Republicans Outline Three Committee Investigations They Will Focus On
© Win McNamee/Getty Images
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 29, 2022 in Washington, DC. McCarthy may not have enough votes to be elected speaker on the first ballot on Tuesday.
Republicans have outlined three investigative subcommittees that they intend to set up in the new Congress once a speaker has been elected and a new rules package is approved.
The proposed House rules for the 118th Congress have been published and the 55-page document commits to establishing committees to probe the Biden administration, the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. relationship with China.
-
Over two dozen dead after Mississippi tornado
Reuters -
Thirsty Kitty Gets a Cup Stuck on His Head
BuzzVideos -
How the far-right is responding to Trump’s threats against prosecutors
MSNBC -
'It’s just a travesty': Republican-led delegation visits jailed Jan. 6 defendants
MSNBC -
Trump’s ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows ordered to testify in January 6 probe
MSNBC -
Trump special counsel secures key witnesses
MSNBC -
Gov. DeSantis hits back at Donald Trump following weeks of ridicule
MSNBC -
Aerial video reveals complete devastation after tornado
The Washington Post -
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claims January 6 was not an insurrection
MSNBC -
Watch: Drone footage captures devastation after deadly tornadoes in Mississippi
NBC News -
Russia expert has theory on why Putin made newest nuclear threat
CNN -
Tornadoes kill dozens across Mississippi and Alabama
NBC News -
Pioneering Los Angeles hotel has been fighting for women's rights for nearly a century
CBS News -
Unpacking the hush money case involving former President Trump
MSNBC -
Mitch McConnell back home after treatment for concussion
CBS News -
Trump holds Texas rally with possible indictment looming
CBS News
-
Over two dozen dead after Mississippi tornado The death toll in Mississippi soared past two dozen on Saturday, after a devastating tornado ripped through the state the night before, prompting governor Tate Reeves to issue a state of emergency. Diane To reports.
Reuters
-
Thirsty Kitty Gets a Cup Stuck on His Head Occurred on March 14, 2023 / Iowa City, Iowa, USA: "I had a cup of milk that I had just finished, which my cat fiends for. I was just watching TV and scrolling on my phone. Then, at one point, I looked over and he had the cup on his head. I was hysteric
BuzzVideos
-
How the far-right is responding to Trump’s threats against prosecutors Extremist groups welcome former President Trump’s rants against law enforcement, but “they’re mad at him for not being more specific,” says Media Matters C.E.O. Angelo Carusone. He joined “Talking Feds” podcast host Harry Litman to discuss whether Trump could face any legal consequences for inciting violence. MSNBC
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has used the rules package in part as a way to make concessions to members of his own party who are opposed to his election as speaker.
The rules will not be passed by the House until a speaker is elected on Tuesday and there are doubts whether McCarthy will have the necessary votes to win on the first ballot.
While the House may be facing the most contentious speakership election in a century, the three investigative subcommittees contained in the new rules may go some way to placating McCarthy's opponents.
The first subcommittee will deal with "the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party," according to the proposed package.
The second subcommittee, which is likely to focus on the Biden administration, will consider "the Weaponization of the Federal Government" and will be "a select investigative sub committee of the Committee on the Judiciary."
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene specifically linked that subcommittee to President Joe Biden in a tweet on Sunday, saying of probes into the administration "We are so serious, it's not just a goal, it's a rule."
"Establish the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government to investigate the full extent of the Biden Administration's assault on the constitutional rights of American citizens," she added, quoting from the rules package.
Newsweek has asked the White House for comment.
House Republicans also intend to establish a select subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rules document contains more details about this subcommittee.
The COVID-19 committee will be tasked with investigating the origins of the pandemic, the use of taxpayer money to deal with the pandemic and the development of vaccines, among other matters.
The subcommittee is directed "to conduct a full and complete investigation and study and, not later than January 2, 2025, issue a final report to the House" with its findings.
Some Republicans have previously called for an investigation of the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. government response to the pandemic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, recently retired director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is a likely target of the probe and may be called as a witness.
However, the committees cannot begin work until a speaker is elected and it remains unclear how quickly that can happen on Tuesday. McCarthy's allies are reportedly expecting multiple ballots—a situation that hasn't arisen since 1923.
Related Articles
