Turnover among top Republicans to reshape House

WASHINGTON — In his five years as chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Rep. Lamar Smith transformed the once almost invisible position into a powerful bully pulpit. From it, he tried to dismantle Obama-era climate policies, undermine scientific consensus and browbeat federal agencies for what he called scientific fraud.

But with his run as chairman nearly done, the 69-year-old Texan announced Thursday he would retire rather than seek a 17th term in Congress and a spot on the backbench. The news followed closely on the heels of another powerful Texas Republican facing the end of his chairmanship, Rep. Jeb Hensarling of the Financial Services Committee, who said just two days earlier this term would be his last.

With a year left before the midterm elections, the line of senior House Republicans heading for the exits continues to grow. Democrats argue that the wave of retirements will help them retake the House.

But regardless of who controls the chamber come January 2019, it is becoming increasingly clear that the House will be a different place, with some of its biggest personalities and powerful committee and subcommittee leaders leaving it behind.

“Part of our original thinking was there is always new talent, there are always new people,” said Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker who in 1994 instituted a threeterm limit for top Republican committee positions. “I don’t know that having fresh blood is necessarily a bad thing.”

He did add, however: “It means we’ll have a few more tough races next year. It means you have less legislative experience, and it is much harder to manage.”

Beyond Smith and Hensarling, those seeking to depart include Reps. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, a longtime member of leadership, Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who was chairman of the high-profile Oversight Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a moderate but strong voice in Republican foreign policy, Diane Black of Tennessee, the first woman to lead the Budget Committee, and Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, an Appropriations subcommittee chairman and leader of House Republican moderates.

In all, 27 House Republicans have left, announced their retirements or declared they were seeking higher office, compared with seven Democrats.

Those numbers are expected to rise in the coming weeks, as filing and fundraising deadlines for next year’s election approach. Just how high could depend on the success or failure of Republicans’ latest legislative push, an ambitious rewrite of the federal tax code that Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has pledged to get through the chamber in a matter of weeks. Should the effort fail, current and former lawmakers said, the number of demoralized Republicans leaving the chamber could jump.

“Each of us will have our own individual stories, but the promise of unified government is much more difficult, cumbersome and elusive than we ever thought it would be,” said Chaffetz, 50, who stepped down in June to take a job at Fox News.