There are a lot of big GOP voices on the House Ways and Means Committee as Republicans work to produce a tax bill. Among them, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) has once again carved out a notable role for himself.
The Oklahoma Republican is no stranger to grabbing public attention. He jumped into the drawn-out speaker race in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, for one. On Ways and Means, Hern won himself a prime spot leading Republicans’ 2025 tax prep group focused on international taxes, a huge priority for big companies.
Hern has a leadership role as chair of the Republican Policy Committee, and he’s been a part of many closed-door meetings in the speaker’s office and White House to plot out reconciliation plans.
We sat down with Hern to talk all things reconciliation this week, as Ways and Means Republicans privately huddled on tax plans.
The tax debate: Hern made the point that Republicans have to consider what helped President Donald Trump win not just the election but the popular vote in 2024, pointing to three of his big tax cut pitches: getting rid of taxes on tips, overtime pay and seniors’ Social Security. These proposals will be competing with other priorities for the $4.5 trillion set aside for taxes under the House-passed budget resolution.
“You can’t get amnesia and forget that the reason you can even have this conversation is because President Trump won,” Hern said.
But none of the tax cuts can be carried out until House and Senate Republican leaders work out an agreement on reconciliation instructions. As we reported, there’s tension brewing between the two chambers over the budget blueprint.
Hern told us that Senate Republicans can make some “structural tweaks” or “process formalities” – like the “current policy baseline” to make it easier to permanently extend tax cuts. But big changes that give more room for taxes and also mandate fewer spending cuts won’t pass the House, he warned. Hern also said $1.5 trillion in cuts is likely the floor for what House spending hawks need to pass a resolution.
Hern had a pretty stark message for the Senate on what that means. The fifth-term lawmaker said if Senate Republicans make changes too big, they risk the package falling apart and the GOP having to negotiate a tax bill with Democrats in January. That would be a disaster for Republicans.
Plus, Hern pointed to White House support for the House’s plan for one bill and said it’s the Senate that needs to catch up.
“The Senate needs to figure out how they can save face and get on board,” Hern said.
The House dynamics: We also talked with Hern about the role he’ll play moving forward as the House works to pass a tax bill and navigate a razor-thin majority. Hern called for Ways and Means members to make the rounds to factions of the GOP conference — with Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) to back him up — and bring along GOP members they’re close with.
On the whole, Hern said he plans to play a “nurturing, coaxing” role getting Republicans on board with a tax package. The GOP leadership will need to put “verifiable checkpoints along the way” because of trust issues with Republicans from past leadership, he added.
“I think there’s a trust but verify. I think some people have been here a while, they’ve been burned.”
