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House Oversight plans new subcommittee to coordinate with DOGE efforts

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House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) intends to establish a new subcommittee next year led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that will oversee Delivering on Government Efficiency, a person familiar with the plans confirmed to Blue Light News.

The subcommittee will be tasked with coordinating with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, an outside-of-government effort announced by Donald Trump which will be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The commission has been tasked with providing advice and coordinating with the White House and Office of Management and Budget.

“The Oversight committee has the broadest jurisdiction in the House and is the perfect place to support the DOGE mission. I’m excited to chair this new subcommittee designed to work hand in hand with President Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the entire DOGE team,” Greene said in a statement.

“We will identify and investigate the waste, corruption, and absolutely useless parts of our federal government. Our subcommittee will provide transparency and truth to the American people through hearings. No topic will be off the table,” she added.

The person familiar with the plans added that lawmakers have already met with the incoming DOGE team, including Ramaswamy. The subcommittee, the person added, will be tasked with investigating wasteful spending, looking at how to reorganize federal agencies with an eye at improving efficiency, and identifying solutions to eliminate bureaucratic red tape.

House Democrats initially reacted to the news with disdain. “These distractions are not to the benefit of our constituencies or our culture. They’re hurtful, they’re harmful, and we’re prepared to do the real work,” Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) said.

Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) added: “Marjorie Taylor Greene chairing it tells you everything.”

Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.

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Congress

What does Gaetz’s withdrawal mean for the Ethics report?

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House Democrats vowed to press forward with their plan to force the release of a long-awaited report into Matt Gaetz even after he withdrew from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General.

But there are early signs that House Republicans, some of whom had indicated prior to Gaetz’s withdrawal that they supported the Democratic-led effort, are no longer on board. And Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) the top Republican on the Ethics panel, told CBS Thursday that Gaetz’s withdrawal “should end the discussion of whether or not the Ethics Committee should continue to move forward in this matter.”

Democrats introduced a measure on Wednesday that would theoretically force a House floor vote that would make the Ethics panel release the report. It’s still unclear if that vote will be permitted under the House rules, but the vote could potentially occur as soon as the House returns from its Thanksgiving break in early December.

“While I welcome the news that Matt Gaetz is withdrawing from consideration for Attorney General, it remains important that the Gaetz report be made available to the American people,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), one of the Democratic sponsors of the effort, said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who introduced a similar measure, said he planned to press ahead, too.

Prior to Gaetz’s decision to withdraw from consideration, at least five House Republicans said they were prepared to support those efforts to force the report’s release. One GOP lawmaker who indicated they were planning to vote for the resolution, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said it’s “not a factor now.”

“Many of my colleagues told me they were voting yes” before Gaetz withdrew, the lawmaker said, adding that they would still vote for the resolutions if Gaetz indicates he’s returning for the next Congress.

It’s still unclear if Gaetz could return to the House in January, since he was reelected in November, and there have been rumors that he plans to run for Florida governor in 2026, with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis term-limited. Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment but has previously denied any intentions to mount a gubernatorial bid. His resignation letter had said he did not intend to serve again in the next Congress, though it’s unclear if he can reverse course now that he’s withdrawn from consideration for attorney general.

Democrats are still trying to iron out if they can actually force a vote, and some Republicans are arguing their colleagues can’t trigger a vote on a report that is not a final Ethics Committee product. Guest said the report was still in draft form on Wednesday, though two people familiar with the matter disputed that assertion.

Democrats had argued the report needed to be released because Gaetz was up for the highest-ranking law enforcement position in the country, though other lawmakers may find the argument less persuasive now that Gaetz is out of contention.

Another unresolved question: whether the motions introduced by Casten and Cohen are eligible for the fast-track legislative process that would force a vote on the floor. Ethics panel attorneys are in the process of discussing parliamentary issues with the two lawmakers, according to a person familiar with the matter, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.

