WASHINGTON – Social media erupted after news this week that New York Republican Rep. George Santos had taken seats on two US House committees, one focused on science and the other on small business.
Santos has come under fire for making false claims about his college education, work history and other qualifications.
So critics online poked fun at his committee assignments, including one under Texas Republican Roger Williams, the new chairman of the House Small Business Committee.
Many of the jokes involved mentioning imaginary qualifications, such as being a NASA astronaut or self-made business titan.
“Republicans have appointed George Santos, who founded Apple in his garage in 1976, to the House Small Business Committee,” he tweeted. left-leaning commentator Brian Tyler Cohen. “A true American success story.”
Santos claimed to have degrees he didn’t earn and put Goldman Sachs and Citigroup on his resume, but both companies told the New York Times they had no record of his work there.
A number of his Republican colleagues, including some from New York, have called for him to resign. But many have overlooked the issue, despite the ridicule.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has said he is pushing voters who elected Santos.
Republicans face a simple but harsh political reality. With a super slim majority, every vote is extremely important and Santos represents a mobile constituency.
If he were to resign, Democrats would have a good chance to flip the term and make the GOP majority even thinner.
Williams, R-Willow Park, is taking over as chairman of the House Small Business Committee.
During an interview with CNN, Williams defended Santos gets a seat on the committee with the same reasoning used by McCarthy.
“I don’t condone what he said, what he did. I don’t think anyone does. But that’s not my role,” Williams told the network. “He was elected. He represents a million people.”
Santos did not get a coveted seat on what are considered A-list House committees.
The divisions control the flow of large sums of federal money, while the Ways and Means Committee is responsible for writing the tax code and shaping US trade policy.
The Energy and Commerce Committee boasts a comprehensive jurisdiction that covers everything from telecommunications to health care.
Republican leaders also kept him off committees that focus on sensitive national security issues.
While small business is widely seen as a relatively menial task, Williams has defended the work his panel can do this session by focusing on straightforward proposals that Democrats would have a hard time opposing.
He has said this includes cutting federal regulations to allow small business owners to thrive and strengthen the overall US economy.
And part of the mission he has identified for the panel is to push back against anti-capitalist rhetoric.
“We’re going to be a happy committee, we’re not going to be an angry committee,” Williams said. Dallas Morning News after securing the presidency.
But the addition of Santos could damage the committee’s credibility when it comes to Republicans taking the concerns of small American businesses seriously.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during her briefing Wednesday whether Santos should resign.
Jean-Pierre tried to use his seat on the small business committee to draw a contrast between House Republicans and the Biden administration when it comes to economic policy.
“Just looking at the committee that he’s assigned to, when it comes to the Biden economic plan and when it comes to the announcement I made yesterday when it comes to small business,” Jean-Pierre said.
She cited figures that 10 million small businesses have been created so far under the Biden administration. And she said whether Santos should leave Congress is a decision for House Republicans.
“It’s up to the Republican conference to show what they think they owe the American people,” she said.
Williams has presented himself as capable of leading the committee, citing his decades at the helm of a car dealership and a beef operation.
Williams told Axios this week that he would find a way for Santos to add value to the committee and cited his experience as a chief responsible for keeping people on the straight and narrow.
“I employ hundreds of people right now in Texas,” Williams said. “I’ve been through everything. This is not something I am new to.”
