U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady announces his withdrawal from Congress

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, announced Wednesday morning that this will be his last term in the U.S. House.

First elected in 1996, Brady is one of the top members of the Texas delegation and a powerful actor within the House Republican conference. The announcement was widely expected, as he faced a term limit in his role as the House’s top Republican Committee on Roads and Means, which legislates tax legislation.

“I will retire as a Member of Parliament. This term, the 13th, will be the last,” he announced during statements at the Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference. “I originally set out to give my constituents the representation you deserve, the efficiency you want, and the financial freedom you need. I hope I have delivered it.”

Brady is the second member of the Texas Congress to announce that this would be his final term. Last month, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville announced his own retirement.

“Is that because I’ve lost faith in a partisan Congress and in the political system? Absolutely not,” Brady said. “I work with some of the most dedicated people in the country – talented, hardworking and serious about their responsibilities – on both sides. And after 25 years at the nation’s Capitol, I still haven’t seen any problems we can’t solve or pass No. No No. Especially when we put our ideas and our best intentions together.

“As you may not know, because House Republicans limit committee leaders to six-year terms, I will not be able to chair the Forms and Means Committee in the next session when Republicans regain a majority. That was what influenced in this decision? Yes, some.

“But as I see it, the terms of office of our committee head ensure that legislators who work hard and who one day work effectively have the opportunity to lead, bring new and new ideas to all the committees we have. in my opinion, it’s a good thing. “

Brady, a native of South Dakota, led the Montgomery County local chamber of commerce for nearly two decades. He ran and won a seat in the Texas House in 1990 and came to Congress in 1996.

In his time on Capitol Hill, Brady has had no reservations about participating in partisan fights, but most of all he brought himself up with a sunny disposition. So much so that after unsuccessfully running for the presidency of Ways and Means, the first person to win the handle, future House Speaker Paul Ryan gave his support behind Brady during the Brady’s second successful career in 2015.

The peak of Brady’s career came in late 2017, when he led the successful Republican push to drastically cut taxes. That victory came after Republicans failed to roll out former President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law.

The fiscal review was the party’s most important legislative achievement in the Trump era, but the federal deficit is also expected to increase.

Brady was also a member of the Republican baseball team in Congress. Brady left the last morning training session of the GOP team a few minutes before 2017, nearly missing a shooter who injured his close friend and roommate, the then Whip of most of the house, Steve Scalise.

Brady’s retirement will provoke a struggle to replace him.

The population center of his district is Montgomery County, a powerful Republican stronghold in the northern suburbs of Houston. In its present form, the eighth district extends north to the forests of Piney. There will likely be some changes in this year’s redistricting round.

However, it is difficult to see any scenario in which this seat becomes competitive territory for Democrats. Brady never won re-election with less than 59% of the vote, and won frequently in more recent rounds with margins of 50 percentage points. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump led the eighth district by a margin of 42 points over future President Joe Biden.

Brady’s retirement highlights the declining influence over the years for Texas House Republicans and the inevitable rebuilding phase through which the Texas GOP delegation finds itself.

Just five years ago, seven Texas Republicans chaired House committees. Most have retired. Representative Michael McCaul was limited by the term of office of the National Security Committee of the House, but is now the top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions chaired the House Rules Committee, but lost re-election in 2018. Since then, he has returned to Congress in another district, but for now remains a grassroots member.

With Democrats in control of the U.S. House, there is a current Texas chair. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, chairs the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

If Republicans take power in the House in 2022, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth could be positioned to lead the House Appropriations Committee.

As for Brady, he said he remains optimistic about the future of the country.

“In the end, I will leave Congress the way I entered it, with the absolute belief that we are a remarkable nation: the largest in history,” he said. “Despite what the media and social media are bombarding you with every day, we are not the hateful, racist, divided nation around us. They are wrong. Turn off all that noise and you will hear the true heartbeat of America.”