oklahoma are vying to change into the highest Republican on the committee that oversees Wall Road, the Federal Reserve and cryptocurrency.
Entrance-runners Barr and Hill have leaned laborious into proving their Trump bona fides. Barr has centered his pitch on melding the occasion’s populist wing with its free-market core — and has spent the times because the election in close communication with key Trump allies like Howard Lutnick and Scott Bessent. Over the subsequent few weeks, he’ll give out crimson baseball hats carrying Trump’s promise to “Make Monetary Providers Nice Once more.”
“I am working actually laborious to ensure that my imaginative and prescient is hand-in-glove with the incoming coverage agenda of the Trump administration,” Barr, an in depth ally of Trump loyalist Home Majority Chief Steve Scalise, mentioned in an interview.
Hill, in the meantime, has cited his ability to coordinate with Trump on crypto — the president-elect gave him a shout out at a digital belongings convention over the summer season — and rolled out an agenda last week that he branded “Make Group Banking Nice Once more.” Hill’s plan, like Barr’s, contains proposals that parallel Trump’s agenda, together with a pledge to “reverse the weaponization of the federal government” by blocking regulators from encouraging banks to chop ties with sure prospects.
Barr’s ties to Trump run deeper than Hill’s. He watched the Tremendous Bowl with the president-elect at Trump Worldwide Golf Membership earlier this 12 months and helped throw fundraisers for Trump and working mate JD Vance in Kentucky throughout the marketing campaign. Earlier than Hill endorsed Trump’s presidential bid, he was one of many few Home Republicans to publicly push back against him for encouraging lawmakers to kill a key intelligence invoice.
Whether or not any of that issues to steering committee members stays to be seen.
“Steering committee — a mix of management and folks elected by district — tends to be the extra skilled members, and it tends to be a special set of values,” Lucas mentioned in an interview. “President Trump’s opinion issues to everybody within the Republican convention, nevertheless it’s nonetheless throughout the speedy panel” to determine who will get a gavel.
— Eleanor Mueller and Jasper Goodman
International Affairs
Wagner can boast a connection to the Trump household after working with Ivanka Trump — in addition to secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio — on paid depart laws. (She shouted “Sure!” as Trump talked about it throughout his 2019 State of the Union deal with.) Wagner mentioned in an interview that committee hopefuls “ought to” lean into their Trump ties when presenting to the steering committee .
“He has introduced a variety of our Home members throughout the end line,” Wagner mentioned. “There is a clear mandate there from the folks.”
Wagner additionally backed Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and co-chairs the Abraham Accords Caucus, named for the deal brokered below by the Trump administration to normalize Arab-Israeli relations. Her 2016 withdrawal of assist for Trump over the Entry Hollywood tape is “water below the bridge” that will not have an effect on her present relationship with him, mentioned a Home GOP aide granted anonymity to debate a delicate matter.
One other contender, Rep. Darrell Issa of California, is understood for his aggressive strategy main the Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee. He endorsed Trump in 2016 and supported key selections, such because the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Though Issa briefly backed a particular prosecutor to analyze Trump’s Russia ties, he later walked again that assist. He subsequently voted to reject Pennsylvania’s 2020 electoral votes, opposed Trump’s impeachment both times, and voted against the creation of an independent Jan. 6 commission.
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, a Ukraine Caucus co-chair, backs sustained U.S. assist to Ukraine, a stance that diverges from Trump’s. Wilson has on the identical time praised Trump, saying the president-elect’s latest assembly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demonstrated a “peace via energy” strategy.
One other contender, Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, served because the national chairman of Veterans for Trump, main assaults on Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Waltz’s claims about his navy report and defending Trump against criticism he doesn’t support troops. He’s additionally backed Trump amid his felony convictions and endorsed his international coverage strategy.
— Joe Gould
Transportation
Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri, the present Transportation chair, is eyeing a problem from Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas. Each are on the identical aircraft in relation to their relationship with Trump.
Graves is making a long-shot bid for a waiver that might enable him to dodge time period limits. He desires to make his case to the steering committee on why he’s the higher alternative than Crawford — the Highways and Transit Subcommittee chair who has been campaigning for the function since March.
Crawford mentioned he has had a superb relationship with Trump for “fairly some time” and famous that he and the president-elect share priorities akin to investing in infrastructure via the floor transportation reauthorization invoice.
“I do not see any cause why they would not align completely, and we transfer ahead with it,” Crawford mentioned.
Graves has mentioned that if he will get the waiver, he would work seamlessly with Trump as chair on a invoice that focuses on laborious infrastructure.
“We [have] received an extended methods to go, however Trump’s a builder, so he will get it. And we have to do conventional infrastructure — that is pouring concrete, laying asphalt, constructing roads, constructing bridges, and he will get that,” Graves mentioned. “So I am certain it will be closely geared in the direction of that.”
