Rep. Robert Garcia elected ranking member on powerful House Oversight Committee after Rep. Connolly's death

Source: CBS News

Updated on: June 24, 2025 / 11:17 AM EDT


Washington — House Democrats on Tuesday elected Rep. Robert Garcia of California as the new ranking member of the House Oversight Committee following the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly last month.

"I am incredibly honored to have been obviously elected the ranking member for the Oversight Committee," Garcia told reporters after the vote, saying the panel would get "immediately to work," while citing an opportunity to "continue holding the corruption of Donald Trump accountable and also doing incredible work on government reform."

Though Democrats are currently in the minority, as the new ranking member, Garcia would be in line to chair the Oversight Committee if Democrats retake the House in 2026, halfway through President Trump's second term. During Mr. Trump's first term, the committee led numerous investigations into the Trump administration after Democrats won the House in 2018.

Connolly's death came weeks after the Virginia Democrat announced that he would not seek reelection in 2026 and would be stepping back from his post as the top Democrat on the committee because his cancer had returned. He was 75 years old.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-house-oversight-committee-gerry-connolly-replacement/