Incoming House Chairmen: It’s Big Government All Around

Republicans
successfully campaigned against the excesses and failures of the
Obama administration in keeping control of the House and regaining
control of the Senate. In the process, there was no shortage of
promises to rein in our bloated, debt-ridden federal
government. History isn’t on the GOP’s side.

A strong indicator of whether Republicans are truly, seriously,
finally ready to chop government and promote free market policies
is whether or not the people selected to head the various House
committees have shown a commitment to those principles. After all,
if government is to be cut, it’ll be up to the appropriations and
authorizing committees to steer legislation that gets it done.

Although the committee heads for the next Congress haven’t been
confirmed by the full Republican conference, it’s pretty much a
done deal once the House Republican Steering Committee has made its
recommendations. Steering, which is controlled by GOP leadership
and friends of leadership, has made its picks. So let’s take a look
at some of the policymakers who will be in charge—particularly the
committees that have a sizable impact on the size and scope of the
federal government.

The bottom line: It doesn’t look like the GOP is truly,
seriously, finally read to chop the federal government.

Appropriations: Hal Rogers (KY)

The appropriations committee exists to do one thing: spend
taxpayer money. With its “power of the purse,” appropriators are
responsible for the annual parceling out of federal funds through
12 appropriations bills targeting particular government
functions.

Rep. Hal Rogers (KY) will remain its chairman. Nicknamed the
“Prince of Pork” because of his zeal for sending taxpayer money
back to his district, Rogers is an old-school establishment
spender. Thanks to Congress (accidentally) agreeing to limit
discretionary spending via the 2011 Budget Control Act, Rogers has
been kept in relative check. Rogers would like to bust the current
budget caps and misses dishing out pork via earmarks. He’s
currently pushing for an omnibus appropriations bill that would
fund the government for the rest of fiscal year 2015. The
preferable course would be to pass another continuing resolution
until the GOP takes complete control of Congress in the New Year
when it would have more power over spending (of course, that
generously assumes the GOP will actually do something constructive
with regard to spending cuts). Regardless, Rogers is not—and will
never be—of help in pursuing a smaller federal government.

Agriculture: Mike Conaway
(TX)

Farm bills are born in the agriculture committees. Conaway is a
vocal supporter of the farm bill as it exists
currently and he has already made it clear that he supports keeping
the federal trough flowing to wealthy farmers, albeit in what he
thinks is a more “free-market way.” The uncomfortable truth,
however, is that subsidies aren’t free-market. Conaway also says
that he wants to review the food stamps program and notes
that “every federal dollar spent is a dollar taken from a
hardworking American.” That’s true, but it’s disturbing that he has
no problem taking dollars away from hardworking Americans and
handing them over to his mostly wealthy backers in the
agriculture industry.

Armed Services: Mac Thornberry (TX)

On the bright side, Thornberry acknowledges that the Pentagon’s
procurement system is a mess and intends to do something about it. However, the
best way to make the government more efficient at doing something
is to give it less to do. Unfortunately, Thornberry is a typical
conservative when it comes to supporting an expansive foreign
policy agenda. He supports the United States’ global military
empire and he supports spending more money on “national defense”
than the current budget restraints allow. 

Budget: Tom Price (GA)

Rep. Price replaces Paul Ryan on the Budget Committee and is
thus responsible for creating the annual House version of a budget
blueprint. Price was a supporter of outgoing Chairman Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity.”
While arguably better than the status quo, it called for
“saving” the federal government’s massive entitlement-welfare
state, “fixing” the overgrown “safety net,” and spending more money
on the Pentagon. That makes him a strong conservative—not
necessarily a proponent for limited government.

Education & the Workforce: John Kline
(MN)

Rep. Kline retains the Education and the Workforce (i.e,
labor-related programs) gavel. He says that “we can no longer
accept a broken [education] system,” but he’s only interested in
tinkering with the federal interventions that helped break it. The
federal government should be removed from the issue of education,
period. Unfortunately, Kline hasn’t moved the ball in the direction
and isn’t expected to do anything differently this time around.

Energy & Commerce: Fred Upton (MI)

Rep. Upton retains the Energy gavel, which should be remembered
for passing the so-called “No More Solyndras Act” in 2012. Not only
did the legislation do no such thing, Upton and most of his
Republican colleagues voted against an amendment that would have
actually ended the Title 17 energy loan program.
Upton supports an “all of the above” approach to
federal energy policy. What that means is the he supports federal
subsidies on everything from fossil fuels to “green” energy.
President Obama embraces the same approach.

Financial Services: Jeb Hensarling (TX)

Rep. Hensarling remains in charge of the House Financial
Services committee. He opposed the TARP bailout and efforts to
water down federal flood insurance reforms that were intended to
protect taxpayers. Hensarling has also tried to end the federal government’s role in backstopping
mortgages and he has led the charge against
the cronyist Ex-Im Bank. As far I know, he is the only
chairman calling for the abolition of any programs.

Homeland Security: Michael McCaul (TX)

Looks like he’s pro-Patriot Act,
pro-war on drugs, and pro-military empire.

Small Business: Steve Chabot (OH)

The ideal chairman of the House Small Business Committee would
seek to have the Small
Business Administration abolished. Rep. Chabot, the committee’s
new chairman, has co-sponsored legislation to “simplify” the SBA
loan process, but simplifying something that shouldn’t exist in the
first place isn’t the goal.

Transportation & Infrastructure: Bill
Shuster (PA)

Rep. Bill Shuster retains the gavel for the transportation
committee that his father, Bud, infamously chaired—and the apple
doesn’t fall far from the tree. Given Shuster the Younger’s
methodical rise to the committee’s chair, it’s not surprising
that he embraces an oversized federal role for
the nation’s transportation and infrastructure needs. That’s
unfortunate given that now is an excellent time to focus on
returning those responsibilities to state and local government, and
most importantly, the private sector. 

Ways & Means: Paul Ryan (WI)

Rep. Ryan will be focused on tax reform. That isn’t happening
while Obama is in the White House.

The bottom line is: I won’t be holding my breath while waiting
for most of these men to shrink the size and scope of government.
Though some of them can blame their bad track records on having
Obama in the White House, I am afraid that they possess a deeper
affinity for big government than their rhetoric suggests.