Ways and Means chairman endorses McCarthy for Speaker

Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) on Friday endorsed Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to be the next Speaker of the House after Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) retires from Congress.

“I think Kevin McCarthy has done a terrific job throughout this country and throughout our caucus, and he deserves a chance to move into that position,” Brady told conservative Hugh Hewitt on his radio show. “And what I appreciate among our leadership right now is no one is distracted by this potential Speaker’s race in November.

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“We’re all focused on delivering for the American people. That’s the right thing to do.”

Asked if there is any doubt in his mind that McCarthy will be the next Speaker, Brady replied: “I think he will.”

Brady’s support is significant given that he’s roommates and close friends with Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who has backed McCarthy but is also seen as a potential rival for the Speakership. If McCarthy can’t lock up the 218 votes needed to be elected Speaker on the House floor, Scalise is expected to run for the top job.

And Brady himself has been floated by some GOP colleagues as a possible “white knight” candidate for Speaker in the event the conference can’t agree on a replacement for Ryan. In 2015, Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who will leave Congress in January, had been serving as Ways and Means chairman before Republicans drafted him as Speaker.

In the interview, Brady suggested that McCarthy would continue to carry out the “Better Way” agenda trumpeted by Ryan.

“You know, I think their styles are different, but I think the agenda that they are working toward today is identical. Look, we created this Better Way agenda for America to create a confident America. We’re delivering on that agenda, and we’ve got more work to do,” Brady said. “I know Kevin McCarthy is helping us — whether it’s tax reform or here in welfare reform —helping us deliver on that agenda. And so that’s what I really look forward to.”