The three Republicans vying for their party’s top spot on the House Ways and Means panel in the next Congress have raised nearly $4.1 million combined this cycle from K Street lobbyists and their companies’ affiliated PACs, a CQ Roll Call analysis found.
With Republicans favored to win control of the chamber in the midterm elections, one of the three is poised to become the next chairman of a panel that is critical to business interests. The committee handles tax, health care, and trade legislation and oversees some of the government’s biggest-spending programs, such as Social Security.
Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, who is seeking his ninth term and is currently the second-ranking Republican on the panel, raised the most of the three contenders from the K Street sector with nearly $2.1 million donated during the 2021-2022 election cycle, according to lobbying contribution reports filed with Congress covering donations through June 30.
