Scott Powers
Winter Park’s Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy just got a seat at the grown-ups table in the House of Representatives, joining the House Ways and Means Committee.
Murphy, just starting her second term, announced late Wednesday that she had been appointed to the chief tax-writing committee, with oversight on federal programs such as Medicare, Social Security and trade.
She will be the only Florida Democrat on the committee in the 116th Congress controlled by Democrats, and the first since 2010.
“It’s crucial that Florida — our nation’s third largest state — has a strong voice on this influential committee working to strengthen our economy, secure our nation, and protect the promises we’ve made to our seniors,” Murphy stated in a news release. “In particular, at a time when rising trade tensions continue to directly impact tourism, agriculture, travel, and our state’s overall economy, I will utilize my experiences in the private sector and at the Pentagon — where I helped negotiate bilateral security agreements — to find bipartisan cooperation that moves our nation forward.”
The Committee on Ways and Means, created in 1795, is the oldest committee in Congress and derives its influence from the constitutional requirement that all legislation that raises revenue must originate from the House.
It is an exclusive committee, meaning Members who serve on the committee typically do not serve on other committees.
That means Murphy expects to give up the seats she held in the 115th Congress on the Small Business Committee and the Armed Services Committee. The latter was a particularly key committee for Murphy, a former U.S. Defense Department analyst, and she used it extensively as a platform to speak out on national security issues, notably regarding Asia policies.
