Legislative Activity

House Republicans May Select New Ways and Means Committee Chair

With Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-OH) having now officially resigned from his post as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, this week it is expected that House Republicans will elect a new leader of the tax-writing committee. Presently, the race for the gavel is between Representatives Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Pat Tiberi (R-OH), with Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX) serving as interim Committee Chairman. Given that the House will not be in session during the week of November 9, coupled with the fact that lawmakers face a November 20 deadline by which to reach an agreement on highway funding, House Republicans are under pressure to elect a new Chairman sooner than later.

With regard to highway funding, lawmakers last week passed a short-term extension of current funding authority (through November 20) in hopes of reaching an agreement on a longer-term bill. Presently, it appears that House lawmakers will accede to many of the offsets in the Senate highway bill (H.R. 22, the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act of 2015), which the Chamber passed prior to adjourning for August recess.

This Week’s Hearings:

• Tuesday, November 3: The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing titled “State of Obamacare’s CO-OP Program.”

• Wednesday, November 4: The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight will hold a hearing titled “Iran Terror Financing and the Tax Code.”