WASHINGTON-House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) opened today’s roundtable on “Examining the Washington Football Team’s Toxic Workplace Culture" by emphasizing the need for Democrats to redirect their focus towards conducting proper oversight over the Biden Administration’s multiple crises. In his opening statement, Ranking Member Comer highlighted how Americans are suffering from skyrocketing inflation, surging energy prices, and the worst border crisis in this nation’s history. He noted Democrats’ ongoing failure to hold the Biden Administration accountable for their self-inflicted crises and emphasized the need for the Committee to return to its mission of rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government. Ranking Member Comer concluded by stating no individual should face harassment in the workplace and today’s issues being examined are best handled by human resources and the courts-not Congress.
Below are Ranking Member Comer’s remarks as prepared for delivery.
Americans across our nation face multiple crises today because of the Biden Administration’s policies.
Inflation is at a 40-year high.
We are experiencing the worst border crisis in our nation’s history.
Energy prices are surging.
China has yet to be held accountable for covering up and unleashing COVID-19 on the world.
And our adversaries are emboldened because of President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
And as my colleague Congressman Donald’s pointed out in a letter sent last night. Historic black colleges and universities face bomb threats this week.
Yet Democrats on this Committee continue to ignore these and other crises that are impacting Americans’ everyday lives.
Instead of adhering to our committee’s mission to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government, Democrats instead are holding a roundtable about the work culture in one single private organization.
Make no mistake-no one should face harassment at work and bad actors must be held accountable.
But it is unclear why examining harassment that took place a decade ago in one private workplace warrants oversight from this committee. This issue is best handled by human resources and the courts-not Congress.
Further, because of the bravery of the women testifying before us today, the culture of the franchise has completely turned around.
After the NFL’s investigation into the football team last year, Commissioner Roger Goodell levied the highest fine on an owner in the history of the sport, and suspended the owner from team operations indefinitely.
In addition, the Commissioner made a series of recommendations to the team to improve its culture.
This week an independent audit confirmed those recommendations are working.
The audit found the Washington Commanders’ culture, leadership, human resources practices, diversity, and morale all have improved.
In fact, the audit noted 80 percent of team employees strongly agreed they had witnessed “positive improvements in the team’s culture of the past year."
Because of Commissioner Goodell’s leadership, bad actors have been held accountable and the culture at the football team has improved.
So why are Democrats utilizing committee resources today to examine an issue that is on the path to resolution and is outside of this committee’s jurisdiction?
This committee under Democrat leadership is failing the American people.
It’s past time for this committee to get back to its mission and hold the Biden Administration accountable for the many self-inflicted crises that are hurting Americans.
