Oversight eyes COVID, Biden as top priorities
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The GOP-led House Oversight and Accountability Committee is gearing up for its first hearing on a top priority this week: Federal pandemic spending. "I believe that the Committee needs to get back to its primary mission to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government," Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said during an appearance at the National Press Club on Monday. "There have been reports of hundreds of billions of dollars of potential waste in stimulus spending, PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] loan funds and pandemic dollars." PPP was created as a forgivable loan program by former President Trump's administration and was intended to help small businesses avoid layoffs at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, but economists and others who have reviewed the $800 billion program have suggested that it was "poorly targeted," "wasteful" and a target for fraud. The hearing will take place Wednesday. Comer said the committee also will be "investigating the Biden family for influence pedaling" and questioned family links to China and other countries. "I think we're gonna have a lot of good substantive hearings," he said. With the GOP takeover of the House in the midterm elections, Democrats have blasted coming Republican-led investigations, accusing them of being politically motivated. "It's clear that these guys have no credibility, but as they come forward with these attacks, they're going to throw a lot of nonsense at the Biden administration," Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) told reporters Monday. "I think what's important for us to defend the president, his administration and his team, and we've got the guts to do that." Other items of note from Comer's plans in the new GOP majority:
- The laptop story: Comer said he wants Twitter executives to testify about whether media reports about Hunter Biden's computer were intentionally suppressed on social media ahead of the 2020 election.
- Border control: Comer sought testimony from Border Patrol agents about the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border and what measures are in place to address the record stream of migrants, but Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has blocked the agents from appearing at a hearing next month. "This is a priority we campaigned on in the midterm elections," Comer said.
- Federal worker return: Comer said there is bipartisan interest in requiring an end of remote work that increased during the coronavirus pandemic. "We just want the federal employees to come back to work," he said. "We believe there are a lot of federal employees who have taken advantage of the situation." This puts House Republicans in a notable situation of aligning with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who has also called for a return to in-person work in D.C.'s many federal buildings.
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Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Elizabeth Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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- Three of former President Trump's golf courses will host tournaments for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league this year.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has joined the chorus of those unhappy with the Empire State Building being lit up in green and white to celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles's NFC championship win Sunday.
Brandon Tsay, the man who disarmed the suspect in the Monterey Park, Calif., mass shooting, will be attending the State of the Union address next week as the guest of Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.).
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About half of the Republicans in the Senate have signed onto a letter warning they won't vote to raise the federal debt limit unless the hike is tied to "real structural spending reform." The letter, led by conservative Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Budd
(R-N.C.), was signed by 24 of the chamber's 49 Republicans. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) isn't one of them. The Hill's Alexander Bolton has more here on the debt ceiling fight. |
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🚨 Sixth Memphis police officer taken off duty after Tyre Nichols death
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Another Memphis police officer has been disciplined in the beating death of motorist Tyre Nichols, 29. - The department confirmed Monday that Preston Hemphill has been relieved of duty, though not fired as an investigation continues. Five officers already have been fired and charged in Nichols' death, which has sparked national outrage.
- Video of the brutal beating was released Friday and prompted a wave of anti-police brutality demonstrations across the country.
A civil rights investigation has been launched into the Nichols's death. |
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📄 DOJ won't give House GOP details on Biden documents
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The Department of Justice has declined a broad request from House Republicans seeking information about the probe into classified documents that were discovered at President Biden's Delaware home and an office he once used. The DOJ says fulfilling the House Judiciary Committee's request could create risks from releasing information in an ongoing case. Judiciary chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had sought all documents and communications related to the investigation. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the classified records dating back to Biden's time as vice president. A separate special counsel is reviewing the mishandling of classified records recovered from former President Trump's home after ignored several requests to return the documents. |
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🤳 TikTok chief to appear before congressional panel
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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to face lawmakers' questions over privacy and safety concerns during a March 23 hearing as the popular
video-sharing platform faces pushback over its links to China. TikTok, which is owned by China-based parent company ByteDance, claims to have more than 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. and about 50 million daily. It's wildly popular with younger users. But it has come under intense pressure as federal agencies and more than a dozen state governments ban the app's use on employee devices. Recently, large universities and colleges also have sought to block TikTok access on their networks. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said in a statement that bringing the TikTok head in to testify is part of the panel's goal of addressing privacy and security concerns across Big Tech platforms. "Americans deserve to know how these actions impact their privacy and data security, as well as what actions TikTok is taking to keep our kids safe from online and offline harms," she said. |
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🌨️ Ice storms, 'hazardous winter weather' to hit millions this week
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Potentially dangerous winter weather is anticipated to stretch from Texas to Tennessee, threatening millions of people through mid-week with the potential for "widespread hazardous travel conditions for several days." The National Weather Service issued a series of Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Storm Advisories on Monday. "Freezing rain and sleet is likely to be the main precipitation type beginning as early as this morning in the form freezing drizzle," NWS wrote in its assessment. "With the weather pattern expecting to remain in place through at least Wednesday, several rounds of wintry weather may lead to icy conditions from Texas to Tennessee." Other threats include freezing temperatures and gusty winds that drive down wind chills. |
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🦠 WHO: Covid still a threat but outbreak has reached 'transition point'
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The World Health Organization (WHO) still considers COVID-19 a "public health emergency of international concern" but said that could be shifting. The agency acknowledges the outbreak has reached a "transition point" three years into the pandemic. More than 1.1 million people have died in the United States from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
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"Supreme Court must step in to defend the editorial rights of social media platforms" — Clay Calvert, professor emeritus at the University of Florida. (Read here) "Are open amendment rules too unruly?" — Don Wolfensberger of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. (Read here) |
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The House and Senate come in at 10 a.m. President Biden heads to New York in the morning to tout the bipartisan infrastructure package and attend a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. He's scheduled to be back at the White House around 7 p.m. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan at 11 a.m. |
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There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ecrisp@thehill.com |
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