The Democratic effort has already sparked one vow of procedural revenge from Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), who told Blue Light News on Thursday that he would introduce his own privileged resolution to try to force the release of other Ethics Committee reports after Congress returns from the break in December. Bishop declined to say which members he will target but smiled when asked if it was Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).

“If we’re going to release the report, let’s release a lot of reports. Let’s go for full transparency,” added Bishop, who is retiring at the end of this term.

Meanwhile, it’s not just Republicans who are signaling they’re ready to move on from Gaetz.

“My interest in him, in his political future, our government’s future, is diminished dramatically by this decision. So there are lots of other things we need to do,” said Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Jordain Carney, Olivia Beavers and Ursula Perano contributed to this report.

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SEC Chair Gary Gensler to step down Jan. 20

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Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, who pursued a sweeping and controversial agenda as Wall Street’s chief overseer over the last three-plus years, plans to step down on Jan. 20, the agency said Thursday.

His departure will clear the way for President-elect Donald Trump to install his yet-to-be-named pick to lead the top U.S. financial markets regulator.

Gensler’s exit will cap one of the most memorable periods in the SEC’s history, as the 67-year-old veteran regulator sought to enact a slate of ambitious rules and pursue lawsuits that led to high-profile clashes with both the traditional financial world and the cryptocurrency industry.

Among the rules enacted under Gensler were measures seeking to shore up the U.S. Treasury market and to force corporate America to tell investors about climate-related risks. His agenda also included rules aimed at shedding light on the more opaque corners of finance, such as the massive private funds market, as well as a contentious push to bring crypto squarely under the SEC’s authority.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission is a remarkable agency,” Gensler said in a statement. “The staff and the Commission are deeply mission-driven, focused on protecting investors, facilitating capital formation, and ensuring that the markets work for investors and issuers alike. The staff comprises true public servants. It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve with them on behalf of everyday Americans and ensure that our capital markets remain the best in the world.”

Gensler plans to step down at noon on Jan. 20, according to the SEC.

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Turning Point readies state lobbying effort to help Trump’s nominees

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As uncertainty mounts about whether the new Republican-controlled Senate will sign off on some of President-elect Donald Trump’s more controversial Cabinet picks, a top conservative grassroots group is dialing up the pressure.

Turning Point Action, the group spearheaded by prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk, plans to hold rallies in states where they believe GOP senators may need extra “encouragement” to approve nominees like Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. That list also initially included Rep. Matt Gaetz, who Trump tapped for attorney general, though the Florida Republican on Thursday announced he was withdrawing from consideration, explaining that his confirmation process had become a “distraction.”

A handful of Trump’s nominees, ranging from top defense to health positions, have drawn bipartisan pushback, even as Trump, his Vice President-elect JD Vance and other top allies are lobbying for their confirmations. Some, like Gaetz and Hegseth, have been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct, while Gabbard and Kennedy, who were both Democrats until recently, have histories of policy positions that have raised concerns by some traditional Republicans.

On Thursday, Kirk announced on his show, according to a pre-recorded copy of the audio obtained by Blue Light News, the states that Turning Point is eyeing visits as part of their efforts to apply pressure to the Senate GOP.

Kirk said the initiative will start as an “encouragement campaign,” and will “activate into a pressure campaign for red-state senators.”

“We will bring this roadshow, on the ground by the way, potentially to Rapid City, South Dakota; to Sioux Falls, South Dakota; to Boise, Idaho; to Fayetteville, Arkansas; to Topeka, Kansas; to Tupelo, Mississippi. You picking up what I’m throwing down?”

Kirk added that if senators “publicly come out and say that you’re going to support President Trump’s Cabinet, then there’s no reason for us to come to your home state.”

A website that the organization launched includes lists of GOP senators who voted to confirm various nominees made by President Joe Biden, in line with historic precedent of some degree of bipartisan support for a new president’s cabinet selections.

Kirk, who oversaw a get-out-the-vote effort for Trump, has been spotted around Mar-a-Lago as transition meetings have taken place.

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