Pelosi said the committee would not only oversee the three bills Congress has passed so far to address the pandemic but also any future legislation related to the virus. Pelosi has been pushing to move ahead quickly with a fourth coronavirus response package, an idea she again pitched Thursday, noting the record high 6.6 million-plus unemployment claims reported earlier in the day.

“The panel will root out waste, fraud, and abuse and will protect against price gouging, profiteering, and political favoritism,” Pelosi said.

“Where there’s money there’s also frequently mischief,” the California Democrat added, saying, “We want to make sure there are not exploiters out there.”

A slew of House committee chairs — from Oversight to Financial Services to Homeland Security to Intelligence — had indicated they wanted a piece of the sprawling investigations that are expected to unfold. The appointment of a select committee may help corral that energy and keep other committees focused on their day-to-day work. It will also ensure Pelosi has a tight grip on oversight decisions related to coronavirus, since the Democrats on the panel will be entirely members of her choosing.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the chamber’s No. 3 Democrat, will lead the panel, Pelosi said.

In addition, the panel will have a broader purview than some of the other oversight mechanisms Congress included in the new law to ensure the trillions in taxpayer relief funds are not misused by administrative officials or industries seeking the desperately needed aid.

But the effort is already running into a wall of resistance from top Republicans, who trashed the panel as unnecessary and raised concerns it would be used as a political weapon.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said the House already has multiple committees with jurisdiction over the issue and pointed out that lawmakers also tucked several oversight mechanisms into the rescue package.

The other investigative levers include a five-member congressional “Oversight Commission” that will be appointed by House and Senate leaders, charged with overseeing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s handling of a $500 billion fund meant to shore up industries, businesses and local governments damaged by coronavirus.

A newly created “special inspector general” inside the Treasury Department will also oversee the $500 billion fund. And a broader, more powerful committee of two dozen federal inspectors general, led by Pentagon watchdog Glenn Fine, will monitor the entirety of the $2 trillion law.

“Does the speaker not trust the [House] Oversight Committee?” McCarthy told reporters on a conference call Thursday.

Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, echoed a similar sentiment, calling the select committee a “mistake,” “costly,” and “duplicative.”

It’s unclear whether Republicans would allow Democrats to stand up the committee via unanimous consent. But McCarthy mentioned to reporters that there needs to be a floor vote on the panel, which he highlighted as another issue, given that lawmakers are away from the Capitol until at least April 20.

McCarthy said he missed a call from Pelosi Thursday morning, but plans to connect with her in the afternoon or evening.

Some House Democrats have also called for a panel modeled after the 9/11 Commission to do a comprehensive review of the origins of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States and whether government failures contributed to the crisis. Pelosi emphasized that her select committee would be meant to provide a real-time check on the implementation of the law and would not be a substitute for a such a commission that might be established later.

“This select committee is about the here and now,” Pelosi said. “Is there a need for an after action review? Absolutely ... But I don’t want to wait for that because we are in the action now.”

Pelosi’s announcement comes days after Trump vowed to ignore certain oversight provisions written into the massive rescue package signed into law last week. He reiterated his administration’s position that congressional mandates on reports to Congress can be unconstitutional and left unclear whether he’ll comply with some of the oversight requirements that convinced many Democrats to sign onto the measure.

