Texas GOP Congressmen Poised to Become Chairmen

If all the political prognosticators are right, Republicans will pick up enough seats to win back the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives next Tuesday. That change of power would mean a GOP takeover of House committee chairmanships — coveted prizes in the halls of Congress. Chairmen set committee agendas, can call investigative hearings and, through their subpoena power, can compel reluctant witnesses to testify. They also draft laws, which gives them an outsized ability to bestow favors on colleagues and attract campaign contributions from various interest groups. House aides say that in recent sessions, a more top-down power structure has reigned in both the Democratic and Republican caucuses, diminishing some of the authority of chairmen. But Republican leaders have said they want to see a return to committee influence if they win back the House for the first time since 2006.

Assuming the GOP takes control, members are planning to reconvene on November 15 to adopt conference rules and vote on a steering committee — the two-dozen-member panel that elects Republican caucus leadership and, subsequently, committee chairmen. Typically, the ranking members while a party is in the minority are upgraded to chairmen, but a Republican caucus rule established in 1994 limits chairmen and ranking members to three terms, or six years, in a committee leadership role. This has hindered the chairmanship hopes of U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, who’s coming to the end of his six years on the House Energy and Commerce Committee just as his party is poised to take over.

Here’s a look at some possible Republican chairmen and subcommittee chairmen from Texas, their path to power and the policies that could be impacted if they wield the gavel.

