House Ways and Means Chairman Levin says job creation will be top priority
By Lori Montgomery Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
As he takes the reins of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Sander M. Levin is vowing to raise the profile of a once-powerful panel that, in recent years, has been overshadowed by the ethics troubles of its previous chairman, Rep. Charles B. Rangel.
In one of his first interviews as chairman, Levin (D-Mich.) said that job creation will be his top priority in the run-up to this fall’s congressional elections. But he said he also plans to wade aggressively into the debate over national tax policy and return his committee to its customary position at the center of the coming battle over tax reform.
“I don’t think [the Senate Finance Committee] should run the show. Charlie Rangel has struggled with this,” Levin said. “The task ahead makes it important that I actively chair this committee. On a really collegial basis, because I’ve always acted that way. But you can combine strength and collegiality.”