Buchanan to seek top GOP position on Ways and Means Committee

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) announced Thursday that he is running to be the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee in the next Congress, seeking to lead the powerful panel with jurisdiction over tax, trade and public health issues.

The announcement comes after the current ranking member, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), said this week that he is not going to seek reelection. Brady was term-limited as the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, and he said that the House GOP rules on term limits for committee leadership were a factor in his decision to retire.

The next top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee could be the chairman or the ranking member, depending on the outcome of the 2022 midterm elections.

In announcing his candidacy, Buchanan called Brady’s retirement “a huge loss to our party,” and he cited his work with Brady on the 2017 tax-cut law and the trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“At the appropriate time, it would be an honor to be considered for the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee when we win back the House in 2022,” Buchanan said in a statement.

Buchanan isn’t the only House Republican who is expected to run to succeed Brady. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) is the most senior Republican on the Ways and Means Committee after Brady and is also likely to get in the race. Others could also announce their candidacy.

Nunes would have to give up his position as the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee if he seeks the Ways and Means Committee post.