NotedDC

NotedDC — What the House GOP plans to investigate in majority

by Amee LaTour and Elizabeth Crisp - 11/10/22 4:23 PM ET

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Republicans entered Tuesday hoping to clinch both chambers. Two days later, control of the Senate remains unclear and it appears the GOP is headed for a slimmer-than-expected House majority.

President Biden told reporters Wednesday that Democrats “lost fewer seats in the House of Representatives than any Democratic president’s first midterm election in the last 40 years.”

Yet even a small majority in one chamber would enable Republicans to block large chunks of Biden’s agenda while launching probes into the administration.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (La.) emphasized how the GOP gaining subpoena power would drive investigations around Capitol Hill starting in early 2023.

“Committees will once again be charged with drafting and marking up bills, while Members will be empowered with more information and more opportunities to have their say in the legislative process,” McCarthy said in a letter on his Speaker bid.

“And we will devote the resources necessary for this House to go toe-to-toe with the Executive branch, especially as it pertains to oversight and holding the Biden administration accountable for its mismanagement of our country,” he continued.

Scalise said in a letter announcing his run for majority leader that Republicans “must be relentless in our oversight of this Administration,” adding, “From the politicization of the Justice Department to the job crushing regulations coming from every agency, we need to shine a bright light on the actions and policy failures of this administration.”

Some key figures in investigations will likely be GOP Reps. James Comer (Ky.), Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), who are poised to become committee chairs.

Comer is the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. As Government Executive wrote, “Comer said he and his members have been working for months to gather information ‘to really come out of the gate strong in three major areas of investigations.’ These are: the origins of COVID-19; the ‘disaster’ at the U.S.-Mexico border; and alleged ‘influence peddling’ by Hunter Biden, the president’s son, as well as Jim Biden, the president’s brother.”

Our colleague Emily Brooks has more on potential House GOP probes into Hunter Biden’s business dealings here.

Jordan, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Oct. 31 about what his priorities would be as committee chair: “You cannot have a political Justice Department and also have a free society, a free country, so that is the most important thing.” Jordan indicated he also wants to look into the FBI.

Rodgers is the ranking Republican on the Energy & Commerce Committee. As our colleague Nathaniel Weixel wrote, “Rodgers and other GOP lawmakers have said they want to prioritize an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, as well as the administration’s policies in response to the virus, like school closures.” Additionally, “Republicans in both chambers are also eager to launch investigations into Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who is set to retire from government this year.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday asked White House chief of staff Ron Klain if he was ready for investigations. Klain said, “[W]e’re always ready for fair and legitimate oversight.” Tapper said that wasn’t what he was asking about, and Klain said, “I understand. What I am saying, though, Jake, is if that’s what it is, we’re ready for it.”

Related: Corporate America is bracing for congressional gridlock, GOP probes in 2023, The Hill’s Karl Evers-Hillstrom writes.

Welcome to NotedDC, we’re The Hill’s Liz Crisp and Amée LaTour. Have a tip or some feedback to send us? Email us at ecrisp@digital-release.thehill.com and alatour@digital-release.thehill.com. Let’s jump in.

Women break ground across the country

Maura Healey, Gretchen Whitmer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Women broke more barriers this week, with a record 12 women elected governor in states across the country.

In Massachusetts, Maura Healey (D) was elected as the state’s first woman and openly gay governor.

Former Trump White House official Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the governor’s mansion in Arkansas, becoming the first woman elected to lead the state in history.

Incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) was the first woman to win a full term as New York governor.

And Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) won reelection by double digits after being targeting by Republicans nationally over her state’s handling of the pandemic.

There were several key issues for women this year, including the Supreme Court’s rollback of abortion rights that had been enshrined for decades through the Roe v. Wade decision, and various impacts from COVID-19 on work and personal lives.

Still, there were no records set for the U.S. House and Senate, despite women leading in voter registration nationally and voter participation. And experts noted that the country is lagging in terms of women of color elected to top positions nationally.

