Pelosi Names 7 Lawmakers To Coronavirus Oversight Committee

TOPLINE

House Speaker Pelosi on Wednesday announced the names of seven Democratic House members who will sit on a select committee to oversee the White House’s administration of $3 trillion in relief funds, signaling the committee’s priorities and areas of focus.

KEY FACTS

Key background

The committee has come under fire from both Republican and Democratic members of Congress, who question its purpose and placement within the already vast network of congressional oversight bodies. Republicans have accused Pelosi and Clyburn of aiming to use it for partisan purposes to criticize President Trump’s coronavirus response. They have also taken aim at Clyburn’s comments calling the committee “a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision,” alleging that he intends to use it to push for progressive policies unrelated to coronavirus.

According to Politico, Democrats have likewise questioned the purpose of the committee and potential overlap with the House Oversight committee and the CARES Act Oversight Commission. The latter body, chaired by former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, D-Fl., was created to oversee the administration’s handling of the $2 trillion stimulus package passed in March. Both committees have signaled intentions to investigate the White House’s response, raising questions about overlaps between the three oversight bodies.

What To Watch For

Who the Republicans appoint to the committee will signal whether they want to steer the it towards hard-nosed scrutiny of the executive branch, or to play a more adversarial role against what they’ve decried as Democratic partisan gamesmanship. It also remains to be seen how the committee plans to conduct its sessions, with the possibility of instituting proxy voting and other remote working arrangements still up in the air.