Lawmakers in the House this week will begin jockeying for top positions on key committees that oversee government operations, taxes, the federal intelligence community, and the ethics rules that govern the behavior of lawmakers.
Aside from the elected House and Senate leaders, committee chairmen are among the most important members of Congress because they have the power to drive the legislative agenda and hold the federal government accountable, particularly the executive branch.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., for example, used his perch as chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee to question and even subpoena the Obama administration repeatedly over its botched Fast and Furious gunrunning operation, the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, and the government response to last year’s terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., helped drive the GOP’s immigration reform strategy by spearheading a piecemeal approach in which smaller bills dealing with border security and work visas got passed first.
In the House, where Republicans hold a sizable majority, most of the races for committee gavels aren’t very competitive. The same chairmen will be returning to the Appropriations, Education, and Energy and Commerce committees.
Goodlatte will also return to head the Judiciary Committee in the new Congress, but thanks to a rule limiting committee chairmen to six-year terms, Issa and several others must step aside.
Issa’s vacancy has spurred the most competitive chairmanship race, which will be decided early this week by a 30-member House Republican Steering Committee.
Three GOP lawmakers are vying for chairmanship of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a powerful panel that is often in the spotlight thanks to its high-profile investigations and hearings.
Reps. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Jim Jordan and Mike Turner, both of Ohio, all want the job.
Chaffetz and Jordan have been the most prominent members of the panel, conducting subcommittee oversight hearings into the IRS scandal, Operation Fast and Furious and security lapses at the Secret Service.
Turner has more seniority than both Chaffetz and Jordan, while Jordan has sometimes positioned himself as a conservative thorn in the side of House Speaker John Boehner, who gets five votes on the Steering Committee.
“Chairmen aren’t picked purely on seniority anymore,” one top GOP aide told the Washington Examiner. “But seniority does matter.”
Chaffetz told the Examiner that his dedication and high-profile activity on the panel may trump Turner’s tenure as a member.
“I lack seniority, and I understand that,” said. “But I hope my focus and tenacity on the committee wins the day.”
Neither Jordan nor Turner would comment on the race.
The House Intelligence Committee chairmanship is also up for grabs, but the lawmaker who fills that position will be selected solely by Boehner.
Front-runners include longtime Boehner ally Devin Nunes of California, Peter King of New York and Jeff Miller of Florida. Miller has the most seniority of the three and has been serving as chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. King is a past Homeland Security Committee chairman.
Boehner will also select a chairman of the House Ethics Committee, a position few lawmakers want but which can become a path to the chairmanship of more desirable panels.
The ethics panel is a low-profile committee that can suddenly become critical if a significant ethics investigation is undertaken.
Boehner is likely to select a solidly conservative lawmaker who doesn’t have a history of working against the GOP leadership but who can also work well with Democrats.
All eyes will be focused on the race to head the House Ways and Means Committee, which is the powerful tax-writing panel.
Chairman Dave Camp of Michigan is retiring, and his most likely successor is former Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who is now chairman of the House Budget Committee and author of the GOP spending blueprint.
While Ryan is considered the most likely choice to succeed Camp, he has competition. Kevin Brady of Texas also wants the job.
Ways and Means will likely be one of the most high-profile committees in the next Congress, as many expect the GOP will try to pass comprehensive tax reform legislation.
