The U.S. Capitol is seen on a cloudy day in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) has been tapped to join the powerful House Ways and Means Committee here.
“When I ran for Congress,” Moore said after his appointment was announced Jan. 11, “I promised to be part of reversing our ‘debt culture’ in Washington.
“Utahns care deeply about our nation’s debt and deficit crisis,” he added. “I remain committed to making Washington’s approach to fiscal policy mirror Utah’s sound practices.”
In November, Moore was re-elected to his second term in Congress, along with colleagues giving the Republicans majority control in the U.S. House for the first time since 2018.
Moore’s appointment to Ways and Means is part of a general restructuring of that committee following the victory of Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) in a three-way race for its chairmanship.
Smith is promising a more working-class atmosphere at Ways and Means, including a more populist tone in trade dealings with China.
During his first term in Congress, Moore developed a reputation as something of a pragmatist for forging alliances across the political isle to pass bi-partisan legislation. That reputation undoubtedly had a strong influence on this appointment to Ways and Means.
In welcoming Moore to the committee, Smith praised him as “ … a fighter for fiscal sanity and common sense” in his first term in Congress.
He predicted that Moore would use that same “dogged determination” to help build a strong economy that will “support working families, lower taxes and promote investment in America.”
Ways and Means is oldest and most prestigious committee in Congress. Its members have jurisdiction over tax and trade policy, Medicare, Social Security and other entitlement programs.
With an epic budget battle looming in Congress this year over the government’s statutory debt ceiling, that committee’s decisions regarding both discretionary and mandatory speeding will be critical in determining the future course of the federal budget.
“Many of our nation’s debt drivers come under the Ways and Means Committee’s jurisdiction,” Moore explained. “I am eager to get to work on how we can reform Congress’s budgeting process and responsibly steward our federal resources and programs.”
Prior to Moore’s appointment, the Ways and Means Committee had only one member who hailed from states west of Texas.
Moreover, Utah has never before had a member of its congressional delegation serve on that committee in the more than 125 years since achieving statehood.
Moore’s staff noted that honor is well-deserved, since Utah is among the nation’s fastest growing states in terms of population, job creation and gross domestic product.
Utah’s 1st Congressional District is also home to the nation’s second-largest Internal Revenue Service workforce and Moore has promised that he will be “laser-focused” on tax oversight and customer service issues plaguing the IRS.
“It’s an honor to make history today,” Moore said, “as the first Republican member from Utah to serve on the Ways and Means Committee.”
In accepting that appointment, Moore also renewed his commitment to conservative principles, which he said will provide the “most effective roadmap to lift millions out of poverty, grow our workforce, empower families and local communities, create a competitive advantage over adversaries and ensure that we stand on the forefront of innovation and discovery.”