House Republicans have tapped two newly elected congressmen who drew tea party backing in their campaigns to help lead the party’s transition to power.

Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Tim Scott of South Carolina, who won endorsements by Sarah Palin and support from tea party activists, are part of a newly named 22-member team charged with crafting new rules and smoothing the GOP’s shift from minority to majority.

The team, led by Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon and headquartered in the basement of the Capitol, is to meet Monday night and Tuesday. It includes several seasoned veterans and influential members like 15-term Rep. David Dreier of California, in line for his second stint as head of the powerful Rules Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, in line to head the Budget Committee, and Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, the GOP campaign committee chief.

Walden said he didn’t choose the team based on whether they had tea party backing, telling reporters last week that he wasn’t sure whether those he was recruiting were supported by the conservative-libertarian movement. “It’s a nice cross-section of our Republican conference,” he said of the group. Read more at www.msnbc.msn.com