Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s bid for the top Democratic Oversight Committee job could give her one of the most visible perches in Congress as the party tries to fight President-elect Donald Trump's agenda.
In her Friday letter to Democratic colleagues, the 35-year-old progressive sketched out her vision for the panel’s Democrats as they brace for another term in the political wilderness — the minority in both chambers of Congress. She'll be running against Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who launched his bid earlier this week.
“We must balance our focus on the incoming president’s corrosive actions and corruption with a tangible fight to make life easier for America’s working class,” she wrote. “I know firsthand how the Majority uses their chaos to confuse, disorient, and distract the public’s attention away from their disastrous agenda. We cannot and will not allow that to happen. I will lead by example by always keeping the lives of everyday Americans at the center of our work.”
The Oversight Committee is home to some of the House’s biggest partisan fights, with both parties typically stocking the panel with fighters who will target their political enemies. Ocasio-Cortez first joined Congress during the latter half of Trump’s first presidential term and gained notoriety for her pointed questioning of committee witnesses and sparring with Trump officials.
Under the GOP majority, the panel was at the center of some of Republicans' most-high profile, and most-criticized, investigations, including a monthslong impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden that focused largely on the business deals of his family members. And next Congress it will be in the driver’s seat as Republicans jockey to coordinate with Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency to cut federal spending.
In the minority, Democrats have limited tools at their disposal to block Republican actions on the committee. While the GOP will have the ability to call witnesses and subpoena documents, Democrats won't have much in the way of real power. They can slow things down with procedural roadblocks, but their most effective tool aligns with one of Ocasio-Cortez's strengths: earning media attention by blasting the majority party's antics.
Current Oversight ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), for example, has focused on the business deals of Trump’s family members as a counterpoint to the GOP’s impeachment inquiry. And Ocasio-Cortez, in her letter, said Democrats need to “focus on the Committee’s strong history of both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life.”
Ocasio-Cortez herself has a prominent following from younger, diverse people and is known to use her major influence on social media to explain her stances on policy and political issues. She has a specific style and effectiveness at hearings, resulting in key moments that have repeatedly gone viral. Her ability to create high-profile moments in hearings has even won begrudging admiration from some Republicans, who believe she’s effective even as they strongly disagree with most of her ideological stances.
But it's not the American electorate she needs to win over to get the top Democratic spot on Oversight. House Democrats’ powerful Steering and Policy Committee, which handles panel assignments, is expected to start considering contested committee slots in two weeks. The panel will hold secret ballots to recommend leaders to the full caucus, which will then officially vote on who will lead the party on panels.
Both Ocasio-Cortez and Connolly have been quietly canvassing their fellow lawmakers as they’ve launched their bids. The full Steering and Policy Committee hasn’t yet been named. Ocasio-Cortez could likely count on influential blocs of support in the party, like members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Progressive Caucus, while Connolly could get backing from senior members of the caucus across various factions.
Connolly, in his own letter to colleagues earlier this week, leaned into his history on the committee, willingness to work with and listen to other members and ability to battle with Trump as he works to lock down votes ahead of the Steering meeting.
“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is a beat I know well, and right now we need an expert who can parry the worst Republican attacks on our institutions and deliver reform where it is necessary and needed,” he wrote.
