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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 7 February 2019

House Democrats getting down to the grunt work of governing

By LISA MASCARO do list she rolled out in 2007, can run the government, the White House. “What we have not seen
AP Congressional Corre- the last time Democrats they can do the things they This month, Democrats from this committee in a
spondent had the majority — in favor said they’re going to do,” expect to pass H.R. 1, a decade-plus is attention to
WASHINGTON (AP) — A climate change,” Grijalva
House committee will hold said, alongside video clips
its first hearing on gun vio- of Trump calling climate
lence in years. Two others change a “hoax.” ‘’On
will gavel in to address cli- the contrary. We’ve seen a
mate change. And three pattern of denial.”
more will debate protect- As other lawmakers, includ-
ing pre-existing health con- ing some newly elected
ditions and the Affordable freshmen, join on screen,
Care Act. Grijalva says, “Now we’re
That’s before noon on at a point with this new ma-
Wednesday. jority that that is going to
After eight years in the mi- change.”
nority, House Democrats The Foreign Affairs Com-
are about to uncork their mittee will debate the war
bottled-up legislative en- in Yemen, and consider a
ergy. The agenda goes war powers resolution to
beyond oversight of Presi- halt U.S. involvement in the
dent Donald Trump’s ad- Saudi-led coalition.
ministration and Russian The Energy and Commerce
election interference to the Committee is among sev-
bread-and-butter issues of eral panels delving into
jobs, health care and the In this April 14, 2018 file photo, a man wears an unloaded pistol during a pro gun-rights rally in health care and also cli-
economy. Far from the Austin, Texas. mate change. The Over-
House floor, the grunt work Associated Press sight Committee will hold
of governing will play out in a hearing Wednesday on
the confines of the commit- of a return to the legislative he said. sweeping reform of cam- ethics in the executive
tee rooms, on the day after process. “Reality,” Curry added, “is paign finance and voting branch. And the Appro-
Trump’s State of the Union It’s partly a nod to the di- obviously more complicat- rights laws, and then turn to priations Committee will
address. verse majority whose mem- ed than that.” legislation to expand back- hold a hearing taking stock
“We have a lot of work to bers hold different views on Much of the House’s legis- ground checks for sales of the recent government
do,” said Rep. Katherine some issues. But it’s also a lative product will fall flat in and transfers of firearms. shutdown.
Clark, D-Mass., a member part of Democrats’ efforts the Senate, where Republi- In announcing the first gun- Next week’s agenda is
of party leadership. to revive traditional gov- cans retain majority control, violence hearing for the shaping up to be almost as
House Democrats got off erning, rather than lurching and Majority Leader Mitch House Judiciary Commit- full.
to a rough start in the new from crisis to crisis, as had McConnell is expected to tee in at least eight years, Pelosi said in a letter to col-
Congress as the 35-day become the norm when ensure his chamber serves Chairman Jerrold Nadler, leagues this week that the
government shutdown Republicans were unable as a backstop to prevent D-N.Y., said that “for far committees are “moving
jammed the agenda, frus- to control their often unruly Democratic bills from land- too long, Republicans in forward.” She noted that
trating some lawmakers conservative flank. Under ing on Trump’s desk. Congress have offered mo- 18 freshmen have been
and halting the energetic new House rules, every bill In some ways, the prospect ments of silence instead of named chairs of subcom-
freshmen class that swept must pass through com- of divided government action in the wake of gun mittees. The last time Dem-
to power in the midterm mittee before coming to a frees up Democrats to sim- tragedies. That era is over.” ocrats welcomed such a
election. vote on the floor. ply pass the bills they prefer, Several committees have big class of freshmen, the
With the longest govern- They may not want to put it without much interest in the posted videos ahead of Watergate class of 1974, no
ment closure over, for this way, but House Demo- bipartisanship that would their hearings in movie-like freshmen had such assign-
now, the new House ma- crats are trying to make be needed for Trump to trailers to the coming ac- ments.
jority is eager to deliver on Congress great again. sign them into law. tion. Curry said the robust com-
its promises before the next James Curry, an associate The more likely result is that Rep. Raul Grijalva of Ari- mittee strategy serves a
election shifts attention yet professor of political sci- the legislative agenda zona, the chairman of the purpose for leaders, too.
again. ence at the University of sets the stage for the next Natural Resources Com- “Why not open the process
Speaker Nancy Pelosi made Utah, said Democrats have election, in 2020, when mittee, promised a month up a little bit and let every-
a calculation after the mid- a short window to cap- voters will be assessing not of hearings on climate body express themselves?”
term election to forego a ture the public’s attention. only the performance of change — the first sus- he said. “It’s a nice way to
traditional 100-days agen- “They want to show voters the new majority but also tained look at the topic for give everybody something
da — or the 100-hours to- they can legislate, they which party they prefer in his panel since 2009. to do.”q