The USCCB: What's the Point?

So the USCCB is having their annual meeting, conducted online this year because of the pandemic.  As I watch some of the highlights and read the commentary, I'm left asking a question:  Why are we doing this?  I don't mean doing it virtually because of the pandemic.  I mean:  why does the USCCB exist?

This sounds like a flippant question, but it isn't.  What is the point of the USCCB?  Why do they exist?  What are they hoping to accomplish?  To drive home the point further:  if the USCCB disbanded today, at this very moment, what would we find lacking?

So far as I can tell, the USCCB, as currently setup, exists to do three things.  They are to be pundits, to promote factional warfare, and to form committees.  This came out with the greatest clarity during the discussion around The McCarrick report.  If all you knew about the report was what you heard at the USCCB, you would think the report was a debate between the legacies of the three Popes McCarrick served under.  So a report that detailed a decades long institutional coverup of criminal sexual assault was reduced to the rather pathetic dueling arguments over some bishops thinking Francis should resign, or if the media is unfair to the legacy of John Paul II.  There is a lot of talk about "seeing through the eyes of victims", but nothing about various policies they could put in place to make this a reality.  Cardinal Gregory talks about the importance of showing victims we get it, but he sits on all the information that details the American Churches own institutional knowledge of McCarricks predations, and refuses to do anything to release it.  The bishops never once discussed how it was possible for such a monster to become so powerful and walk among their ranks, and no discussion about what steps they were taking as a body to prevent a future McCarrick from doing this kind of damage again.  Instead it was an argument over which pope deserves more blame.  That's an argument you should read on the internet, if you should read it at all.

Likewise, on the coronavirus pandemic, there was a lot of talk about the importance of getting people back to Church, yet nothing about why people are so reluctant to return.  Is it a question of safety?  Then what extra precautions are we taking?  Is it because people felt abandoned during the pandemic?  How are we fixing that?  Is it because of the corruption in the Church?  What are we doing to fix that?  Has the faith stopped becoming relevant for so many who before were going to Mass?  Instead, we're talking about holding special "bring your friend to Mass" days

This is not an ideological talking point, ie the bishops aren't trad enough, aren't progressive enough, whatever.  Nor is this a belief that things like a Committee on Racism are pointless.  There's a lot to discuss about the history of how the Church has navigated racial tensions across the world and in our own backyard, and yes, how that navigation has been poor or imperfect.  We should have nothing to fear from that.  Yet what exactly is done by the USCCB that makes it serve a singular and unique purpose?  If it's really just "its a high profile chance to discuss these issues" then maybe we really should rethink the entire premise upon which these episcopal conferences exist and function.