House Republicans will select new leaders for several powerful committees this week, with the chairmen inheriting both a gavel and the task of advancing President-elect Donald Trump's agenda through a united GOP Congress.
With the new members' swearing-in on Jan. 3, 2025, and Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, the newly selected House committee leaders will have the power to deliver on the president-elect's top priorities, including a tax bill, government spending, and border security, among other policies.
The new chairmen will be selected by the House GOP Steering Committee, a panel of over 30 Republican leaders and regional representatives that recommend the committee chairs for approval from the full Republican conference.
The Steering Committee is meeting Monday to make their selections, with some of the most influential committees attracting multiple challengers. Unless they receive a waiver, Republican committee leaders can not serve more than three consecutive terms as the head of the committee.
Many current GOP committee leaders, such as Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), did not seek a waiver to remain chairman, while others, such as Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), were approved to stay as the top GOP lawmaker on the committee. Several committees also have leaders who decided ahead of the 2024 election that they would retire or seek another office off Capitol Hill, leaving many vacancies.
The Washington Examiner will update this story as the Steering Committee announces its selections.
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Foreign Affairs Committee - Brian Mast
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) defeated Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), and Joe Wilson (R-SC) in a four-way contest to replace McCaul on Monday. With Mast's selection, House Republicans are on track to have zero chairwomen on any committee.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee, which led the high-profile investigation of the United States's withdrawal from Afghanistan, had a vacant chairmanship because McCaul is terming out and did not seek a waiver to remain chairman.
Mast, a Purple Heart recipient and U.S. Army veteran, became a staple in the GOP conference after he wore his Israeli military uniform to the Capitol to show solidarity for the Jewish state following the Hamas attacks. Sources told Punchbowl News he gave a great presentation to the Steering Committee to make his case that he should lead the committee next Congress.
Wagner, who is the vice chairwoman of the committee, touted her foreign policy experience as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg during former President George W. Bush's administration and co-chairwoman of the Abraham Accords Caucus as a reason for seeking the gavel. She had vowed, as chairwoman, to crack down on Russia, Iran, and China, as well as touted a key GOP talking point about securing the border.
Issa, however, had also campaigned on his foreign affairs experience, having visited over 100 countries, and his prior experience as chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
Similar to Issa, Wilson had pitched himself as the senior lawmaker equipped to lead the committee after leading 70 congressional delegation trips to over 80 countries. The Hill reported that Wilson was giving members of the steering committee pieces from the Berlin Wall that he brought back from Germany in 1990.
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Financial Services Committee
Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who had a brief stint as speaker pro tempore during Kevin McCarthy's ouster, is retiring, with four contenders vying for the gavel.
Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY), French Hill (R-AR), Frank Lucas (R-OK), and Bill Huizenga (R-MI) are all in the race to succeed McHenry as the top GOP lawmaker on Financial Services, a panel that holds hearings regarding the Federal Reserve, cryptocurrency, and Wall Street. All three areas, particularly the Fed and crypto, will likely be top priorities of the Trump administration.
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Barr is widely considered to be the favorite in the race. He is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy, stating in a letter to colleagues he can "build a bridge between those traditional Chamber of Commerce, Wall Street Republicans, and the America First populists who elected Donald Trump."
However, Hill is vice chairman of the Financial Services Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion. He's become a leading GOP source on crypto, making him a key player in the gavel race.
Lucas is the longest-serving GOP lawmaker on the committee, touting his three decades in the House, while Huizenga has campaigned on his relationship with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is expected to become chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs next year.
Energy and Commerce Committee
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), a powerhouse who led the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee, did not seek reelection in 2024, setting off a competitive race between Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Bob Latta (R-OH).
The Energy and Commerce Committee will be a key panel moving into the Trump administration, holding jurisdiction over healthcare, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Energy -- all areas that have been targeted by Trump and Republicans over the last two years due to Biden administration-era rules and regulations on everything from electric vehicles and appliances to the aftermath of COVID-19.
Latta will be the most senior GOP lawmaker on the Energy and Commerce Committee, holding experience on all six subcommittees and having 33 bills signed into law. Guthrie has sat on five of the six subcommittees and is currently chairman of the Health Subcommittee, pitching his top priorities as permitting reform and the U.S. beating China to developing 6G, the latest wireless communication network expected to arrive in the 2030s.
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Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Graves, the current chairman, will seek his fourth term as the top Republican on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee after the steering committee approved his waiver to surpass the third-term rule.
Graves is facing a challenge from Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), who put out a blueprint focusing on investments in the most-used methods of transportation, including highways, railways, ports, and airways.
Rumored to be in the running for Transportation Secretary for the incoming administration, Graves is campaigning on his experience in the role -- particularly the five-year Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that passed earlier this year.
Education and the Workforce Committee
Outgoing Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) received a waiver to seek a fourth term but declined to run for reelection, opening up the race for Reps. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Burgess Owens (R-UT). Whoever serves as the next chair will play a significant role in the House GOP's reconciliation process to push bills to Trump's desk for approval, including on the subject of student loans.
Walberg, as one of the senior Republicans on the committee, outlined his top priority as supporting parents' rights, as well as fighting back against antisemitism on campus, which has continued to rise during the Hamas-Israel war.
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Owens is also running on combatting antisemitism on campuses, as well as eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements in schools, hiring practices, and school choice.
The Steering Committee will hear presentations from challengers Monday and Thursday, with selections expected by the end of Thursday. The full conference vote to approve the committee chairs-elect will likely be held next week.
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