Early test for Ryan

Ways and Means brawl an early test for Ryan

The new speaker is remaining neutral in the race.

By Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer

No one knows who will win this one.

The behind-the-scenes brawl for the chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee is coming to a head this week, as two consummate insiders vie for one of the most consequential chairmanships in the first major internal fight of Paul Ryan’s speakership.

Ohio Rep. Pat Tiberi, a nine-term veteran of Congress who successfully pushed through fast-track trade authority earlier this year, is facing off against Rep. Kevin Brady, a Texan who ranks second in seniority on the panel and also leads the subcommittee on health. Ryan, who chaired the panel for the past year, has remained neutral in the race, not giving any indication which one of his friends he backs.

That's why this contest will be revealing for Ryan. It will show his leadership style and perhaps a contrast with the previous regime — former speaker John Boehner often used his sway to deliver chairmanships to his preferred candidate. If Ryan gives the slightest indication as to whom he supports, the committee is almost certain to fall in line behind him.

How Ryan sees the race is not entirely clear, but the contours of the contest have long been set in place. Brady outranks Tiberi in seniority, but Brady is from Texas, which has six other committee chairmen. Tiberi has spent years raising money for and dishing out funds to fellow House Republicans, but he is seen as a critical figure in Boehner's universe, which could hurt him.

The set of decision makers is small. There are roughly 30 men and women who sit on the Steering Committee, which is one of the most important power centers in the House Republican Conference. Ryan has five votes on the steering panel, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has two votes and other members include top committee chairs and several regional representatives with close ties to Boehner. It's an intense popularity contest. Several lawmakers privately said it's completely unclear who will emerge as the winner of the internal battle. Ryan and McCarthy are expected to discuss the race before the panel votes Wednesday to tap a successor for Ryan.

The steering committee makes a recommendation for the chairmanship, which then has to be ratified by the entire House Republican Conference. The committee's decision is rarely overturned.

Tiberi and Brady are set to make their case before the panel Wednesday, which will then meet behind closed doors to select the next chairman.

The contest will be closely contested, as both men share similar spheres of support.

In an exclusive interview, Tiberi said his race is based on “who I am and where I come from.” He’s reminding members of his humble upbringing. He grew up the child of Italian immigrants, who were Democrats. His mother was a seamstress and his father a steelworker, who at times had two jobs. Tiberi worked at McDonald's and T.J. Maxx, and put money away to help pay for his education at Ohio State. He was a journalism major, but was bitten by the political bug and ended up as an aide to John Kasich when he was in the House.

Tiberi is emphasizing that he represented a swing district around Columbus, Ohio, and can communicate the GOP message in a way that appeals to a broader audience. Brady, by contrast, represents one of the strongest Republican districts in the country.

“It’s important to have someone in the chairmanship who can not only keep on communicating to a broader audience of swing voters, but understand each and every piece of anxiety that someone in a [Democratic] district that’s a Republican or a [slightly Republican] district or even a more difficult district feels,” Tiberi told POLITICO. “We need to be more sensitive to them, to their anxieties and what they go through.”

Tiberi, who was one of Boehner’s top lieutenants, pushed back on those who say he voted with Boehner out of loyalty. He said he did it to advance the party's agenda.

“I voted with Speaker [Dennis] Hastert a lot and we weren’t friends,” Tiberi said. “It misses the point about what I do here. And why I do what I do here. And what I’m made of. And I have been a guy who tries to do his work. Before I was on the Ways and Means Committee, since I’ve been on the Ways and Means Committee. And the value of being in a swing district for so many years and having millions of dollars spent against you and having protests in your office by the left wing is that you become battle tested and you understand you have to work hard to communicate these issues.”

Brady, meanwhile, told POLITICO that he believes he'll win the support of his Republican colleagues because he played a "leadership role on all the key policy issues from health care to tax reform to trade and delivered especially on the big issues like" fixing the formula by which Medicare reimburses physicians.

The Texas Republican has been making his case to members of the Ways and Means panel and steering committee members. Brady allies say he is emphasizing his seniority on the panel, and reminding people that he dropped his bid for the gavel last year when Ryan won. Tiberi supporters say Brady's bid was just for show, because it was clear Ryan would become the Ways and Means chairman.

Just like any internal battle in Congress, fundraising is playing a big role. Last week, Brady's fundraiser sent out a list of events to allow supporters to contribute to his political action committee. Tiberi allies say he's been fundraising on behalf of Republicans for years.

"My fundraising at the [National Republican Congressional Committee] over the last three years has been chairmanship-level-plus and frankly I am just getting started," Brady said, noting he co-chaired three membership dues drives. "And so from that standpoint, the fundraising issue is settled." Tiberi, meanwhile, emphasizes that he doled out money to Republicans even when he was defending his own swing district.

Fundraising is especially key in this race. Ryan is expected to spend far less time fundraising than Boehner; top committee chairs will be expected to step up more than they have in the past.

Texas and its prominence in the House GOP has been a big issue in this race. The Lone Star State holds six committee gavels — and will through 2018. Brady said the GOP is "not a party of quotas and set-asides."

"We put the best people on the field every opportunity we've got," Brady said. "The term limits of chairmanships work. States like Michigan that can have four chairmanships one time and then be at a different level two years later. It will work the same way with Texas."

The Ways and Means election is a last hurrah, of sorts, for this steering committee. Ryan has vowed to rearrange the panel to provide more representation for younger and more conservative members.