(FreedomBeacon.com)- The announcement incensed Democrats, who said that the GOP’s decision to abolish this committee demonstrated that such issues were of little fundamental importance to legislators.
The Republican-controlled House Oversight and Accountability Committee has abolished the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, focusing on voting rights, freedom of assembly, and criminal justice reform initiatives.
This does not preclude these topics from being brought before the committee, according to James Comer (R-KY 1st District), the committee’s chairman, who said as much at a hearing on Tuesday.
According to a spokeswoman for the panel, “Oversight Republicans are realigning subcommittees to guarantee the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the federal government and all of its agencies.”
The theory is that subcommittees will now be more capable of carrying out their duties, identifying issues, and developing solutions that will benefit the American people.
To make it quite clear, Comer stated, “Any item not listed in the subcommittee authority is reserved for the whole committee. In this committee, “we can have a hearing on pretty much anything we choose.”
However, not all Democrats see it that way. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas said that if the subcommittee weren’t reinstated, the 118th Congress would send “an obvious message to the American people that their civil rights and civil freedoms are no longer a priority.”
Crockett declared on Tuesday that it is undeniable that the civil rights of the American people are in danger, and this committee must take action to address it, “, especially in a time like this – when across the nation, from small towns to big cities, Americans are crying out against the horrible injustice that was perpetrated against Tyre Nichols and so many others every single day.”
Crockett, a human rights lawyer by profession, said that she was informed of the subcommittee’s removal on Friday, shortly after being nominated to the Oversight Committee. Crockett expressed disgust at the decision, calling it “reckless and cruel.”
Crockett proposed an amendment on Tuesday to revive the panel, citing Tyre Nichols, whose murder at the hands of police is the subject of a federal inquiry.
