Pramila Jayapal has lost her seat on one of the most powerful committees in Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office announced this week that the Washington congresswoman has been removed from the Ways and Means Committee. The reason, according to Johnson, is that she has been using her position to illegally steer money toward Democrats.
“Jayapal keeps pushing to move taxpayer dollars away from private businesses and into companies run by Democrats who practice socialism,” Johnson said in a statement. “Keeping her on that committee is an insult to the voters who sent her there.”
The Ways and Means Committee is in charge of taxes, trade, and some of the biggest programs in the federal government. Members have huge influence over where money goes, which is exactly why Republicans say Jayapal’s behavior couldn’t be ignored.
Aides close to the Speaker say the committee staff noticed a pattern over the past year. They claim Jayapal pushed language into several bills that would have directed contracts and grants toward businesses run by Democratic allies, including some with ties to progressive activist groups.
“She wasn’t hiding it very well,” one Republican aide said. “It got to the point where we could guess which companies would show up in her amendments before we even read them.”
Republicans say they gave Democratic leaders a chance to deal with it quietly. When nothing changed, Johnson moved forward.
Jayapal is one of the best-known progressives in the House. She leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has been at the front of fights over health care, immigration, and taxes. Her allies call her a fearless advocate for working people.
They were furious about the removal.
“This is retaliation, plain and simple,” said one progressive member. “Pramila fights for working families, and the Speaker can’t stand it.”
Jayapal’s office released its own statement calling the accusations false and accusing Republicans of trying to “criminalize progressive policy.” It said she has never done anything improper and that her work on the committee has always been in the open.
Jayapal plans to appeal.
Not every Democrat rushed to her defense. A few moderates stayed quiet, and one aide admitted that some members had been uneasy with how hard she pushed on spending decisions.
“She’s very effective,” the aide said. “Sometimes too effective for her own good.”
Conservatives were thrilled with Johnson’s decision. Several said it showed the Speaker was willing to take on the far left directly instead of just complaining about it.
“Voters didn’t send her to Congress to funnel money to her friends,” one Republican congressman said. “The Speaker did the right thing.” The appeal is expected to drag on for weeks. In the meantime, Jayapal is off the committee and has lost one of her biggest tools for shaping policy.
