Ways And Means Subcommittees See Leadership Shakeup

The subcommittees of the powerful Ways and Means Committee saw ashakeup in leadership Wednesday in the wake of formerChairman Paul Ryan being elected speaker of the House inOctober.

Ohio Rep. Pat Tiberi will take over for TexasCongressman Kevin Brady as the chairman of theSubcommittee on Health, which increased in size by one Republicanand one Democrat. Brady was elected to replace Ryan as chairman ofthe full committee. Tiberi said in a statementhe plans to take on Medicare reform and workto dismantle Obamacare.

The Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures wasrenamed the Subcommittee on Tax Policy, and three spots were addedto the panel — two Republicans and one Democrat. LouisianaRep. Charles Boustany will serve as its top member, taking over forWashington Rep. Dave Reichert.

Boustany said under his leadership he plans to workon simplifying the tax code.

“Its structure favors some over others and its complexityconstitutes a heavy burden on the small businesses and individualswithout an army of accountants to guide them,” he said in a statement. “Wecan do better.”

Reichert shifted into the top slot on the Subcommittee on Trade,the position formerly held by Tiberi.

“Washington State is one of the most trade-dependentstates in the country with 40 percent of our jobs and more than $90billion in annual exports connected to trade,”he said after the announcement was made. Reichert will alsorejoin the Subcommittee on Human Resources, which he chaired duringthe 113th Congress.

Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam will stay on as chairman ofthe influential Subcommittee on Oversight.He was one of two members who retained their role, theother being 81-year-old Texas Rep. Sam Johnson whoserves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security.

Johnson temporarily led the panel while theRepublican Steering Committee searched for a replacement forRyan.

Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida will step into Boustany’sformer role as head of the Subcommittee on HumanResources. “As the new chairman, Ilook forward to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan mannerto make sure our nation’s welfare laws and safetynet truly help those in need without trapping them in a cycleof poverty,†he said in a statement.

Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci was selected as thethird member of the Ways and Means Committee to also serve on theHouse Budget Committee, joining House Budget Chairman Tom Price andLouisiana Rep. Diane Black.

“These Republican subcommittee chairs and members willplay a crucial role in taking real steps toward fixing ourcountry’s broken tax code, reining in the IRS,reforming the nation’s welfare programs,expanding trade, replacing the Affordable Care Act and savingSocial Security and Medicare for the longterm,â€Â Brady said in his media releaseannouncing the changes.

South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice joined the committee to fill thespot left after Ryan’s departure. He will sit on theOversight, Social Security and Human Resources panels.

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