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Are Issa's plans too political?
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) speaks to the media during a news conference May 28, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Issa spoke on the allegation about the job offer by the White House to Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) in exchange his drop-out from the Democratic senate primary against Sen. Arlen Specter.
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TEXT OF STORY
STEVE CHIOTAKIS: In this country, Republicans take control of the House of Representatives today. And with that, California Congressman Darryl Issa takes the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Issa's calling for investigations into what he labels "government hyper-regulation."
From Washington, here's Marketplace's David Gura.
David Gura: Congressman Issa says he wants to hold dozens of hearings this year. He's listed several targets: The FDA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the commission that investigated the financial crisis, the Defense Department, and the Obama administration. Republican Tom Davis says that's the chairman's prerogative.
Tom Davis: You have broad oversight almost over everything.
Davis led the committee for four years, when George W. Bush was president. He got some criticism for not holding enough investigations. He says Issa wants to focus on spending and regulations.
Davis: Business will like these investigations for the most part, because I think what they're going after is looking at rules and regulations that are hampering business' authority to expand and create jobs.
After the midterm elections, Issa expanded his committee's agenda. Critics argue it's too ambitious, and too political.
Jim Gottlieb: There's clearly a more aggressive oversight that takes place when the committee is run by a chairman of one party and the administration is held by the other party.
Jim Gottlieb was on the committee staff for 10 years.
Gottlieb: So there clearly is a difference in, at least the tone of oversight.
Tom Davis says Issa has to be aware of that, and he may have to exercise some restraint.
Davis: You have to pick and choose, I think, your subjects very carefully, and you want to be pretty evenhanded in the way it's presented.
He says a big audience outside a House hearing room will be paying attention.
Davis: The public eventually decides if this is a political witch hunt, or if this is worthwhile.
In Washington, I'm David Gura for Marketplace.
Political or personal? Remember he's the richest Republican (and topped only by John Kerry who married the ketchup lady) who made his riches in the auto alarm industry and whose net worth increased by $100million during the Bush tax cuts. Those tax cuts saved him at least $5million and I'm sure the regulations on the auto alarm biz, where his past is hardly unsullied, are quite an annoyance.
Darryl Issa called the Obama Administration one of the most corrupt administrations in recent history. Then he was asked to provide evidence of that, and he couldn't. He kept alluding to things that happened under George Bush. He is a joke. The Republican Party is a joke and they are going to be out on their ass in two years.
i DON'T SEE WHAT IDOITS SUCH AS MR. ISSA THINK THEY ARE GOING TO DO? IT IS NOT GOING TO HELP THE ECONOMEY OF THIS COUNTRY ONE BIT. THERE ARE FOR SURE REGULATORY PROBLEMS BUT IF THERE ARE SUCH A HUGE PROBLEM WHY DON'T THE EFFECTED INDUSTRIES PUT IT OUT AND LET THE PUBLIC DECIDE WITH THEIR OWN MONEY!
