House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the coronavirus committee created by Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will oversee how the $2 trillion stimulus bill is distributed during the pandemic, not the federal government's initial response to the virus.
What he's saying: "This is not about the president of the United States or even the independent counsel or the inspector general. This is about focusing on how the money is spent, whether or not the people who are getting the money are actually working on behalf of the American people, or whether or not they are profiteering."
- The committee will not "be looking back on what the president may or may not have done back before this crisis hit."
- "The governor of New York recently said that masks that he was spending 70 cents for, he's now having to spend $7 for," Clyburn said. "Is that price gouging? I think it is, and that's what this committee is all about."
What they're saying: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called the committee "redundant" and said he's concerned that Clyburn will be heading it, CNN reports.
Between the lines: The $2 trillion stimulus bill passed by Congress in March includes three oversight mechanisms to see how $500 billion for business loans is spent.
- Pelosi said that the committee will have subpoena power, giving it significant oversight powers over the federal government.
Go deeper: Biden says he'll follow CDC mask guidance