WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan (R., Pa.) will be aiming for a seat on the powerful House Ways and Means committee when Congress returns to Washington, according to two Pennsylvania Republican sources.
Meehan just won re-election to his third term, and could see his profile and influence rise if he gains a foothold on the committee, which oversees tax policy and is considered one of the most important in all of Congress. The panel will likely be led next term by former GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan (R., Wisc.)
Meehan, of Delaware County, hopes to replace fellow Southeast Pennsylvania Republican Jim Gerlach, who did not to seek re-election in his Chester County-based district. Keystone State Republicans are urging GOP leaders to give Meehan a slot on the committee, hoping to ensure that the region retains its voice on the panel. Meehan has been laying the groundwork with members of the Republican conference for some time now.
Without Gerlach, the Republican Ways and Means members closest to Philadelphia would be Tom Reed, of Western New York, and Mike Kelly, who represents the northwest corner of Pennsylvania and is sometimes mistaken for Meehan (they look like they could be cousins). Both are from areas with much different characteristics than the Philadelphia suburbs. Most of the Republicans on the committee are from the South and Midwest.
A spot on Ways and Means would give Meehan a coveted assignment. If Republicans attempt to overhaul the tax code, the effort that would likely run through the panel. The post could also put Meehan in position to take some difficult, high-profile votes, though Meehan is seen as a strong enough incumbent to withstand some political fall out.
Philadelphia-area Democrats are also set to lose a local voice on the committee with the departure of U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D., Pa.), who ran for governor and lost. It's not clear if the region will be able to replace her on the panel.
Meehan, according to one Republican source, was the only southeast Pennsylvania Republican to support U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.) in the race this year for GOP whip, the third-ranking position in the House. Scalise won the spot over U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.), a more centrist option who received backing from other Republicans in suburban Philadelphia.
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