WASHINGTON (AP) – A panel of top House Republicans endorsed Texas GOP Rep. Kevin Brady on Wednesday to chair the influential Ways and Means committee, all but assuring that the 10-term veteran lawmaker will win the coveted post.
All 246 House Republicans meet Thursday to formally elect a chairman for the panel, which was headed until last week by Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, the new speaker. Ryan backed Brady for the post, said one lawmaker, and Brady’s victory underscored Ryan’s clout in this honeymoon period of his speakership.
Assuming his selection is ratified Thursday, Brady would be the seventh member of Texas’ 36-member delegation, the House’s second largest, to chair a committee.
Asked before his endorsement was announced whether Texas’ domination of so many committees might hurt his chances to chair Ways and Means, Brady said: “We’re not the party of quotas. We’re the party of merit.”
The soft-spoken Brady, 60, was first elected to the House in 1996 from the Houston suburbs. Considered a pro-business conservative, he’s been influential on trade and since 2013 has chaired the Ways and Means health subcommittee.