Karen Christian Quoted by The Hill—Christian and Geoff Verhoff by SF Chron—on Midterm Elections

Akin Gump congressional investigations practice co-head Karen Christian has been quoted by The Hill in “Corporate America braces for congressional gridlock, GOP probes in 2023.” The article looks at the possible impact on U.S. business of the midterm elections, particularly if the GOP retakes the House of Representatives. The Hill reports that GOP leaders would use investigations and other means to “punish” companies for siding against the party on issues such as LGBT rights and abortion restrictions.

Christian, who served as former general counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and chief counsel to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said, “If you’re outside of government looking at this Republican House, these are not the same types of Republicans that came in in 2011 in terms of how they view companies and corporate actors.”

In “Here’s how Republican control of the House will affect California,” San Francisco Chronicle quoted Christian and Akin Gump public law and policy senior advisor Geoff Verhoff. The article looks at the possibility of two years of partisan gridlock should the GOP flip the House.

Verhoff, who served as Republican National Committee Finance Committee Vice Chairman, said, “We’re not passing a lot of bills next year that the president will sign. We’re largely messaging, stopping — from our perspective — bad stuff that’s happening and trying to pivot to whatever 2024 looks like in terms of who a Republican nominee that’s going to bring the party together will be.”

On the topic of congressional investigations, Christian said, “When it is divided government, most congressional inquiries will be aimed at the Biden administration.”

On the ways in which GOP control of Congress could affect California, Christian said that there would be “aggressive oversight” of the way in which the Biden-Harris administration managed energy policy during inflation. This could include probes into federal funding earmarked for electric vehicles, including, she said, “how the build-out would be implemented and where the money is going.” She also noted there could be oversight investigations in whether the administration did the right things in releasing oil from the U.S.’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the impact on fuel prices.