The race to become the next leader of the Republican Party on the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee is underway.
And right in the middle is Pennsylvania Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-11).
The current chair Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) has decided not to seek re-election, leaving one of the chamber’s key legislative positions vacant until 2027.
Smucker currently serves as vice chairman of the commission and is typically considered a potential heir apparent. But a Republican from Utah Representative Blake Moore he also looked at the hammer, turning the race into a competition.
The Budget Committee is there responsible for preparing the annual budget resolution which is a mechanism for determining aggregate levels of expenditure, revenue, deficit or surplus, and public debt. Its purpose is to create enforceable parameters within which Congress can consider spending and revenue legislation.
Smucker played a significant role in helping bring the One Big Beautiful Bill to fruition last year, and he hopes to leverage his experience and willingness to bring fiscal discipline to the chairmanship.
“Our nation is on an unsustainable fiscal path,” Smucker said in a statement. “With our national debt approaching $39 trillion and rising, this is a problem we simply cannot ignore. Getting our fiscal house in order is the only way to ensure America’s long-term economic prosperity.”
Last Friday, Arrington called on Congress to convene a convention under Art. V as national debt reached $39 trillion after the collapse of HJ Res. 139, balanced budget amendment.
“Fixing our fiscal trajectory will not happen overnight, but I remain committed to working with my colleagues to get our nation back on a responsible fiscal path,” Smucker added.
The Lancaster/York County Republican wants Congress’ budget progress to “work as it should and is open to reforming the Budget Control Act of 1972, which governs how the budget process should work.”
Moore is the first-ever Utah Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee and on the House Budget Committee to advocate for policies that reverse the national debt crisis. He chairs the committee’s Health Care Task Force, which is charged with exploring opportunities to modernize and personalize the health care system and supporting policies that drive innovation and boost patient access to high-quality, affordable care. Smucker is also a member of the task force.
Together with Representative Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) Moore has introduced legislation to reform the budget process and ensure accountability for taxpayers. Comprehensive Congressional Budget Act Reforms the annual budget and appropriations process by requiring Congress to vote each year on the entire congressional budget, not just the 12 appropriations bills that cover a quarter of all federal spending.
Moore is faces a fundamental challenge née Utah Rep. Karianne Lisonbee who formally announced her candidacy Tuesday in the 2nd Congressional District, setting off a primary fight between Utah’s only member of congressional leadership and a prominent member of the Legislature.
Smucker ran for committee chairman in 2022, but Arrington won in a second secret ballot organized by House Republican Steering Committee leaders.
Democrat from Philadelphia Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-02) also serves on the Budget Committee as ranking member.
