Pelosi announces coronavirus oversight committee members

April 29 (UPI) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday announced the six Democrats who will sit on a coronavirus spending oversight committee headed by House Democratic Whip James Clyburn.

The new members of the special panel are Reps. Bill Foster of Illinois, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez of New York, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and Maxine Water of California.

Pelosi announced the new members during a news conference with Clyburn, whom she named as committee chairman in early April while announcing the panel’s creation.

Tune in as @WhipClyburn and I announce the Democratic Members of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis. https://t.co/07ilocZQIS— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 29, 2020

The speaker said the bipartisan committee will prevent waste, fraud and abuse as the federal government disperses trillions of dollars in aid in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its economic toll on the United States.

“We must be sure that the money we put forth goes to those who need it most, in a way that addresses disparities in access to health care and credit,” Pelosi wrote in a letter she sent to House Democrats on Wednesday. “We also owe it to the American people to prevent waste, fraud and abuse and to protect against price-gouging and profiteering.”

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California hasn’t indicated whether he intends to name up to five GOP members to the panel. He and other Republicans have criticized Pelosi for its creation.

“Instead of looking for innovative ways to help the American people, Speaker Pelosi has chosen to pursue ‘impeachment 2.0’ with a partisan and unnecessary oversight committee,” a McCarthy spokesperson told The Hill.

“The roster the speaker has chosen makes clear that this is not an honest effort at transparency and accountability, but rather another attempt to politically damage the Trump administration.”
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