SerpApi.Org
Hardline conservatives are gaining power in the Senate atop key committees.
Why it matters: The senators known for rankling GOP leadership now have gavels that let them hold hearings, advance legislation and even issue subpoenas.
Driving the news: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will be the new chair of the Budget Committee, Senate Republicans agreed in their closed-door lunch Tuesday.
- The committee, which has a key role in reconciliation, had been chaired by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
- Johnson also chairs the Homeland Security subcommittee on investigations, allowing him to launch probes into everything from former President Biden's health to Meta's alleged cooperation with China.
What to watch: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is next in line to take the gavel on the powerful Judiciary Committee next Congress, following Graham's death and Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) primary loss.
- Lee would have to forfeit his current Energy Committee chair post.
- He indicated to the Washington Examiner he would be willing to do so.
Zoom out: Fiscal hawk Rand Paul (R-Ky.) chairs the Homeland Security Committee, where he has been skeptical of massive agency budgets.
- He recently voted "no" on Markwayne Mullin's nomination to be DHS secretary.
- Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) chairs the Aging Committee, and he also leads the GOP steering committee, an unofficial, conservative group.
- Scott has leveraged the group's weekly lunch to bring in top government officials, including President Trump, to discuss current issues.
The bottom line: The Senate runs on seniority. That means even senators willing to buck their party or criticize leadership can climb committee ranks.
