September 26, 2022 8:00am EDT
Republicans building a massive Biden accountability agenda for 2023
'Resolutions of inquiry' that are getting rejected by Democrats today will guide the GOP if they take back the House
By Peter Kasperowicz | Fox News
Soon after COVID-19 hit the U.S., Democrats made a subtle change to House rules that shut off an important oversight tool for Republicans in the minority by restricting their ability to demand information from the Biden administration through "resolutions of inquiry."
Before the pandemic, committees were instructed to take up these resolutions, which often seek all available information from the administration on topical issues of the day, within a few weeks of their introduction.
Once COVID arrived, Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., allowed committees to ignore resolutions of inquiry, which stripped Republicans of their power to force committee votes on uncomfortable issues that Democrats preferred to avoid.
However, in mid-July, Pelosi changed the rules back and required House committees once more to act on resolutions of inquiry. The effect was immediate — Republicans introduced a wave of resolutions that started to get votes in House committees in September.
With just weeks to go before the midterm elections, these resolutions are dominating committee agendas. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee was forced to vote on seven resolutions demanding information from the Biden administration on discussions about how to handle angry parents at school board meetings, enforcement of immigration laws, the impact of illegal immigrants on tribal lands and the raid on former President Trump’s home in Florida.
The House Natural Resources Committee had to process five resolutions dealing with Biden’s plans to restrict offshore oil and gas leasing and other matters. The House Committee on Education and Labor was forced to confront requests for information on Biden’s decision to forgive billions of dollars in student loans.
This week, the House Judiciary Committee took up a resolution seeking data from Biden on the thousands of unaccompanied alien children who enter the U.S. each month.
Democrats have voted down each one of these resolutions — by voting against them, the committees are reporting them "unfavorably," which effectively kills them. But they’re serving another purpose for the minority party. Each resolution brought forward by Republicans will likely get a second life as a plank in the GOP’s oversight agenda if they take over the House in the midterm elections.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-building-massive-biden-accountability-agenda-2023
