Committee Makeup
This week is expected to be a quiet one in Congress as both the House and Senate are in recess. At the end of last week, Republicans announced new members of key House committees and the ratios of Republicans to Democrats on those committees. For Energy and Commerce, Republicans will have 29 seats and Democrats will have 23 seats (a reduction of three seats from each side). For Ways and Means, Republicans will have 25 seats and Democrats will have 18 seats (the same size as in the 117th Congress). For the Appropriations Committee, Republicans will have 34 seats and Democrats will have 27 seats (one fewer on each side).
New Republican members on committees of importance to healthcare stakeholders include the following (listed in alphabetical order, not order of committee seniority):
The Appropriations Committee also named its subcommittee chairs. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee will be chaired by Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), who was previously the ranking member on the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee. Chairing this subcommittee is a new role for him.
Of the 20 members who held out against Speaker McCarthy, none were added to the Ways and Means or Energy and Commerce Committees. Two did gain seats on the Appropriations Committee: Reps. Cloud and Clyde. House Democrats will need to remove a few members on key committees now that they are in the minority, and those announcements will be made in the coming weeks, along with completion of the remaining committee rosters on both sides of the aisle.
Once committee rosters are set, subcommittee determinations are made and staff is put in place, committee leaders will begin to lay out their agendas for the 118th Congress, including legislative, oversight and investigative priorities.
