Ocasio-Cortez and liberal freshmen join Oversight Committee

The House Oversight Committee is adding a group of progressive flamethrowers to its ranks.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) all won spots on the high-profile committee on Tuesday, two sources told POLITICO.

Story Continued Below

The new members, all of whom are freshmen except for Khanna, have been intensely critical of President Donald Trump, and their addition to the committee comes as Democrats have pledged to launch wide-ranging investigations into the president and his administration.

Tlaib drew swift backlash when she vowed to “impeach the motherf—er.” Republicans previously discussed a possible censure for Tlaib for railing against Trump.

Ocasio-Cortez has also become a favorite target of Republicans for her liberal views and her willingness to take on the president, particularly on social media.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the chairman of the Oversight Committee, dismissed concerns about the outspoken freshman lawmakers.

“If I based the choices going on the committee based on what people said or their reputations or whatever, I probably wouldn’t have a committee,” Cummings told POLITICO. “I am excited — there were a lot of people that wanted to come on our committee.”

The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which handles the committee rosters, sent a list of the new additions to Cummings, who said he approved it.

Rep. Dan Kildee, a member of the Democratic steering panel, said he was excited about the progressive picks.

“I want people to be aggressive, especially on that committee. It’s good to have people who aren’t afraid,” the Michigan Democrat said in an interview. “They’re going to be dealing with some pretty important stuff.”

Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.