Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) is poised to step into the biggest moment of his more than three-decade career in Congress. Washington is about to find out if he can handle that spotlight.
The Senate is likely to flip to a GOP majority next year, elevating Crapo to Finance Committee chair with a massive, high-profile mandate: extending the Trump tax cuts.
Low-key and mild-mannered, Crapo is a close ally of the Senate Republicans’ long-time leader, Mitch McConnell. He also has strong relationships with Senate Minority Whip John Thune and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), both Finance members and leading contenders to succeed McConnell. And Crapo notably kept Republicans in line earlier this year to kill the Wyden-Smith tax deal.
Looking to 2025: Crapo generally wants to extend the Trump tax cuts and keep the corporate rate low. But the Idaho Republican’s views on the whole package are murkier. This could frustrate some tax watchers but also come in handy; it’s sometimes easier to negotiate when you aren’t on the record with your every thought.
Crapo is the type of Finance Committee leader who tries to elevate his members’ opinions. And while a staunch conservative, Crapp also still looks for ways to work with Democrats. But Crapo and fellow Republicans will follow former President Donald Trump’s lead on taxes if he’s back in the Oval Office.
Crapo’s biggest deal was cut when he was chair of the Senate Banking Committee. Crapo worked with a handful of Democrats to ease some banking regulations during the Trump administration. Of course, the task in 2025 will be much more daunting.
Who’s got Crapo’s ear? Crapo’s orbit is small. He’s got a handful of close confidants and some very long-serving staffers who hold sway.
Gregg Richard, staff director at Finance, and Susan Wheeler, chief of staff, have each been working for Crapo for decades. Wheeler even worked on Crapo’s first congressional campaign.
Downtown, Will Hollier, Crapo’s former chief, and John Anderson, a former senior policy adviser, are key. Hollier recently brought former Finance tax staffer Mike Quickel on at his firm, Hollier & Associates. Anderson is at Rich Feuer Anderson.
In the Senate, Crapo’s home-state bond with fellow Idaho GOP Sen. Jim Risch is notable. The two generally align for votes and coordinate closely.
Crapo and the House: Bonds between House and Senate counterparts often get forged in big legislative moments. One of Crapo’s biggest moves at Finance has been scuttling the deal that the House passed overwhelmingly. That package was negotiated by Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.).
It was a rocky start to the Smith-Crapo relationship, to say the least.
Crapo and Smith will be in an easier spot if they’re both chairs working toward Trump’s goals. Still, there’s relationship building for Crapo to do whether it’s Smith or Rep. Richie Neal (Mass.), Ways and Means’ top Democrat, leading the House panel.
