Republicans plan their resistance in a would-be Democratic House

By Lauren Fox and Jeremy Herb, CNN

Updated 6:35 AM ET, Wed October 24, 2018

(CNN)House Republicans are in the political fight of their lives as they try to hold onto their majority. But while they hope for the best, some are preparing for the worst: a Democratic takeover where oversight of the Trump administration spans every committee and essentially halts the GOP's legislative agenda for the next two years.

While on the campaign trail, conservatives use the threat of a Nancy Pelosi-controlled House to fire up their base, but GOP congressional aides say detailed plans aren't yet being drafted in case of a Democratic wave. Instead, the focus remains on holding onto their majority — because, as veteran House Republicans know, the House minority has the least amount of power on Capitol Hill.

Still, some Republicans are looking back at what happened the last time the President's party lost control of the House — when the GOP was victorious in 2010 — to study how the Obama administration handled rigorous oversight by the other side.

Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that a slew of Republican committee chairmen are retiring, opening up top slots on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, where some of the biggest political battles of the new Congress would unfold.

The jockeying has already begun for those spots, regardless of which party wins next month, and the outcome of those inside-Washington-baseball races will set the tone for showdowns over public hearings, requests for documents, subpoenas — and even how an impeachment process could play out. Whoever fills those roles in a Democrat-controlled House would become the face of the GOP resistance and the leading attack dog defending the Trump administration.

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https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/23/politics/republicans-house-minority-congress-investigations/index.html