Congress wasn’t wanting partisan debates this yr, however Julissa Walsh needs extra Individuals knew how a lot collaboration is occurring throughout the aisle.
Walsh is the final counsel on the Home Choose Committee on the Chinese language Communist Get together, which was answerable for one of many highest-profile and most controversial payments of the yr: a invoice to that may power TikTok to be divested from its Chinese language mum or dad firm or face a U.S. ban. And he or she says passage of that invoice is a testomony to that bipartisanship.
“On the select committee we’re fortunate to have very good working relationships with our Democratic counterparts, and I know that that’s not the case for all staffers across Capitol Hill, but I do think there’s more of that than most people realize,” Walsh mentioned.
As common counsel, Walsh is answerable for main committee oversight work and investigations and for advising the chair on authorized and coverage points. She led drafting, technique and bipartisan negotiations for the forced-sale TikTok invoice.
Though the TikTok invoice, which handed 352-65 within the Home lower than per week after it was launched by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ailing.), Walsh mentioned it was the product of collaborate work courting to the final Congress. The invoice additionally handed the Senate and was signed into legislation.
Walsh mentioned the committee additionally took classes from previous failed efforts to ban TikTok as staffers and lawmakers labored to craft sturdy laws and construct assist.
“In order that once we have been able to introduce, the invoice actually was prepared for prime time,” she mentioned.
“And I think what we were able to demonstrate is that we did our homework ahead of time, so that once we put it out, we were in a great position to just sprint to the finish,” she added.
