Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) quietly joined the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, an unexpected addition after his name was not included in the slate of lawmakers announced weeks ago.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) read Gaetz’s name into the record last week, though the late addition was not noticed until Tuesday, according to NBC News. Gaetz’s addition appeared to come after Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) spoke with McCarthy about stepping back from the subcommittee to better manage his workload.
“In order to devote adequate time to the Rules, Judiciary and Budget Committees, as well as be a dad and do my job as the Representative of Texas’ 21st Congressional District, I was happy to give my spot on the Weaponization Subcommittee to my friend, Matt Gaetz,” Roy’s office told The Daily Wire in a statement.
A Gaetz spokesman told The Daily Wire in a statement: “Rep. Gaetz is honored to serve on the Weaponization Subcommittee and will be working very hard.”
The subcommittee, a significant pickup for Gaetz, is expected to play a pivotal role in GOP’s expected investigations into the Biden administration over the next two years. The Republican agenda in the House is centered on investigations into issues that have irked and enraged GOP lawmakers for years, such as tech companies’ censorship policies, President Joe Biden’s role in the business dealings of his son, Hunter, and the FBI’s targeting of former President Donald Trump.
Gaetz’s appointment is somewhat surprising given his recent history with McCarthy. Gaetz was one of McCarthy’s leading antagonists during the speakership fight last month. McCarthy was finally elected to the office on the 15th ballot.
McCarthy gave a number of concessions to conservative holdouts in order to get the speaker’s gavel. Rep. Roy, who was originally slated to serve on the subcommittee, was one of the leading negotiators during the speaker fight, pushing McCarthy to make concessions to House conservatives to win their votes.
It’s unclear what deliberations took place, if any, to secure Gaetz’s spot on the powerful subcommittee. The special committee has a sweeping mandate to probe numerous departments, officials, and others on their suspected biases and actions taken against conservatives and other groups.