Six Congressional Committees to Watch in 2019
Just because there’s a party split doesn’t mean nothing will get done.
Who and what to watch for in the 116th U.S. Congress:
Chair: Maxine Waters (Calif.)
On the agenda: Waters is a vocal Trump critic. As chair, she’ll have a powerful megaphone to call out misbehaving banks—and the investigative powers that come with it.
Top priority: “To bring accountability to the Trump Administration and the regulatory agencies under the Committee’s jurisdiction,” including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, she said in a press release.
Why Republicans should be scared: Expect Waters to be aggressive on oversight. That means more grilling of bank executives before the committee and more scrutiny of Trump’s relationships with financial institutions.
Why Republicans should be fine: Changes to the CFPB, even to restore powers previously stripped away by Congress, would require legislation. That would be unlikely to advance in a Republican-controlled Senate.
Key players: Republican Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is next in line to be ranking member—and has already announced his intention to defend his party’s agenda. —Andrew Ramonas