If Democrats win control of the House in November, party leaders plan to turn the final two years of the Trump era into a barrage of investigations over alleged corruption and contempt for the law. Much of the scrutiny would be expected to come from the Judiciary and Oversight Committees, the traditional engines of congressional investigations. But another, less prominent committee could emerge as an unlikely center of the fight: the House Natural Resources Committee.
The 45-member panel has oversight over virtually all federal lands, giving it jurisdiction over a striking collection of controversies that have defined President Trump’s second term. That includes his efforts to remake Washington, D.C. by building a White House ballroom and a triumphal arch, and the troubled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It also covers the Administration’s efforts to open up national parks to an unprecedented amount of hunting, fishing and drilling, as well as a recent proposal to give a swath of California’s Yosemite National Park to a private developer.
Jared Huffman, the committee’s top Democrat, tells TIME. Leading the House Natural Resources Committee has been the ultimate goal for the former environmental lawyer since he joined the House in 2013. His plans would amount to a striking transformation for a committee more commonly associated with debates over endangered species, grazing rights, and federal water projects.
Since Trump returned to office, committee Democrats have tried to investigate and call attention to Administration actions while lacking the authority to compel cooperation. With control of the House, those requests could be backed by subpoenas, sworn depositions, and public testimony from Administration officials, contractors, and private companies. Huffman says he expects a wave of government employees to approach the committee as whistleblowers, feeling more confident that Democrats will act on their concerns.
Under its current rules, the Natural Resources chairman has broad authority to issue subpoenas for testimony and documents. The precise scope of that position’s power in the next Congress would depend on the rules adopted by the House and the committee next year. The Trump Administration could also refuse to comply with some subpoenas, producing lengthy court battles.
Huffman is perhaps best known on Capitol Hill as the founder of the Freethought Caucus, which counts 37 members and advocates for church-state separation and true religious freedom. Last month, he published a book, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. But if he gets the gavel, his work investigating the Administration would shift to the forefront.
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