The Republican takeover of the U.S. House will give the party control of powerful U.S. House committee and subpoena power that will be harnessed to subject U.S. President Joe Biden, his Cabinet and his family to aggressive scrutiny over the next two years.
Much of their policy agenda on the economy, immigration, crime and social issues will mostly be stifled by the gridlock of divided government, with Democrats in charge of the Senate. But GOP lawmakers have been setting the groundwork for wide-ranging investigations and oversight that, at least in part, will serve as payback for probes of former U.S. President Donald Trump by Democrats.
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who is poised to become House speaker in January, has outlined four top targets for investigation: U.S.-Mexico border security, the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether the Justice Department overstepped its bounds in dealing with threats against local school officials during a contentious national debate over books and curriculum.