This year, things got off to a bumpy start in the Republican-led House of Representatives. The chamber had to vote a total of 15 consecutive times before Rep. Kevin McCarthy was finally elected as the new House Speaker.
With McCarthy now in place, the chamber has moved forward, with various Republicans getting assigned to different House committees.
Naturally, Democrats have something to say about this, as is par for the course in today’s political scene. According to The Hill, the Biden administration is actually not pleased about what they view as far-right Republicans landing committee positions.
A Closer Look at Complaints From the Biden Administration
Some Republicans to land committee assignments in the new Congress include Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Scott Perry, Paul Gosar, etc. Meanwhile, the White House put out a statement via its spokesperson, essentially airing grievances about these Republicans having elevated power positions.
According to the Biden administration, the House GOP appears more inclined towards “political stunts,” rather than bipartisan collaborations. Furthermore, the White House made a point of alleging that “secret deals” took place between these Republicans and Speaker McCarthy.
“If you had a child and you gave them a credit card, and they kept hitting the limit—you wouldn't just keep increasing it. You'd first see what are you spending your money on? How can we cut items out?" – @SpeakerMcCarthy on the federal debt limit and cutting spending pic.twitter.com/tmhiFdJadF
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) January 19, 2023
Later on, the Biden administration’s spokesperson complained about the various scandals that Greene and others have faced since their time in Congress.
Truthfully, it’s likely that the White House would have found fault even if different Republicans were assigned to various committee positions for this Congress.
A Double Standard
It goes without saying that Speaker McCarthy isn’t waiting for the White House’s approval before determining who will serve on committees. For starters, this is not a decision Democrats get to make, seeing as they lost control of the House of Representatives last year.
Furthermore, the Biden administration’s comments about bipartisanship can be seen as hypocritical, at best. When Democrats controlled the House, they didn’t show the slightest inclination towards being bipartisan and working with Republicans.
Instead, the left actively flaunted its congressional majorities in both chambers, saying that Republicans weren’t necessary. Democrats acted on this as well, passing legislation like the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act without one single GOP vote.
No more proxy voting. Effective immediately, Members of Congress have to show up to work if they want their vote to count.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 19, 2023
Now, the shoe is on the other foot. House Republicans, notably Speaker McCarthy, will ultimately get the final say on which party members make it onto committees in the chamber.
If Democrats were still controlling the House of Representatives, Americans can be sure that Republicans’ input on who should join committees would not be taken into account whatsoever.
Do you have any thoughts about the Biden administration complaining about which House Republicans are being assigned to committees? Do you believe these complaints are ultimately hypocritical?
In the comments area, you are more than welcome to share your feedback and thoughts about this particular issue.
