Texas Republicans set to lead key congressional committees

WASHINGTON — Texas clout is about to make a comeback.

U.S. House Republicans, who will take control of the chamber in January after four years out of power, have begun selecting the chairs of the 20 standing committees that shape legislation, and Texans are poised to be in charge of as many as five of them.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, is expected to be chosen chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, will lead the House Appropriations Committee. Those are two of the most powerful panels in Congress. Also, Roger Williams, R-Austin, is in line to chair the House Small Business Committee.

All three are unopposed, and McCaul especially will become very high-profile as a GOP leader with a Democratic administration and Democratic-controlled Senate.

“I’m really the voice of foreign policy for Republicans from Congress,” McCaul said in an interview with the American-Statesman. “I would be the first Texan to be elected to chair this committee, which goes back to the Continental Congress. There’s a lot to do to make the world safer. It puts you in a position to make a difference.”

As a Texan, McCaul will be pushing for solutions to the surge on the Mexican border by asylum-seekers, as well as international hot spots such as the war in Ukraine.

Already, McCaul is getting noticed as the chairman-in-waiting, fielding a call from Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday about aid to Ukraine, a sticking point for many Republicans who are demanding accountability for U.S. support.

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McCaul also got a coveted invitation to the White House state dinner the next day for French President Emmanuel Macron, the first state dinner of President Biden’s term.

McCaul and his wife, Linda, were among the boldface names at the gala evening, which included singer John Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen; actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus; and CBS "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert.

Two more Texans are competing for powerful chairmanships: Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, is vying to chair the Homeland Security Committee, and Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, is trying for the House Budget Committee.

And having clout matters in Washington.

“Texas will be a priority as opposed to an afterthought,” said Bill Miller, an Austin consultant who advises both Republicans and Democrats.

He predicts the state will benefit more from government programs.

“Texas is the least favorite state of this administration,” he said. “It puts Texas back in the game in a big way, a huge way.”

Granger, who has been the ranking Republican on the appropriations panel, will be enormously influential in all spending bills, especially defense, and that's a priority for defense industries in North Texas.

Democrats have been in control of the House since 2019, and there is currently only one Texas chair, the House Science and Technology Committee's Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, who is retiring.

The GOP process to select chairs begins with the House Republican Steering Committee — made up of members largely aligned with GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as well as regional representatives — hearing presentations from the candidates. Granger is expected to speak and be voted on in the first group of the most powerful panels, and McCaul is due to make his case and be voted on Tuesday.

After each presentation, the steering committee votes and makes a recommendation, and later all Republicans vote on whether to ratify them. Texas candidates benefit from the support of the 25 Lone Star State Republicans, the largest GOP delegation in the House.

Crenshaw, in his third term, is a former Navy SEAL who has something of a national following after appearing on NBC’s "Saturday Night Live." He got an apology from Pete Davidson after the actor made a joke about Crenshaw’s eye patch, which he wears because he lost an eye during a 2012 deployment in Afghanistan.

Crenshaw is running against Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., and is making a strong bid as a border state lawmaker who knows the region to get control of the Southern border.

“Communities throughout Texas have been critically impacted by the open border crisis,” Crenshaw said in a statement.  “As the only border state representative running for Homeland Security Committee Chairman, Texans can have confidence knowing I would make securing our border and holding the Biden Administration accountable a top priority.”

McCaul, a former chairman of the committee, is supporting Crenshaw.

Arrington, a former vice chancellor of Texas Tech University who was first elected to Congress in 2016, has several competitors for the influential budget-writing post.

Williams, who has owned a car dealership in Weatherford for years, is an enthusiast for small business.

“Our family business employs hundreds of people in Texas, so I don't just read about the challenges facing Main Street; I live them firsthand,” Williams said in mid-November when he announced he was running for chairman of the small business panel. “Democrats have derailed the important mission of the House Small Business Committee, and I believe only a small-business owner can right the ship.”

But McCaul pointed out that all chairs will have to work with Democrats because of the narrow margin in the House. The final tally hasn’t been called yet, but Republicans have about 222 members and Democrats are expected to have 213.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Republicans set to lead key congressional committees in 2023