With Congressman Mike Gallagher bowing out and Congressman John Moolenaar stepping up as the new chair, what does the future of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party look like? Will Gallagher’s departure signify a turning point, or will Moolenaar’s leadership maintain the Committee's vigorous oversight and bipartisan essence?
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About the authors:
Kristina M. Moore
Carol Lee
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Welcome to another deep-dive episode of Womble Perspectives. Today, we're unpacking a significant shuffle that's rippled through the halls of Congress. With a change in leadership, is the future of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party uncertain, or can we expect business as usual?
Before we explore what's in store, a brief note on the committee itself. Established at the start of the 118th Congress and designed to monitor the strategic competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party. While the Committee does not hold the power to pass legislation, it can still compel the production of testimony and documents. Its establishment was seen as a way for lawmakers to regain some control over China policymaking has largely represented an exception to the partisan discord so prevalent on Capital Hill.
Congressman Mike Gallagher was selected as the committee’s first chair and, under his leadership, the Committee has been active, launching bipartisan investigations against several global companies with ties to China. Most notably, the House passed a resolution to compel the sale of social media giant TikTok or face a ban.
However, just one week after the vote to approve the ban on TikTok, the committee's landscape changed abruptly when Chairman Gallagher announced his decision to retire from congress at the end of his term.
In the wake of Chairman Gallagher’s announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson selected Congressman John Moolenaar of Michigan to step into the role as Committee chair.
With a new Chair in place, the question is how the Committee will change – if at all – and what the future of the Select Committee may be under the 119th Congress. That said, our expectation is that Chairman Moolenaar will continue a bipartisan approach and continued, aggressive oversight into the alleged influence the Chinese Communist Party may have over companies doing business in the United States.
In closing, it's clear that while Gallagher’s exit was unexpected, the transition to Chairman Moolenaar’s stewardship is likely to preserve the committee's goals of steadfast and inclusive oversight in the dynamic, complex U.S.-China relations stage.
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