Republican rep won’t run for Senate, hopes to become Ways and Means chair: report

Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) will run for reelection in the House in hopes of becoming the Ways and Means Committee chairman should the GOP take back the lower chamber in the November midterms, forgoing a possible bid for Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) seat, according to a report from NBC News.

Smith announced on Wednesday in a video that he would be running for reelection in the House, claiming that “Missouri families are in a real hole right now, dug by Joe Biden and the lies he tells us” about coronavirus, border security and the costs of the Build Back Better legislation.

Smith told NBC News in an interview published on Wednesday that he hopes to become the next chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee if Republicans are able to take the majority in the House in November.

“My colleagues put me in a position to lead our conference at the Budget Committee, and I think they have been happy with that choice,” Smith told the network.

“I am ready to be the next Republican chair of Ways and Means,” he added.

Smith argued in his interview with NBC that the lawmaker who should be picked for the role should be the person who “works the hardest” and should not be about “how long you have occupied a seat.”

“Seniority isn’t just about how long you have occupied a seat — that’s how Democrats elect their chairs,” he told the network. “Our party is about who works the hardest and has done the most to put the party and our country in a place to succeed, and I believe I have done that.”

The Missouri Republican told NBC he had reached out to Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the current ranking member of the committee, regarding the position, though Brady declined to comment to NBC about the matter.

Smith is not the only Republican seeking to run for Ways and Means Committee chair. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) announced his intentions to run for the position last year.

“Vern was pivotal in helping pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as well as the new landmark trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. As a successful businessman for over 30 years before coming to Congress, Vern created thousands of jobs and is intimately familiar with the tax code, international trade and health care,” a spokesperson for the congressman said in a statement. 

“Vern’s main focus right now is helping Republicans win back the House majority,” the spokesperson added.

Smith’s move to run for reelection in the House would mean forgoing a Senate bid for Blunt’s seat. Blunt is set to retire after his current term and will not run for reelection in 2022. Smith has previously acknowledged he was considering a run for the seat. 

The Hill has reached out to the offices of Smith and Brady for comment. 

Updated 1:48 p.m.