  • TEXAS MEMBER
  • COMMITTEES
  • LIKELIHOOD
  • THE BACKSTORY
  • THE EFFECT
  • Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio
  • Judiciary
  • HIGH
  • Took over as ranking member from U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., in 2007. Now poised to become the powerful committee's chairman. (MORE)
    He has described birthright citizenship as a "misinterpretation," according to Politico, and wrote in an op-ed that illegal immigration was equivalent to a terrorist attack. "If you don't know who's coming into the country, like illegal immigrants, then you don't know what's coming into the country, like terrorist weapons," Smith wrote at National Review Online. Smith took over as ranking member of Judiciary from U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, in 2007. Now he's poised to become the powerful committee's chairman.
  • The committee has jurisdiction over judicial proceedings, constitutional amendments and federal immigration policy. (MORE)
    The committee has jurisdiction over judicial proceedings, constitutional amendments and federal immigration policy. When asked about priorities for the next session, Smith said he wants to see better enforcement of immigration laws on work sites and the passage of tort reform laws to curb "lawsuit abuse." Smith has not commented on potential oversight investigations if he were to take over the committee.
  • Ralph Hall, R- Rockwall
  • Science and Technology
  • HIGH
  • At 87, Hall is the oldest serving member in Congress and the dean of the Texas delegation. (MORE)
    At 87, Hall is the oldest serving member in Congress and the dean of the Texas delegation. A longtime Democrat, he switched parties in 2004 but didn't have to switch many of his already conservative positions. He, along with nine other Texas Republicans, joined the "Tea Party caucus" this summer.
  • Hall's likely to focus on bolstering NASA. (MORE)
    Hall's likely to focus on bolstering NASA. He's been a critic of the proposed cancellation of the NASA Constellation Project. An aide said Hall would make the $108 billion project a priority as chairman.
  • Joe Barton, R-Ennis
  • Energy and Commerce
  • LOW
  • Barton is the ranking member on this committee, but he's also reached the end of his three-term limit as ranking member under current GOP caucus rules. (MORE)
    Barton is the ranking member on this committee, but he's also reached the end of his three-term limit as ranking member under current GOP caucus rules. Politico is reporting the chairmanship will go to Michigan moderate Rep. Fred Upton, instead. House GOP aides say Barton may argue that the terms he served while Republicans were in the minority don't count toward the six-year term limit. Ultimately, Barton's fate is in the hands of his party's leadership, and the uproar he created by apologizing to BP Chairman Tony Hayward in the spring won't help his case.
  • The Energy and Commerce Committee stands to be the platform for key debates next year on the health care law, global warming, net neutrality, and business regulation. (MORE)
    The Energy and Commerce Committee stands to be the platform for key debates next year on the health care law, global warming, net neutrality and a wide range of business regulations. Expect Republicans (regardless of who is chair) to renew their push for nuclear energy expansion and the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling.
  • TEXAS MEMBER
  • SUBCOMMITTEES
  • LIKELIHOOD
  • THE BACKSTORY
  • THE EFFECT
  • Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler
  • Homeland Security
    Judiciary Subcommittee
  • HIGH
  • Gohmert is a former district judge who's taken a hard line on terrorism. (MORE)
    Gohmert is a former district judge who's taken a hard line on terrorism, making a national name for himself when he declared that pregnant women are likely coming into the U.S. to have babies who would be trained as terrorists. He's the ranking member on the Judiciary subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security, so he's directly in line for the chairmanship.
  • In additional to homeland security, the subcommittee has jurisdiction over the federal criminal code, sentencing, prisons and criminal law enforcement. (MORE)
    In additional to homeland security, the subcommittee has jurisdiction over the federal criminal code, sentencing, prisons and criminal law enforcement. His office did not respond to a request for his priorities should he become chair.
  • Michael McCaul, R-Austin
  • Homeland Security
    Intelligence Subcommittee or Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee
  • HIGH
  • McCaul, a former federal prosecutor, has served on both the Intelligence and the Investigations subcommittees. (MORE)
    McCaul, a former federal prosecutor, has served on both the Intelligence and the Investigations subcommittees. He's currently the ranking member of intelligence but depending on where other members want to go, he could have his pick.
  • McCaul has been critical of the Homeland Security's committee's job on border security, so expect a consistent oppositional voice on these issues. (MORE)
    McCaul has been critical of the Homeland Security's committee's job on border security, so expect a consistent oppositional voice on these issues. “Our border sheriffs still lack a commitment to a long-term, predictable funding stream, and the technology that complements border fencing is still years behind schedule,” McCaul told the San Antonio Express-News. He's also been in favor of "rooting out waste and abuse" in FEMA, after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  • Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville
  • House Energy and Commerce
    Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee
  • HIGH
  • House aides say Burgess, a doctor by profession, has a clear path to this subcommittee chairmanship. (MORE)
    House aides say Burgess, a doctor by profession, has a clear path to this subcommittee chairmanship. He was just named ranking member in February, so he wont be facing a term limit. House Energy and Commerce is the congressman's only committee assignment, since it's an exclusive committee.
  • Oversight of agencies in the executive branch is his number one goal. (MORE)
    Oversight of agencies in the executive branch is his number one goal. A Burgess aide said he plans on conducting investigations from his post and planning "several" hearings to examine the implementation of health care reform. He also wants to take a closer look at the EPA.
  • Ron Paul, R-Surfside
  • Financial Services
    Domestic Monetary Policy Subcommittee
  • MEDIUM
  • The former presidential candidate and retired OB-GYN is well-known for his hostility to the Federal Reserve System. (MORE)
    The former presidential candidate and retired OB-GYN is well-known for his hostility to the Federal Reserve System. He's for abolisihing the Fed, advocates for a return to the gold standard and is convinced that the real reason we invaded Iraq is because Saddam Hussein priced his oil in euros, calling it an "attack on the integrity of the dollar."
  • The committee has power over the structure and functioning of U.S. banks. (MORE)
    The committee has power over the structure and functioning of U.S. banks. As with all subcommittees that don't stem from Appropriations, Paul's probably won't have the clout to make any major policy changes. But he'll be able to be a bigger thorn in the side of the Fed.
  • Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas
  • Financial Services
    Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee
  • MEDIUM
  • A leading budget hawk for House Republicans and vice-chair of the powerful Budget committee (MORE)
    A leading budget hawk for House Republicans and vice-chair of the powerful Budget committee, Hensarling has been critical of stimulus spending of the Obama administration. He's also been talked about as a contender for a leadership position in the GOP caucus.
  • "No more 700 billion bailout, revolving bailout funds for the administration," Hensarling has said. (MORE)
    Hensarling's statement at the rollout of the GOP Pledge to America: No more 700 billion bailout, revolving bailout funds for the administration. End government control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which will prove to be the mother of all bailouts to the American taxpayer and the root cause of the economic crisis – totally ignored by the President and the Congress."