Analysis: House Republicans again set their sights on ethics watchdogs
have the same broad composition and ostensible mission. Both are bipartisan, the latter made up of eight sitting representatives, four from each party, and the OCE eight members with the same partisan makeup, though only six of those members have voting power. Both entities are charged with investigating ethical questions related to members of the House or their staffs.
But the OCE is generally recognized as having undertaken its role with more vigor and skepticism. When House Republicans planned to uproot the agency in 2017, The Posta number of revelations that were attributable largely to the OCE’s work, including probes into both Democrats and Republicans. But Republicans coming into the majority nonetheless voted before the start of the 116th Congress to subjugate the OCE to the House Ethics Committee.
For obvious reasons, Republican leaders weren’t thrilled about the idea of kicking off their new, unexpected unified control of Washington by undercutting an independent ethics body. The not-yet-inaugurated Donald Trump, who’d run on the idea of “draining the swamp,” offered his public opposition on Twitter. The ideaOn Tuesday, Republicans again took control of the House and, again, advanced plans to hobble the OCE.
The OCE certainly could. Its mandate includes looking at violations of “law, rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct” by members of the House. Unless, of course, it lacks the staff to do so.The new proposal to weaken the OCE was advanced as part of a proposed rules package cobbled together as Republicans prepared to take power. Those preparations, of course, were derailed a bit when Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to earn enough votes to be elected speaker in the first round of voting Tuesday.
His relationship to the OCE is interesting. He opposed instantiating it in the 2008 vote, but as a member of the Republican leadership in 2017, pushed to remove the ethics amendment from the party’s proposed rules package. His stated concern, as The Post
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
White House says House Republicans need to decide George Santos's fateThe White House contends House Republicans should determine their own 'terms of standards and service' after being asked whether scandal-embroiled Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) should be seated in the new Congress.
Read more »
Republicans Humiliated by Republicans in Kevin McCarthy Speaker VoteA historic moment in loser-dom: It's the first time in a 100 years that a Speaker hasn’t been selected on the first ballot!
Read more »
Some House Republicans concerned McCarthy speakership would continue 'past and ongoing Republican failures'Nine GOP House members said Kevin McCarthy's election to the speakership could mean a continuation of past and ongoing Republican failures.
Read more »
Five Biden administration investigations House Republicans plot to launch in 2023As Republicans prepare to take control of the House for the first time in four years, party leaders are already teeing up a number of investigations into several Biden administration officials regarding their conduct.
Read more »
'This Must Be Stopped': House Republicans Plan to Gut Ethics Office'The MAGA House is more interested in sweeping any corruption amongst their ranks under the rug and performing political stunts against the Biden administration than they are doing anything constructive,' said one critic.
Read more »