The Republican Study Committee (RSC) has unanimously elected Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern to be its next chairman, the RSC announced Thursday on Twitter.
Congressman Hern previously led the RSC’s budget and spending task force after first being elected in 2018. Hern received the endorsement of almost 40 other caucus members after he led the committee’s creation of the model fiscal budgets for 2022 and 2024, The Hill reported.
Hern will be “the leading voice in our fight to rein in the Democrats’ reckless spending” the RSC wrote in its announcement. The committee is the largest Republican caucus in the House and plays a significant role in developing the GOP’s policy agenda. (RELATED: Rep. Tom Emmer Wins GOP Nomination For House Whip, Defeats Rep. Jim Banks)
Today, #RSC unanimously elected @repkevinhern to be Chairman for the 118th Congress.
Chairman-elect Hern previously led the budget and spending task force and as Chairman will be the leading voice in our fight to rein in the Democrats’ reckless spending. pic.twitter.com/zPLS4jmDuK
— RSC (@RepublicanStudy) November 17, 2022
Earlier in 2022, Rep. Hern led a Republican push for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign in the wake of “a year of crisis and failure at our Southern border, putting millions of Americans in danger.” He argued “Border apprehensions have more than tripled over FY [fiscal year] 2020, while deportations have dropped by 70%. Additionally, FY 2021 saw over 100,000 fentanyl overdose deaths, the first time that many have been recorded in a single year.”
Rep. Tom Emmer on Tuesday narrowly defeated outgoing RSC Chair Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana in an election for House Majority Whip, the third-ranked position in House leadership.