Chairmanship of Senate Finance Committee to Shift in 2021; Ways and Means Leadership to Remain

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, will no longer lead the committee even if Republicans retain the majority in the Senate. The Republicans have term limits for committee chairmanships, so he will move on. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is the most senior member of the committee, and thus is the next expected chairman, though that move has not yet been settled.

Crapo has been prominent in fights on softwood lumber imports from Canada (see 1707250019), but also has interests in semiconductors, as Idaho is home to Micron Technology, a major manufacturer. Crapo co-sponsored a bill in 2019 (see 1908150019) that would have the government look for chip supply chain security vulnerabilities. Micron has been the victim of attempted intellectual property theft by China (see 2010290017), but has also talked about the impact on its revenue of the export ban on chips going to Huawei (see 1909270064).

Leadership in both parties on the House Ways and Means Committee will remain, but there will be some membership changes on that committee, as several members' election outcomes are not yet settled, and two members retired.