Committee News
The work of congressional committees is crucial to improving laws and public policy on behalf of all Americans. Committees study, debate and amend legislation before it reaches the floor of the Senate for a vote. They also conduct hearings on issues, and their findings and recommendations are published in reports and briefings. Often, committees have subcommittees to further refine their research and expertise.
Committees are also responsible for drafting bills and resolutions to address legislative matters. Their members are experts on the topics they cover, and the committee process is a unique way for them to collaborate on these issues, share ideas, and reach consensus on their priorities.
A key committee is deciding whether to move forward with a bill that would expand the number of Americans covered by Medicare. The bill could pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by the president. The Democrat-controlled Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to pass the bill this week.
If the bill does pass both chambers, it will move to the House floor for consideration. The House will hold a series of public hearings, and the panel’s leadership will meet with the White House to discuss the bill and its implications.
House Democrats also announced their pick for a new chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado. She is known for her steadfast anti-Trump stance and has long worked to ensure that women’s voices are heard in Congress.
A key part of her job will be pushing the panel’s investigation into Trump’s ties to the Jan 6 Capitol insurrection forward. The committee is already reviewing witness testimony and conducting hundreds of interviews. Its staff is preparing to file a report by the end of the year. The report could result in the first-ever criminal prosecution of a former president, for offenses including insurrection.
One of the committee’s major hurdles has been overcoming invocations of executive privilege by witnesses. However, the committee is optimistic that a recent court victory it achieved will allow it to learn details of direct conversations with Trump.
In another major development for the committee, it will soon begin interviewing key witnesses who were in contact with Trump on January 6. The investigation is likely to continue into the spring and summer, and could include an interim report. The committee is also considering referring its findings to the Justice Department for possible criminal action against people who broke the law. A rough timeline discussed among senior committee staffers includes a series of public hearings this winter and early spring, followed by the production of an interim or final report before the midterm elections in November.