Does it take two to make a dream come true?
Pennsylvania could find itself with two members of Congress at the top of the food chain on the House Budget Committee.
As the first panel to examine the President’s annual budget message, the Committee on Primary responsibility of the Committee on Budgets is to prepare a parallel resolution reconciling the details of expenditure with the overall comprehensive budget package.
One sec Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-02) is currently the committee’s ranking member, the battle is on to see who will be the next top Republican, and in the mix is Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-11).
Slim and Representative Blake Moore (R-Utah) are vying to replace the chairman of the Budget Committee Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) following the latter’s decision to retire.
This is not the first time the Earl of Lancaster has thrown his hat into the ring for the position. In 2022, Smucker ran for the position, but Arrington won in a second secret ballot by House Republican Steering Committee leaders.
According to the report in Punchbowl NewsSmucker spoke to members of the House Republican Steering Committee – the panel that decides committee leadership races – and met with House GOP leaders about his bid. This group includes a pair of congressmen from Pennsylvania – representatives Guy Reschenthaler (R-14), Chief Deputy WhipAND Mike Kelly (R-16), Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Taxation.
Smucker and Kelly recently wrote a letter to Pennsylvania State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Armstrong/Jefferson/Indiana/Westmoreland) are calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to operate this year’s state budget process to align Pennsylvania’s state tax code with the pro-growth, pro-job and pro-investment policies included in last year’s tax cuts for working families.
A source familiar with his activities said Smucker had locked up the majority needed to win the race.
“I am deeply grateful for the strong support and encouragement I have received in conversations with members of the House Republican Steering Committee,” Smucker told PoliticsPA.
Smucker is the older of the two candidates and currently serves as vice chairman of the panel. Moore is Vice-chairman of the House GOP conference and also has a seat in the helm, which is traditionally an advantage in a race for the gavel.
Fundraising for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also plays a key role in the fight for the committee’s top position. Smucker was a top 10 fundraiser and has raised more than $2.2 million for NRCC this cycle compared to about $1 million for Moore.
But another factor working against Smucker is that since the Budget Committee’s formal mechanism began in 1973, no state has had both ranking members.
“Our nation’s debt burden is one of the greatest challenges facing our country,” Smucker said. “Just paying interest on our national debt, now nearly $1 trillion a year, limits our ability to invest in priorities, respond to emergencies, and leave America stronger for future generations. We must rise to this challenge, and that’s why I’m seeking the opportunity to lead the House Budget Committee. My efforts in Congress have always been aimed at uniting Members to advance earnest, fiscally responsible legislation. We made historic progress on reconciliation last year, which has brought over $1 trillion in savings, but much more work needs to be done to change America’s fiscal trajectory.”
Pennsylvania has not had a chairman of the House Budget Committee since the 100th Congress (1987–1989), when William H. Gray III he held this position.
