Jeffries submits Schiff, Swalwell for Intel panel, forcing fight with McCarthy

[brooklynite]

Source: The Hill

The head of House Democrats has submitted Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to sit on the powerful Intelligence Committee, setting up a battle with Republican leaders who are vowing to keep them off the panel.

Separately, Democrats this week are also expected to seat Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to a source familiar with the Democrats’ plans, which will likely prompt GOP leaders to hold a floor vote to remove her.

In a letter sent Saturday to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence panel, and Swalwell are both “eminently qualified” to continue their service on the committee. Jeffries requested that McCarthy seat them there.

“Together, these Members have over two decades of distinguished leadership providing oversight of our nation’s Intelligence Community, in addition to their prosecutorial work in law enforcement prior to serving in Congress,” Jeffries wrote.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3826508-schiff-swalwell-submitted-to-intel-panel-forcing-fight-with-mccarthy/

[machoneman]

1. Good! Force their hand. Can be a media/campaign issue considering the miscreants the R's empanel!

Floor fight! Cleanup in Aisle 6.

[ananda]

8. Agree. Shove it in their faces, and then be loud about the removals.

...

[The Unmitigated Gall]

2. Good. Right up in his fucking teeth.

[mobeau69]

3. This will be a good fight. Jeffries has all the high cards and coward McCarthy has a shit hand.

[leftieNanner]

5. "McCarthy has a shit hand"

He's too stupid to know that a 2-7 off suit is one to double down!

But double down he will.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

4. Smart move on Jeffries' part.

Call McCarthy's bluff and make him show his hand.

[agingdem]

6. Jeffries is daring Kevin to refuse to seat Schiff and Swalwell..

he wants this fight and he wants it public…Kevin has a problem..if he doesn’t allow Schiff and Swalwell on the intelligence committee, that gives them lots of time to hit the cable news shows highlighting Kevin’s weak leadership and MAGA revenge lunacy…as for Omar, deny her a seat on the foreign affairs committee Kevin and his circus clowns look like what they are…racist and xenophobic…

[2naSalit]

7. Excellent!

[Turbineguy]

9. Republicans require a lack of intelligence.

for that committee.

[getagrip_already]

10. A good opportunity for gop screwed out of committee assignments

To pay Kevin back for giving those choice seats to the arsonists....

They were loyal. They supported Kevin. They were screwed.

[Thunderbeast]

11. Tee up the ads in the GOP/Biden districts.

Of course, if a Freshman CongressCritter rebels against leadership, they are doomed in the 2024 Primary.

If they follow McCarthy, let them defend their votes in the general...with voters that elected them on "moderation" promises.

DOOMED either way!

Paint them ALL in an uncomfortable corner.

[Walleye]

12. Like Greene, both Schiff and Swalwell were recently returned to office by their constituents

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. Good

Rub it in McCarthy's face.

[SergeStorms]

14. ♟

Your move, Kevin.

[SouthernDem4ever]

15. McCarthy is a dumbass

He has to find other dumbasses to be on his committee. Can't have anyone intelligent on the intelligence committee.

[cilla4progress]

16. Take it to 'em, Hakeem.

That's why we love you.

And why I send you the big $20 donation from time to time!

[Martin68]

17. Good. There is no relevant reason McCarthy can give to deny them the position.

Need we remind him the Republicans who weren't seated on the Jan 6 Committee to investigate the insurrection actively and publicly supported the insurrection?

[republianmushroom]

18. good

[News Junkie]

19. So can McCarthy block them unilaterally?

Or does it take a vote of the House?

[BumRushDaShow]

20. It's complicated based on the type of Committee but this seems to explain it better

How a House speaker could kick lawmakers off committees — and why it matters

By Louis Jacobson PolitiFact Senior Correspondent

Published Dec. 23, 2022

(snip)

How could McCarthy remove Democrats from committee seats?

Democrats do have the option not to offer Schiff, Swalwell and Omar for the minority-party slots in those committees. But there’s little indication the Democrats plan to do that. So, the ball would be in the new speaker’s court. Of the three Democrats, the two who serve on the Intelligence Committee, Schiff and Swalwell, are on the thinnest ice for keeping their assignments. That’s because the Intelligence Committee is a select committee rather than a standing committee — and the speaker has much more robust powers to choose the membership of select committees. Wolfensberger describes the speaker’s right to block Intelligence Committee members as “unchallengeable.”

By contrast, removing Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, which is a standing committee, would require additional steps. The House votes that removed Greene and Gosar show it’s still possible. One option would be for McCarthy, if he is the speaker, to block a resolution that approves all committee memberships at the start of a new Congress. Each party submits its own resolution for its own members, and usually, these resolutions are pro forma and approved by voice vote, which is a process reserved for uncontroversial topics, Wolfensberger said.

But if Democrats nominate members McCarthy disapproves of, such as Omar, he could tell Democrats he’ll block their resolution until they remove the members from those committee assignments. Because Republicans will have the majority, they would have a good chance of winning this vote, seating Republican members but not Democrats.

Under an old House precedent that emerged under different circumstances, the House could organize its committees and proceed with business as long as committees had a majority quorum, even without any minority members. The risk for the Republicans in this scenario is potentially creating a spectacle. They could appear to be freezing out the Democrats from participating in any committees, which could make them look petty to the public when they want to make a good impression with their new majority.

(snip)

https://www.tampabay.com/news/nation-world/2022/12/23/mccarthy-unseat-committee-schiff-swalwell-omar-house/

I.e., apparently if the Committee is a "Select Committee", then yes it can pretty much be unilarteral. But if it is one of the "Standing Committees", then that normally goes to creation of a Resolution voted on by the whole House (where within a party's Caucus, they can have internal votes to seat or not to seat their own members on Committees). These types of things are usually codified via Rules.

Here is a list of all the House Committees for the 118th Congress - https://www.house.gov/committees

There apparently are only 2 "Select Committees" this session -

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party

There were 4 additional "Select Committees" for the 117th Congress that were all disbanded - https://www.house.gov/committees/committees-no-longer-standing

Select Committee on the Climate Crisis

Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth

Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol