GOP Lawmakers Vie for Tax-Writing Panels as Spotlight Brightens

GOP lawmakers are vying for scarce Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committee seats, with a major tax overhaul on the horizon.

Only a couple of GOP seats are up for grabs on the two highly sought-after panels that will be tasked with deciding what provisions to extend from the 2017 tax law. Paired with an official call that Republicans will hold the House majority delivering unified control of Washington, the spotlight will be bright on the party’s tax writers.

As many as 10 House Republicans have considered a bid for the panel, including Reps. Rudy Yakym of Indiana, ...