'Church-style': House GOP 'weaponization' committee hit with unexpectedly low budget for new probe

25 February 2023

House Republicans spearheading the House select subcommittee probing the "weaponization of the government" are displeased with its budget, lamenting the amount is not nearly as large as the Jan. 6 committee's allotment, Rolling Stone reports.

Per The New York Times, the new subcommittee, which falls under the House Judiciary Committee, reflects the House GOP's commitment to exercise its congressional control "to scrutinize what they said was a concerted effort by the government to silence and punish conservatives at all levels, from protesters at school board meetings to former President Donald J. Trump."

Since the subcommittee's launch, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who leads the House Judiciary Committee, requested the House Judiciary budget receive "a $2 million annual increase," which he says would "'meet the immediate needs of additional staff and resources' for both the new weaponization subcommittee and House Judiciary Committee."

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) compares the subcommittee's current budget to that of the now-defunct House Jan. 6 panel's for it's investigation into the attack.

"We got what we call a 'Church-style' committee," Roy said. "With the kind of budget and kind of staff — we said at least as much as the Jan. 6 Committee," he continued, claiming the amount would allow "more resources, more specificity, more power, to go after this recalcitrant Biden administration."

However, according to The NYT, Jordan claims the purpose of the subcommittee is "not to target Democrats or law enforcement officers who have scrutinized Mr. Trump’s behavior," but to "'protect the First Amendment' at a time when he said the right was being unfairly targeted."

Rolling Stone reports:

[Jordan] asks for 'the ability to access up to an additional $15 million from the reserve fund' in order 'to address ongoing and unforeseen needs' — an amount that, when added to the $2 million per year, would total $19 million, roughly equivalent to the Jan. 6 spend.

The $19 million budget would be more aligned with the Jan. 6 committee's of $18 million, which according to Rolling Stone, "employed roughly 50 investigators across five teams to carry out more than 1,200 interviews and depositions."

The committee's first hearing took place earlier this month, which Rolling Stone reports the House Republicans used to "air a market basket of right-wing grievances," rather than to focus on the task at hand.

Following the hearing, The Daily Beast reports, Fox News host Jesse Watters complained, "I’m sick of these hearings. Tell me this is going somewhere. Can I throw someone in prison? Can someone go to jail? Can someone get fined?"

Still, Jordan contends he is hoping for an increase in funds, according to a spokesperson for the chairman.

"Republicans are fully committed to the mission and important work of the Select Subcommittee," the spokesperson said. "And the Speaker has made clear that we will have access to all the resources needed to complete our task.

They continued, "The funding request is structured to achieve our mission in a fiscally responsible manner, recognizing that we work on behalf of the American people and we must be careful stewards of their tax dollars."

Rolling Stone's full report is available at this link. The New York Times' report is here.

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