Meet Jason Smith
As someone who grew up working on the farm, Jason used his high school FFA project to help pay his own way through college. Jason graduated with a double major in just three years. From there he attended law school, where still today he faces the same struggles that millions of Americans do in paying off student loan debt.
After school, Jason returned home to Dent County, he began running the family farm and operating a small business. It was during this time that he learned firsthand what it meant to balance a budget, live within your means, and the disciplined work ethic needed to operate a successful farm and business. This period also made Jason recognize the harm that the overbearing government was inflicting on his farm, his business, and Missourians. Wanting to undo the damage from a government which taxes, spends and regulates too much, Jason decided to run in a special election for the Missouri State House.
In 2005 Jason won election to the Missouri State House, representing the 150th district, including Dent, Crawford, Phelps & Reynolds County. Impressed by his work ethic, integrity and grasp of complex policy matters, his colleagues elected him as one of the youngest Majority Whips and then Speaker Pro Tem in Missouri State House history. His work in Jefferson City earned Jason a reputation as a guardian of rural values, a fighter for a smaller, more efficient government, and an outspoken advocate of fiscal conservatism.
Jason’s success in the Missouri Assembly propelled him to answer the call to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in early 2013. Through a lengthy 27-way primary process, Jason proved to be the conservatives’ choice to represent Missouri’s 8th congressional district. After less than a full term in Congress, Jason’s colleagues once again recognized his hard work, commitment to limiting the size of government, and dedication to understanding complex policy by awarding him with appointment to the House Ways & Means Committee – the oldest and most prestigious standing committee in Congress
As a Member of the Ways & Means Committee Jason has focused on simplifying the over 70,000-page tax code and reducing the burden the federal tax system places on small businesses, farmers, and families. He has helped author and pass policies which lower the tax liability for working students, repeal the unfair ‘death tax’, and reduce the federal tax load for farmers and small business owners wanting to invest in new equipment. Jason has also used his perch on the Committee to advance repeals of the individual and employer Obamacare tax mandates and also fight for rural poverty reform.
In late 2015, Jason’s colleagues in the U.S. House once again recognized his commitment to putting conservative values, principles and leadership first and elected Jason to serve on the Republican Steering Committee – a group of Republican conference leaders charged with selecting the Chairman of every U.S. House Committee.
In 2016, Jason was unanimously elected by the U.S. House of Representatives Republican Conference to serve as a Member of U.S. House Leadership. He uses that elevated role to further advocate for rural America and the rights of farmers and families. There he was able to work closely with President Trump, cutting 24,000 pages of regulations for businesses and delivering tax relief to American workers while also reducing the size and scope of the federal government.
Throughout 2020, Jason served as co-chair for Trump for Missouri as he did in 2016. He led the charge for President Trump in the Show-Me State and campaigned for the President across key battleground states. Due to his commitment to cutting spending and lowering taxes for the working class, his colleagues elected him as the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee for the 117 th Congress. In this role, Jason will focus on keeping Washington out of the pockets of hard-working Missourians, pushing back against the progressive wish list of higher taxes and wasteful spending, and defending the accomplishments of the Trump administration to put working-class American families first.
As a seventh-generation Missourian and a fourth-generation owner of the family farm, Jason will continue to champion the rights and values of farmers and rural Missourians in Congress. Jason has been endorsed by the Missouri Farm Bureau and National Rifle Association. For his voting record in Congress, Jason has also earned 100% ratings from the National Right to Life, the Christian Coalition of America, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the Faith & Freedom Coalition.
Jason attends Grace Community Church in Salem where he has volunteered as a Sunday school teacher for their church’s youth.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget. Each represents one district and serves a two-year term. Tax bills must start in the House, only the House can impeach federal officials, and members oversee federal agencies through their committees.