Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) appears to be in line for a senior leadership position on one of Congress’s most important committees.
The firebrand New York representative told reporters on Friday there had been “conversations” but that nothing had been “finalized” when she was asked about her interest in the No. 2 spot on the House Oversight Committee, according to Politico.
House Republicans are planning to use the powerful panel to apply pressure on President Joe Biden and the White House. Some of the GOP’s most vocal members earned spots on the panel and have promised to dig into Biden’s personal life, with a particular emphasis on his relationship with his son Hunter Biden.
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Ocasio-Cortez was named to the panel on Friday, and there are rumblings she is set to earn a more prestigious role as the ranking vice member during her third term.
The panel’s ranking member, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), is undergoing cancer treatment, priming the liberal lawmaker a chance to lead her party’s efforts dueling with Republican investigations.
Raskin has touted Ocasio-Cortez’s skills and spoke highly of the “effect” he thinks she can have on the committee, though he declined to comment on whether she would receive the new role.
“I’m sure we’re going to be able to deploy her to maximum effect on the committee,” he told the outlet, “along with all these other amazing new members.”
Ocasio-Cortez is set to square off with some of the GOP’s own firebrands, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ). Last Congress, Gosar was removed from his committees by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) after he shared an anime video depicting himself fighting Ocasio-Cortez.
While the full committee’s roster isn’t updated online, Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has already taken action to press Joe Biden on questions about the origins of COVID-19 and funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology, as well as reserving space to give updates on investigations into the Biden family and the crisis at the southern border.
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“I think I’m going to have a lot of fun on this committee,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Of course, [Republicans are] going to be calling hearings on horrible things, but our job is to protect the people and protect the vulnerable communities that they seek to attack.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez and Raskin for comment but has not received a response.
