By Hamil R.,Harris, Special to the AFRO
Pull Quote: “They voted to make sure our government works effectively and efficiently for the American people.” –Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD.)
The Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives will have major implications for Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD.) who is poised to become the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (Courtesy photo)
Cummings, who was re-elected to represent the people of Baltimore’s 7th Congressional District, is currently the ranking Democrat on a panel that has tried to hold President Trump accountable on a range of issues.
The Democrats won an additional 26 seats in the House of Representatives while the Republicans increased their numbers in the U.S. Senate thus setting up a much bigger political fight. Cummings said American people sent Trump a clear message and a mandate.
“They voted for transparency and accountability. They voted to make sure our government works effectively and efficiently for the American people. And they voted to bring integrity back to government.”
“As part of that mandate, I plan to shine a light on waste, fraud, and abuse in the Trump Administration,” Cummings said in a statement. “I want to probe senior Administration officials across the government who have abused their positions of power and wasted taxpayer money, as well as President Trump’s decisions to act in his own financial self-interest rather than the best interests of the American people.”
While Cummings has ambitious plans, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is warning Democrats not to over step their authority, but Cummings is still moving forward.
Cummings said, “ I also want to focus on uplifting the American people and improving their day-to-day lives, from lowering prescription drug prices to ensuring access to affordable and quality healthcare to expanding funding for the opioid epidemic.”