Politics
Maxine Waters: Oversight Will Be 'Main Mission' of Financial Services Committee
Rep. Maxine Waters said Friday that oversight will be the top priority of the House Financial Services Committee, signaling aggressive scrutiny of the financial sector and the administration as she prepares to take the gavel.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said Friday that oversight will be the central focus of the House Financial Services Committee, laying out an agenda that puts scrutiny of the financial industry and the administration at the top of the panel's to-do list.
Waters, the committee's ranking member and the likely chair when Democrats take control of the House in January, made the comment in a brief interview, according to a live update posted Friday evening. She did not detail specific targets or investigations, but her remarks signal that the committee will prioritize aggressive oversight over legislation in the new Congress.
The Financial Services Committee has broad jurisdiction over banks, securities markets, housing, insurance and international finance. Under Waters, the panel is expected to focus on consumer protections, corporate accountability and the implementation of financial regulations.
Waters has a long history of pressing for tougher Wall Street rules and has been a frequent critic of the Trump administration's deregulatory push. Her statement Friday suggests she intends to use the committee's subpoena power and public hearings to examine decisions made by federal financial regulators and the Treasury Department.
The committee's oversight role could also extend to climate-related financial risk, an area Waters has highlighted in the past, and to the conduct of large financial institutions. Progressive advocates have urged Democrats to use committee gavels to counter what they see as weakened enforcement under the current administration.
With Democrats set to control the House in January, Waters' committee is one of several that will shift from a legislative agenda to an investigative one. Her comments Friday offer an early indication of how she plans to wield that power.