Trump Ally Smith to Lead House Tax Writers, Adding Populist Tilt

Representative Jason Smith will lead the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, putting a decidedly populist and pro-Donald Trump lawmaker in charge of the chamber’s tax, trade and health agenda.

Smith, who advocates positioning the GOP as the party of the working class, represents a shift in Republican economic strategy away from the pro-free-trade, pro-business alignment it’s espoused for decades.

The new committee chair will also be a key bridge between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the rebellious right flank of House Republicans, who’ve already demonstrated their determination to exert their leverage in the chamber’s tight margins.

Smith, a Missouri ...