“We are still seeing hurdles and gaps for women of color,” said Kelly Dittmar, director of research for the Center of American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

Dittmar said the research is still out on the topic of whether women gave up opportunities to run for office because of the impact of the pandemic or other issues, questions the center will be examining.

“The data and outcomes will push us to think about, ‘How do we do better?,’” Dittmar said. “We don’t know just yet.”

Where does Trump go from here?

Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally in support of the campaign of Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance at Wright Bros. Aero Inc. at Dayton International Airport.

During a rally in Ohio this week, former President Trump teased that he’d have a “big announcement” coming after the midterms, which political observers quickly understood as a giant clue about his 2024 plans after he lost reelection in 2020.

But after a disappointing midterm result for the GOP on Tuesday night — the “red wave” never materialized and the party is now looking inward to determine what went wrong — advisers and outside allies are urging Trump to delay his announcement.

“Of course, President Trump had said he’d be making an announcement on Nov. 15, next Tuesday. I’m advising the president to hold off until after the Georgia race,” Jason Miller, who worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, said on Newsmax, referring to the Dec. 6 runoff that could determine control of the Senate.

While Republicans are trying to encourage Trump to hold off until the Georgia race between Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker is decided, Trump — at least for now — seems set on going ahead with it.

SEEKING: VP…PLEASE CALL: MAR-A-LAGO

“If you want me to run in 2024, who should my Vice President be?”

That was the question posed by former President Trump’s Save America political action committee in a fundraising email early Thursday morning.

We knew there was no love lost between Trump and his former VP Mike Pence since a mob of angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to stop the certification of President Biden’s election — a largely ceremonial process Pence oversaw.

Pence has been testing the waters for his own possible White House bid. His new book, a 560-page autobiography called “So Help Me God,” is set to publish Nov. 15 — the same day Trump has scheduled a “big announcement” at Mar-a-Lago where he’s expected to share his 2024 plans.

In an early excerpt from the book, Pence said the former president chided him for resisting a plan to challenge the 2020 election results and said Trump claimed he would be remembered as a “wimp.”

📼 THROWBACK THURSDAY

Our friends at C-SPAN have a full montage of how presidents have addressed the midterm elections in the past that you need to see.

Highlights include former President Clinton‘s 1998 address to former President Trump‘s in 2018.

Biden addressed supporters at an event at Howard Theatre in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood on Thursday afternoon, after a better-than-expected midterm election.

Have a good idea for a throwback item that sheds light on what’s happening in today’s politics? Send it to us! Email:Elizabeth Crisp and Amée LaTour.

Where things stand in battle for House

Republicans are closer to securing a majority in the House, though Democrats have picked up several more seats.

View updated results here.

BRIEFLY

🗳 Our colleague Al Weaver writes about John Fetterman’s winning strategy in Pennsylvania, including a focus on being competitive in rural counties.

👩🏻‍⚖️ What will Nancy Pelosi do now? According to her former communications director, Ashley Etienne, “the choice is hers to make.”

🌊 The lawyer for the man who threw a White Claw can at Sen. Ted Cruz at the Houston Astros’ World Series parade said the man wanted Cruz to “chug” it.

😮 Our colleague Caroline Vakil discusses five midterm surprises in the House, including some vulnerable Democrats’ wins and the DCCC chairman’s loss.

NUMBER TO KNOW

Days until the Georgia runoff election for Senate between Republican Herschel Walker and incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. The race is expected to be tight and could decide control of the chamber. Catch up with The Hill here.

One last thing: Mall exhibit honors medical workers

The HERO ART PROJECT exhibit, featuring portraits of health care workers who lost their lives during the pandemic, opened Thursday at the National Mall between Constitution and Independence Ave.

“The tribute is a collaboration between members of ARTHOUSE.NYC’s artistic community and family members of doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers whose lives were lost to COVID-19,” according to a press release.

“The exhibition will be housed in the first ever mobile digital art gallery, built-out from a tiny house on wheels,” the release said. “The house is named ‘MARLA,’ after founder Susannah Perlman’s mother, Marla Perlman, a former healthcare worker who passed from COVID-19 in 2021.”