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The House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to establish a new committee targeting the alleged « weaponization » of the federal government in one of the first major votes since Republicans assumed a majority in the chamber.
The vote was 221-211, with all Republicans voting for a resolution to create the panel and all Democrats voting against it.
The new subcommittee is officially known as the « Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government » and will be housed under the House Judiciary Committee. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who’s expected to serve as the chair of the Judiciary committee, may also serve as the subcommittee chair, a source with knowledge of the situation told Insider. The panel will be authorized to investigate executive branch agencies, particularly intelligence agencies, that gather information on American citizens.
A blueprint of the idea was first put forward by the Center for Renewing America, a right-wing nonprofit group run by several staffers for former President Donald Trump.
It was then championed by a cohort of hardline conservatives including Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Dan Bishop of North Carolina, and the committee came about as part of a series of deals that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made with in exchange for their votes for his speakership.
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar had previously publicly expressed some interest in the committee, but ultimately voted against its creation on Tuesday.
