Texas Republicans Lose Key Leadership Roles In Congress

Texas will probably feel a shift in power at Capitol Hill. Despite Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress come January, the Texas GOP delegation will find itself without the high-profile committee leadership roles it has held for decades.

“It certainly puts Texas in a position of reduced influence for the GOP conference as a whole and Congress in general,” U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, told The Texas Tribune. “So I’m hopeful that we’ll be in a position to quickly regain some chairmanships because of the size and strength of the delegation.”

This is driven by a wave of retirements among senior Texas Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth, who led the influential Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess of Pilot Point, the top Republican on the Rules and Commerce Committees. Their departures follow former U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady of The Woodlands, who retired in 2022 after serving as chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

According to The Houston Chronicle, these committee leadership roles have historically enabled Texas Republicans to shape national policies on spending, taxation, healthcare, and energy, while also securing resources and projects for their home state.

The loss of seniority has been stark. Of the 25 Republicans Texas will send to the House in 2025, 18 have served three full terms or fewer. 

“It’s better when we are leaders up here, rather than not having any chairmanships,” said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, who will relinquish his leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee due to GOP-imposed term limits. McCaul also noted that just eight years ago, Texans chaired seven major committees, a stark contrast to the current situation.

While Texas Republicans retain some committee chairmanships, they lack leadership roles in top-tier committees. U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, will chair the House Budget Committee, and U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Willow Park, will lead the Small Business Committee. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, who represents the district housing NASA’s Johnson Space Center, has been tapped to head the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Babin told the Houston Chronicle the importance of his role: “Between our nation’s booming science, space, and tech sectors and the growing threat posed by adversaries like Communist China, there has never been a more important time for this committee.”

One leadership role remains undecided: House Speaker Mike Johnson will soon appoint the chair of the Rules Committee, with Texas Reps. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, and Chip Roy, R-Austin, in contention for the position.