If Graves does not get the waiver, anticipate Rep. David Rouzer of North Carolina — who has mentioned he can be all in favour of working if Graves is out — to leap within the race. Rouzer, the subcommittee chair on water assets and surroundings, didn’t touch upon any efforts to implement Trump-aligned insurance policies.
— Chris Marquette
Agriculture
Home Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania grew nearer to Trump within the closing months of the 2024 marketing campaign, strengthening ties which are additionally cementing his possibilities to take care of his gavel subsequent 12 months.
Thompson helped Trump marketing campaign in his house state, which was seen as a important battleground. Their relationship is a extremely symbiotic one that allows Trump to strengthen his robust ties to rural America and the agriculture sector, whereas letting Thompson burnish his MAGA ties with GOP voters.
In September, Thompson joined Trump for a marketing campaign roundtable for farmers in Smithton, Pennsylvania, hosted by the Defending America Initiative, led by Richard Grenell, who was performing director of nationwide intelligence throughout the president-elect’s first time period, and former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, who has been nominated to steer the Environmental Safety Company.
“We’ve all the time received with the farmers,” Trump mentioned, seated subsequent to Thompson.
Republican lawmakers don’t anticipate anybody to problem Thompson for the Agriculture Committee gavel. He went via remedy for prostate most cancers this Congress however has recovered. Ought to Trump faucet Thompson to serve in his administration, Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia would possible be subsequent in line to fill the function.
— Meredith Lee Hill
Judiciary
One in all Trump’s largest supporters has a lock on being the chair of the Judiciary Committee: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Jordan has been considered one of Trump’s largest Hill supporters for years, and the 2 have an in depth relationship, together with the president-elect’s backing for the lawmaker’s failed speaker bid final 12 months.
Jordan maintaining the gavel will give Trump a staunch ally directing a number of the largest investigations of the Home GOP majority, together with a possible investigation into particular counsel Jack Smith, who has led the federal investigations into Trump.
— Jordain Carney
Power and Commerce
Reps. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky and Bob Latta of Ohio are competing to chair the highly effective Power and Commerce Committee, which has vital sway over well being care and vitality coverage.
“I believe he’ll let issues play out,” Latta mentioned when requested if Trump would possibly put his finger on the dimensions within the race.
Each candidates are seen as being pleasant with the president-elect. Although they haven’t messaged explicitly on their relationship, their pitches parallel a few of his proposals.
Latta and Guthrie have each embraced allowing reform; are open to all vitality sources, together with renewables; and need to increase home vitality manufacturing, consistent with Trump’s push to make the county “vitality unbiased.” Whereas Trump hasn’t been notably engaged in well being care, the 2 males have signaled openness to reforms at public well being businesses just like the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention and Nationwide Institutes of Well being. Each have opposed what they see as electrical car “mandates” from the Biden administration, a significant Trump speaking level.
— Ben Leonard, with an help from David Lim
Training and Workforce
Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan and Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah are in a race to steer the Home Training and the Workforce Committee that has their loyalty to Trump on full show.
Walberg, dean of the Michigan delegation, often touts his relationship with the president-elect. He has an image with Trump on Air Power One in his workplace.
Owens, who presently leads the panel’s subcommittee on larger training, says he and Trump agree that training is a high precedence. Displayed exterior of his workplace is a photograph of Trump together with his fist raised within the air after being shot at earlier this 12 months.
Trump is prone to get key elements of his training and workforce agendas via both lawmaker. His repeated backing of faculty alternative initiatives on the marketing campaign path may get momentum below Walberg or Owens, each of whom need to transfer laws on the problem. Owens can be a vocal critic of range, fairness and inclusion initiatives, and Walberg desires to simplify labor laws.
— Mackenzie Wilkes
Guidelines
The steering committee received’t get a say in one of many races that would have the largest affect on the president-elect’s agenda.
The Home Guidelines Committee tees up most GOP coverage payments for the ground, making it a last-stop for Trump and his allies to attempt to affect laws.
However not like most committees, whoever chairs the panel will in the end be as much as the speaker — and it’s normally a dependable management ally.
The present chair, Michael Burgess of Texas, is retiring. Some have floated Rep. Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania for the place, however he’s additionally chief deputy whip.
There’s additionally been a swirl of chatter round Rep. Virginia Foxx, who’s shedding her training and workforce gavel to time period limits. The North Carolinian declined to say Wednesday whether or not she would settle for the highest job on Guidelines if supplied.
“I’m not working for something,” she mentioned with amusing.
Like Burgess, Foxx is a fierce defender of the president-elect. After delivering remarks at Trump rallies main as much as the election, her identify is now amongst these being floated for Training secretary.
— Jordain Carney and Eleanor Mueller
