Jason Smith set to serve as top Republican on House Budget Committee

Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) is slated to serve as the top Republican on the House Budget Committee next year following a vote by the House GOP Steering Committee on Tuesday.

Smith will replace Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) as the ranking member on the budget panel. The Arkansas Republican opted not to seek another term on the committee after being tapped for a similar post on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government earlier this fall.

Smith, who currently serves as the House GOP conference secretary, decided not to seek another two-year term in leadership so that he could instead run for the ranking member post on the Budget Committee.

The Missouri Republican, a well-liked member who garnered strong support from GOP leadership, edged out Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) despite Johnson’s seniority on the committee and his endorsement from Womack.

Smith, who also sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, was first elected to Congress in 2013 and was selected to join the Budget Committee in 2017.

The committee, chaired by Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), oversees the federal budget process and crafts budget resolutions.

As the top Republican on the Budget Committee, Smith would play a key role in any GOP efforts to thwart spending plans by the Biden administration and congressional Democrats.

The Steering Committee’s choices for ranking members are expected to be ratified by the conference in the coming days.