Pennsylvania Republican expected to replace Amash on Oversight

Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.) is expected to replace Rep. Justin Amash on the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the wake of the Michigan lawmaker leaving the Republican Party, multiple House GOP Steering Committee members told The Hill.

Amash submitted his letter to party leadership on Monday, officially resigning from the House Republican Conference. Under chamber rules, he has effectively resigned his position on the committee, which conducts oversight of the Trump administration.

The Michigan lawmaker, who has been a vocal critic of President Trump and called for the president’s impeachment, announced last week in a Fourth of July op-ed that he was leaving the GOP, saying the party no longer represented ideals he supported. He officially filed as an Independent with the clerk of the House on Tuesday.{mosads}

“Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am withdrawing my membership in the House Republican Conference, effective immediately, for the reasons outlined in my accompanying op-ed,” Amash wrote to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) this week.

“Consistent with Clause 5(b) of Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, I also am resigning from the Committee on Oversight and Reform,” he added.

Keller, who won the special election for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District in May and appeared alongside Trump at a rally earlier this year, is also expected to be added to the House Education and Labor Committee.

The decision to add Keller to the committees still needs to be ratified before he is officially placed on the panels.