House GOP shuts down Democrats’ oversight of Trump

Democrats are aggrieved their resolutions of inquiry have been blocked.

House Republicans recently sank numerous Democratic efforts to investigate President Donald Trump’s administration, but anyone who is not a close watcher of Congress would be forgiven for missing this late April development.

The roadblock was erected through a vote on a House rule, parliamentary parlance for a resolution establishing the parameters of floor debate. That can include delineating which amendments, if any, can be offered on an underlying piece of legislation. A House rule can also make substantive changes to the legislative measure itself, effectively altering its content in one fell swoop.

The Trump probe-related measure passed the House Rules Committee, where Republicans hold a 9-4 edge, as the majority party always does. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) then quietly put it on the chamber’s to-do list, though not with a flurry of press releases and news conferences.

The House rule is eye-glazing and 287 words long, too many to quote in full, none of which mention oversight…. (Read more)