Meet Jason
Jason Smith is a 7th generation Missourian, a 4th generation owner of his family’s farm, a citizen-legislator, and a champion for the rights and values of rural Missourians.
Jason Smith is a 7th generation Missourian, a 4th generation owner of his family’s farm, a citizen-legislator, and a champion for the rights and values of rural Missourians. After serving from 2005 to 2013 in the Missouri General Assembly — rising to become Speaker Pro Tem — Jason was elected to Congress in 2013. He served in House Leadership as Conference Secretary during President Trump’s first term in office, then became Republican Leader of the House Budget Committee in 2021, where he led the fight against wasteful Washington spending.
In January 2023, Jason was selected to chair the historic Ways and Means Committee — the oldest committee in Congress. He was the youngest member to become chair of the Ways and Means Committee in modern times at 42 years old, and he is the first Missourian to lead the committee since John Phelps — the namesake of Missouri’s Phelps County — in 1859.
As Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Jason’s top priority is delivering for the working families, farmers, and small businesses that make the American economy the envy of the world. That is why, under his leadership, the committee is traveling outside the marble halls of Congress to hold its hearings so that Americans who cannot afford to make the trip to the nation’s capital have the opportunity to shape the policies that impact their lives every single day.
It was precisely through this approach to legislating that Jason led the effort to enact the largest tax cut in American history. Signed into law on July 4, 2025, the One, Big, Beautiful Bill provided tax relief to workers, families, seniors, farmers, and small businesses — including policies like No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, No Tax on Social Security, a permanent enhanced Child Tax Credit and doubled standard deduction, and permanent relief from the Death Tax. These provisions are putting more money in the pockets of working families and helping family farmers pass down their legacies to the next generation. Pro-growth provisions in the law are giving main street job creators and manufacturers across the country more certainty to invest in their businesses, grow, and hire more workers.
When it comes to America’s most vulnerable families, Jason worked in a bipartisan manner to enact historic reforms to the child welfare system and continues to build momentum for what will be the most consequential improvements to the nation’s foster care program in nearly three decades.
Whether it’s lowering taxes, providing regulatory relief, supporting families, or ensuring our trade policies put American workers first, Jason is partnering with the American people — not lobbyists or special interests — to get America back on track. Jason comes from humble roots and learned the value of hard work growing up in Salem, Missouri. He attended Salem High School, where he was an active member of FFA. At the University of Missouri-Columbia, Jason earned degrees in Agricultural Economics and Business Administration. After receiving degrees from both programs in three years, he attended law school at Oklahoma City University and graduated at the age of 23. Jason has been rated as the top conservative in the Missouri Delegation by the American Conservative Union; he is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and a supporter of the pro-life movement and traditional values. Jason attends Grace Community Church in Salem.