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The Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) was established in January 1947, after President Harry Truman signed legislation to create majority and minority party policy committees in the Senate. Since its creation nearly sixty years ago, the DPC has served Senate Democrats by providing research and legislative support, publishing reports on important legislation and policy issues, tracking roll call votes, differentiating Democratic policy positions from Republican positions, and promoting Caucus unity and cohesion.
At the start of the 109th Congress, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and DPC Chairman Byron Dorgan expanded the mission of the DPC to include two new functions: 1) conduct oversight investigations and hold public hearings to ensure accountability in government; and 2) develop cutting-edge policy ideas through the creation of a “new idea network” with state and local government officials, think tanks, academics, and policy experts around the country.
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Members of Congress have a Constitutional obligation to oversee the activities of the Executive Branch. In the absence of effective oversight by congressional Republicans, the DPC conducts aggressive oversight and holds hearings to ensure government accountability.
Among the subjects the DPC has focused on are contracting abuses in Iraq and in the Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina; pre-war intelligence failures; continuing homeland security vulnerabilities; wasteful deficit spending; proposals to undermine Social Security; covert propaganda by federal agencies to advance political agendas; the enforcement of environmental laws; and United States trade policy. Staff at the DPC Oversight and Accountability Project work with whistleblowers, non-profit groups, Executive Branch agencies, and their colleagues on Capitol Hill to protect U.S. taxpayers, uncover waste, fraud and abuse, and hold government officials accountable.
Aware of waste, fraud or abuse that we should investigate?
E-mail us at oversight@dpc.senate.gov
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The DPC is chaired by Senator Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND).
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