Republican senator slams 'unserious' efforts by Congress to hold Biden, COVID authorities accountable

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., lambasted Congress connected Tuesday for "out of control" national spending and "unserious" efforts to clasp nan authorities accountable.

Johnson, nan ranking personnel connected nan Permanent Subcommittee connected Investigations, said astatine nan Heritage Foundation's "Weaponization of U.S. Government Symposium" successful nan morning, wherever he discussed his investigations into nan COVID-19 pandemic consequence and awesome trouble conducting oversight of nan Biden administration. 

The problem pinch Congress, Johnson argued, is that members person voted to turn nan authorities without conducting due oversight of waste, fraud and abuse. He observed that national spending is connected way to beryllium $6.9 trillion this twelvemonth while nan fund for his investigative committee was cut.  

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Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, during a Senate Budget Committee proceeding successful Washington, D.C., connected Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"I sewage my backing trim erstwhile I became ranking member, okay. Do you cognize really galore unit members we person to do oversight complete millions of authorities employees? We've sewage five. That's really unserious Congress is astir oversight," Johnson complained.

The Wisconsin Republican has led nan complaint successful nan Senate to analyse nan origins of COVID. He has besides accused nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of coordinating pinch societal media companies to censor COVID vaccine skeptics — though critics person accused Johnson of peddling anti-vaccine misinformation. Johnson is besides a starring Senate Republican probing corruption allegations surrounding President Biden's engagement pinch his boy Hunter Biden's business dealings. 

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Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, (left) and Ron Johnson person led GOP inquiries into nan Department of Justice's handling of nan Hunter Biden investigation.  (AP/Getty Images)

But connected Tuesday, Johnson warned that nan national authorities has grown "out of control" to nan constituent wherever Congress cannot execute oversight and accountability.  

"Administrations, some Republican, Democrat, springiness america nan mediate finger," Johnson said. "They don't respond. Yeah, truthful they are wholly unaccountable to nan American nationalist done your elected representatives. And that's been going connected for decades. So they are wholly immune from oversight investigation." 

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Johnson warned Tuesday nan national authorities has grown truthful ample that oversight is astir impossible.  (Getty Images)

Republicans progressive pinch nan Hunter Biden investigation person claimed nan White House is stonewalling investigators by withholding grounds and preventing Justice Department witnesses from testifying. Hardline conservatives person advocated for Congress to usage nan powerfulness of nan purse to leverage nan Biden management into practice by withholding agency backing — but astir lawmakers are opposed to that strategy, which would apt consequence successful a partial authorities shutdown.

Johnson said that his colleagues are "not really contemplating each this authorities they're voting for, each this spending." 

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"Again, to me, nan problem is simply a monolithic national authorities that has gone truthful acold extracurricular nan constraints of nan Constitution. Government is doing things that our Founding Fathers ne'er contemplated," Johnson said.