Cassidy joins Senate Finance Committee

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is joining the Senate Finance Committee, which is set to play a key role in the new Congress on tax, trade and healthcare issues. 

Cassidy, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, is filling a vacancy on the panel created by the retirement of Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.). His assignment to the Finance Committee was announced Tuesday by Senate Republicans. 

The Finance Committee will have a full agenda this year, since overhauling the tax code and repealing and replacing ObamaCare are two of the top priorities for congressional Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump. The committee will also hold hearings on Trump’s picks to lead the Treasury and Health and Human Services departments.

“The addition of Senator Cassidy strengthens the Republican side of this committee and I am confident that we’ll be able to continue our record of bipartisanship with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to help meet the demands before us and produce real results for the American people,” Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said in a statement.

{mosads}A doctor who also serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees, health issues have been among Cassidy’s top concerns in the Senate.

Cassidy tweeted on Tuesday: “Many are worried about losing insurance coverage. If we repeal #Obamacare and #ReplaceNow no one will lose their coverage.”

On the Democratic side, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) will be joining the Finance Committee. McCaskill is up for reelection in 2018 in a state that Trump won.

–updated at 3:15 p.m.