If there's one thing you can count on from Meet the Press host Chuck Todd, it's immediate demands for bipartisanship as soon as Democrats wield any sort of power at all in our government. This Sunday was no exception, with Todd pressing the likely incoming chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, on whether or not he was going to restore subpoena power to the minority party on his committee, which would basically allow Republicans to continue to give cover to Trump as we've watched them do for the last two years.
To his credit, Cummings said no, that he had no intention of doing that, even though he did want to restore some level of civility and even work with Republicans and Trump on issues they supposedly agree on:
Transcript via NBC:
CHUCK TODD: You did not have your own subpoena power when you were ranking member.
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS: That's right. For a long time.
CHUCK TODD: And it was the first time that had ever happened, compared to previous congresses, correct?
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS: Right.
CHUCK TODD: Do you plan on granting your ranking member, whoever it is on the Republican side, subpoena authority?
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS: No, no.
CHUCK TODD: So why not? Explain why you wouldn't. If you believe this is something that should've been granted to you when you were in the minority.
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS: I didn't say that. They who have power in Washington, have all power. And I think the American people have said they want checks and balances. The subpoenas that I wanted to issue would be much different than what I've seen. I want to issue subpoenas that go to the very heart of our democracy and protecting that democracy.
And subpoenas, by the way, that may involve, say, private industry like the pharmaceutical companies with these skyrocketing drug prices. So it's our opportunity, I will consult with them, I will work with them, unlike they did with me. But, but no.
CHUCK TODD: This is one of those "what's good for the goose is good for the" -- I mean, I guess the point is that, when do you stop?
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS: Chuck, let me be clear. I'm hoping that we will return to a level of civility now. And that's what I'm hoping for. I hope that we can have leadership that just doesn't move to common ground, but move to higher ground. And I plan to lead that way. And one other thing. Our Democratic party, although we may not have been elected by all the people, we've got to govern as if we were.
CHUCK TODD: So what does that mean? You've got to work with this president in some ways, don't you?
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS: Oh yeah. Oh, I would love to work with President Trump. I want to hold him accountable not only to the American people, but I want to hold him accountable to himself. Keep in mind, he is the one who said recently that he's for prescription drugs going down. He's the same one who said that he wants-- he complained during the election about the infrastructure and how our airports are so poor and our roads. And now’s the time. Chuck, we only have two years. That's nothing. And so we've got to get it done. We don't have to hit the ground as Democrats running, we have to hit the ground flying.
