Seven weeks after Congress unleashed more than $2 trillion to deal with the coronavirus crisis, an oversight commission intended to keep track of how the money is spent remains without a leader. Four of the five members of the Congressional Oversight Commission have been appointed, but House Speaker
1 / 4Virus Outbreak Congress OversightFILE - In this May 14, 2020, file photo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Four of the five members of the Congressional Oversight Commission have been appointed, but Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have not agreed on who should chair the panel.
So far, “it’s a non-oversight, oversight commission,″ added Kimberly Wehle, a visiting professor at American University Law School. Lawmakers trying to oversee the spending law"are surging down the rapids without a raft,'' she said. Story continues“It's disappointing but not surprising" that the oversight panel lacks a leader nearly two months after the emergency law was adopted, said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight. “We've all seen how Congress operates,'' she added, saying it was difficult to see Pelosi and McConnell agreeing on an appointee in the near term, given their level of mutual distrust.
Wehle, who teaches courses on the separation of powers, said congressional dysfunctional goes back decades. “There used to be a Congress that worked across the aisle to get things done,'' she said. “They are really not in the business of legislating anymore.''
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