Rising Democratic star U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas is seeking a powerful congressional role that would position her as one of her party’s most influential leaders. In a letter to the Democratic House Caucus, Crockett announced her candidacy to be the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the main investigative body of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The ranking member, the top position held by the minority party of any given committee, is the party’s de facto leader–and positions them to be the committee’s chairperson in the event the party is in the majority. The House Oversight Committee’s most recent ranking member, Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, died on May 21 at 75. His death left the powerful position vacant, resulting in a growing field of candidates.
U.S. Reps. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, Robert Garcia of California, and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts have also submitted bids to be the ranking member. Crockett and Garcia’s candidacies present an opportunity for a generational shift in House Democratic leadership. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a popular progressive, made such a bid against Connolly earlier this year, but was unsuccessful. She declined to run again after his death.
Crockett, a two-term member of Congress, attorney and former Texas state representative, told Democrats that her decision to seek the Oversight Committee’s top position is a result of “fierce urgency,” noting that “Americans are demanding a more strategic, aggressive, and energetic fight” against the Trump administration and the Republican Party’s agenda.
“The magnitude of these unprecedented times warrants a resistance and tactics never before seen,” said Crockett.
Jamarr Brown, executive director at Color of Change PAC, told theGrio that “it’s encouraging to see leaders like Rep. Jasmine Crockett stepping up to shape the direction of our government.”
“With a presidential administration actively attacking our rights and freedoms, it’s critical that young, diverse progressives are not only present but in positions of power,” said Brown. “A leadership role on the House Oversight Committee is especially important for holding this administration accountable and defending our democracy.”
Who Democrats elect as ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will be critical. If Democrats win back the majority in the House in next year’s midterm elections, the ranking member would likely become the committee’s chair, giving them subpoena power to investigate controversial actions taken by the Trump White House.
Democrats have vowed to hold the executive branch accountable for several actions like providing access to citizens’ data from various federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration, to non-government employees a part of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, mass firings of federal workers, and botched deportations.
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