Camp likely to get Ways and Means chair

In the aftermath of the Republican takeover of the U.S. House, Rep. Dave Camp (R-Midland) is likely to get the chairmanship of the most powerful and important committee in the House, the Ways and Means Committee, which controls most federal spending. The Saginaw News reports.

Now, after two decades as a congressman, the veteran Midland Republican is expected to assume one of the most prominent roles in the U.S. House and of his own career: chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Republican leaders will vote on Camp’s appointment by year’s end…

Camp’s new stature could bring new clout, observers say.

“It is an absolutely key position and now with Republicans in the majority, it is even more of a key position,” said William R. Rustem, president and chief executive officer of Public Sector Consultants in Lansing. “He’s in one of the most important positions in Congress. … It’s somebody the new governor of Michigan is going to want to work with.”

The two most plum jobs in the entire Congress are the chairmanships of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. Because those two committees control the federal government’s tax system, their actions have an enormous effect on corporate bottom lines. They are thus the target of the most serious lobbying efforts and, as a result, also the recipients of the most campaign donations.

As minority leader of that committee, Camp raised more than $2.7 million for this year’s election campaign, nearly twice the average amount raised by members of the House this year — despite having no serious challenger at all and little need to campaign. He was able to spread that money around to other candidates.

The current chair of that committee is also a Michigan legislator, Rep. Sander Levin, and he will presumably remain minority leader on that committee. He raised more than $2.2 million this year, again without having a serious challenger to face in the election.