U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Austin, is nearing the end of his term as the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee – but has said he’s not ready to leave the position just yet. He recently confirmed he’ll be seeking a waiver to continue serving as the committee chair beyond the six-year term limit.
“He has been a very active committee chair,” said Matthew Watkins, managing editor for news and politics at the Texas Tribune. “His committee has passed the most bills that actually made it through the entire House of any committee so far this term. He was a big supporter of aid for Ukraine, vocal on the Tibetan issue with China, and says that he deserves to kind of continue in this office.”
In order to serve more than three terms as chair of the committee, McCaul will need to get approval from a steering committee, and then the full House Republican caucus. Watkins said that some colleagues are eyeing the chairmanship, which may complicate the process for McCaul.
“There’s always people who are interested in those positions who might oppose (McCaul’s bid),” Watkins said. “He has to convince some ambitious people that it’s worth them kind of waiting for their turn to try to seek this chair.”
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