Senate Committee Leadership is Taking Shape, House Remains in Flux

Committee chairmanships for the 119th Congress are becoming clear. Here’s the latest on leaders and potential leaders of committees important to the issues CHROs care about—

 Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee:

In a press release this week Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) officially announced his intentions to take the reigns of the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in January.

Current serving as Ranking Member of the committee, Senator Cassidy will receive the gavel from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Senator Cassidy has recently:

• Led a Congressional Review Act (CRA) attempt to overturn the Biden administration’s joint employer rule, which threatened the livelihoods of over nine million American workers employed by a franchise business.

• Co-led a CRA resolution attempting to overturn a Biden administration rule requiring ERISA retirement plan managers to consider ESG factors when choosing investments on behalf of their clients.

• Passed multiple bills through Committee to lower prescription drug costs for Americans. This includes the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform Act, which reforms incentives for PBMs and ensures 100 percent of drug discounts are passed on to patients.

Additional Senate committees with CHRO policy jurisdiction:

• Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) stated his intention to chair the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.

•  Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) will trade Ranking Member for Chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

• Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) said he would helm the Senate Committee on Finance.

Senator Crapo will be working closely with Rep. Jason Smith (R-MI-2) who will Chair the House Ways and Means Committee, as their committees will be tasked with breathing life into President-Elect Trump’s extension and expansion of his signature 2017 tax cuts.

Additional House committees with CHRO policy jurisdiction:

• House Committee on Education and the Workforce current Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5) is stepping down and both Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI-5) and Rep. Clarence “Burgess” Owens (R-UT-4) have thrown their hats into the ring.

• Subcommittee on Health, Employment Labor, and Pensions Chair Bob Good (R-VA-5) lost reelection and will be replaced.

• House Financial Services Committee Chair is up for grabs with both Rep. French Hill (R-AR-2) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-6) interested in the position.

• House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) is retiring, and released letters to five independent federal agencies urging them to abandon partisan efforts, including a letter to Chair Lina Khan at the FTC.

More to come as Congressional leadership develops.