Meehan gets more clout in Congress

U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan of Delaware County will begin his third term in Congress in January with a new and more influential committee assignment.

 

Meehan, who cruised to an easy re-election earlier this month, has been assigned to the influential Ways and Means Committee.

The panel deals with important issues such as trade and tax policy, and its members are in a better position to bring home money for a project that will benefit their districts, especially if they’re in the majority. Meehan, a Republican, is, and he’s excited about the new post.

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“This is much like, you’ve watched the game from the stands. Now it’s an opportunity to really be on the field,” Meehan said in a brief phone interview.

Meehan said many in Congress are frustrated with partisan gridlock, and he hopes to work with members of both parties on issues that matter.

He said he looks forward to “discussion about tax reforms that would create better opportunities for us to compete globally and bring back some of the captured dollars that are sitting overseas.”

He said investing those revenues “in things like infrastructure could be very transformative for us back here.”

The region is losing two representatives who were on Ways and Means and decided not to seek re-election: Democrat Allyson Schwartz and Republican Jim Gerlach.

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