WASHINGTON — The House coronavirus committee will remain in a Republican-controlled chamber, but with a very different mandate, reflecting GOP frustration with the federal reaction to the pandemic.
The revamped 12-person committee is now tasked with probing the origins of the virus, investigating research into obtaining office, and wondering about government expenditures and mandates related to the pandemic. The House legalized the amended committee as part of a broad set of regulations. Approved through a vote of 220 to 213 Monday night, with one Republican vote against the regulations.
The adjustments reflect a radical departure from the original mandate of the Democratic-led committee, which focused largely on the nation’s preparedness, the Trump administration’s first missteps and the proliferation of misinformation about the virus, vaccines and treatments. Democrats and many public fitness advocates hoped the subcommittee would dissolve with a Republican majority.
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Instead, it will become a nightmare of Biden’s management, dodging into Republicans’ longstanding court cases over vaccine needs, spending and theories about the origins of the virus.
Democrats can nominate five caucus members to join the committee, but Republican leaders are not required to approve any of them.
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The committee’s to-do list now includes an investigation into “the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, including, but not limited to, the federal government’s investment in studies to win office,” the language of the regulations says, referring to studies that genetically modify viruses, making them maximally transmissible to examine their spread. Federal scientists such as former top infectious disease official Anthony Fauci have vehemently denied investing in Covid-19-related prosecution studies.
Some House Republicans, such as the new chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash. ), have already signaled their goal of investigating the origins of the virus and spending.
The committee’s other mandates also reflect growing Republican frustration with the pandemic response. The organization is tasked with investigating how taxpayer budgets have been used to respond to the pandemic, “including reports of waste, fraud or abuse,” and investigating the effect. About school closures and widespread closures have had on children’s learning, the economy and small businesses.
The subcommittee has subpoena force, but can appeal to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to obtain its favor.
The committee must publish a report on its findings by Jan. 2, 2025, but may publish “such interim reports as it deems necessary. “
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