Minnesota Republican named new chairman of Joint Economic Committee

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) announced Thursday that he is appointing Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) to be the chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) — a new job for a lawmaker who is being targeted by Democrats in the midterm elections.

“As Congress works to write laws that boost our nation’s economy, Erik’s vast experience working on tax and economic matters will serve the committee and the Congress well,” Ryan said in a statement.

The JEC is tasked with analyzing economic conditions and making recommendations about how to improve the economy. The panel consists of lawmakers from both the House and the Senate, and chairmanship of the panel alternates between the two chambers.

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Paulsen said that in the position he will work to boost job creation and growth in workers’ salaries.

“The JEC has a long history of bringing together the best ideas from both parties and both chambers to advise Congress on how to grow our economy and promote trade, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic opportunity for all Americans, and I look forward to leading these discussions in my new role,” he said.

Paulsen will succeed Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) as chairman of the JEC. Tiberi is leaving Congress this month to take a job leading the Ohio Business Roundtable.

After Tiberi, Paulsen was the most senior House Republican on the JEC. He is also a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which took the lead on the tax-cut bill that President Trump signed into law last month.

Paulsen is on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of targets for 2018. His district, which includes suburbs of Minneapolis, voted for Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the district “lean Republican.”