Administration Oversight

Congress has a responsibility under the Constitution to conduct oversight of the executive branch. The Committee on Government Reform has the specific responsibility to oversee whether laws and programs are being implemented and carried out in accordance with the intent of Congress and whether they should be continued, curtailed, or eliminated; the application, administration, execution, and effectiveness of laws and programs; and the organization and operation of federal agencies and entities having responsibilities for the administration and execution of laws and programs. As set forth in House Rule X, clause 4, the Committee also may, at any time, conduct investigations of any matter regardless of whether another standing committee has jurisdiction over the matter.

Latest News

Committee Report Criticizes President’s Assertion of Executive Privilege

The Committee will next Tuesday consider a report supported by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and former Ranking Member Tom Davis finding that President Bush made a “legally unprecedented and an inappropriate use of executive privilege” when he directed Attorney General Mukasey to withhold Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s interview of Vice President Cheney from the Committee.

Chairman Waxman Praises GAO Transition Efforts

Chairman Henry A. Waxman issued a statement regarding the transition efforts of the Government Accountability Office.

Internal FDA Documents Show Career Staff Objected to Agency’s New Stance on Preemption

According to a report released today by Chairman Waxman, key FDA career officials strongly objected to Bush Administration drug labeling regulations that would preempt state liability lawsuits, asserting that the central justifications for the regulations were “false and misleading” and warning that the changes would deprive consumers of timely information about drug hazards.

Proposed Regulation Blocking Access to Healthcare Violates Executive Order

Chairman Waxman requested an explanation from HHS Secretary Leavitt on why a proposed rule that would threaten access to reproductive and other health services was issued in apparent violation of an executive order requiring interagency coordination and review.

Committee Holds Hearing on the the Role of Federal Regulators in the Financial Crisis

The Committee held a hearing titled, “The Financial Crisis and the Role of Federal Regulators” at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing examined the roles and responsibilities of federal regulators in the current financial crisis.

White House Orchestrated Taxpayer-Funded Trips to Help Republican Candidates

A draft Committee report circulated by Chairman Waxman finds that in the months before the 2006 elections, the White House Office of Political Affairs “enlisted agency heads across government in a coordinated effort to elect Republican candidates to Congress,” directing them “to make hundreds of trips – most at taxpayer expense – for the purpose of increasing the electability of Republicans.”

Bipartisan Committee Report Criticizes President’s Assertion of Executive Privilege

A bipartisan report circulated today by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Ranking Member Tom Davis finds that President Bush made a “legally unprecedented and an inappropriate use of executive privilege” when he directed Attorney General Mukasey to withhold Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s interview of Vice President Cheney from the Committee. A separate report circulated by Chairman Waxman criticizes the President’s assertion of executive privilege in the Committee’s investigation into recent climate change and Clean Air Act decisions. Both reports will be considered by the full Committee next week.

Chairman Waxman Expresses Serious Reservations About Bailout Plan

Chairman Waxman released a statement about the Administration’s $700 billion proposal to rescue financial institutions.

Chairman Waxman Responds to Rep. Davis and Issa

Chairman Waxman wrote to Ranking Members Davis and Issa responding to their letters about oversight of the Mineral Management Service.

Committee Seeks Information About Documents Withheld Under Executive Privilege

Chairman Waxman sent letters seeking additional information about documents withheld from the Committee under claims of executive privilege by President Bush, including documents relating to whether the White House complied with the Clean Air Act on important environmental decisions and documents relating to the outing of covert CIA official Valerie Plame Wilson.

House Passes Bill to Strengthen GAO

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 6388, the Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2008. Chairman Henry A. Waxman and 18 other committee chairs introduced this legislation to strengthen the Government Accountability Office and restore GAO’s authority to pursue litigation if documents are improperly withheld from the agency.

Chairman Waxman Urges Special Counsel to Step Down

Chairman Waxman wrote to Scott Bloch to express his concerns about the effectiveness of the Office of Special Counsel and to urge Bloch to step down to protect the interests of the agency and those it is charged to protect.

Questions Raised about Solicitation of Funds for Bush Library

The Committee has opened an investigation into allegations that an individual solicited funds for the George W. Bush Presidential Library in return for access to senior U.S. foreign policy officials.

House Passes Reforms of White House E-mail Use

In response to Committee investigations showing the loss and destruction of White House e-mails, the House on July 9, 2008, passed reform legislation requiring the Archivist to issue standards ensuring the preservation of White House e-mails. In addition, the White House responded to the Committee’s investigation with its own reforms that may reduce the use of political e-mail accounts for official business.

House Passes Bill to Preserve Electronic Records

By a vote of 286-137, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5811, the Electronic Communications Preservation Act, which would modernize the requirements of the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act to ensure that vital electronic records are preserved.

New GAO Report Reveals Agencies are Not Complying with Requirements to Preserve E-mails

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, and Rep. Paul W. Hodes released a new GAO report that finds that senior federal officials are failing to comply with requirements to preserve e-mail records. On Wednesday, the House is expected to consider legislation (H.R. 5811) to modernize the Federal Records Act and the Presidential Records Act to ensure the preservation of these important federal records.

Chairman Waxman Warns Attorney General of Scheduled Contempt Vote

Chairman Waxman writes Attorney General Mukasey that the Oversight Committee will vote to hold him in contempt unless the Attorney General produces a copy of the report of the FBI interview of Vice President Cheney in the investigation of the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, a covert CIA agent.

Committee Chairs Introduce Bill to Strengthen GAO

Chairman Henry A. Waxman and 18 other committee chairs introduced legislation to strengthen the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and restore GAO’s authority to pursue litigation if documents are improperly withheld from the agency.

Questions Raised about Embassy Involvement with Indicted Arms Dealer

The Oversight Committee has received evidence that the U.S. Embassy in Albania approved an effort to conceal the illegal Chinese origins of ammunition shipped to Afghanistan by AEY, a Florida arms dealer whose 22-year-old president was indicted last week.

Chairman Waxman Speaks to National Press Club

Chairman Waxman spoke to the National Press Club on the importance of congressional oversight in ensuring accountability and exposing waste, fraud, and abuse.

Committee Calls for Declassification of Information About U.S. Bases in Iraq

Chairman Waxman sent a letter today requesting that President Bush declassify provisions in the “Joint MNF-I/U.S. Embassy-Baghdad Campaign Plan” that refer to U.S. military bases in Iraq and the timeline for their existence, as well as a GAO report issued today regarding this Joint Campaign Plan.

Oversight Committee Subpoenas Justice Department for Plame Documents

Today, the Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to Attorney General Mukasey compelling the production of FBI interview reports of Vice President Cheney and President Bush and other documents regarding the outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

Chairman Waxman Requests Information on Universal Service Fund High Cost Support Program Disbursements

In a letter to FCC Chairman Martin, Chairman Waxman requested information about the top recipients of high-cost subsidy dollars from the federal Universal Service Fund. The High Cost Program of the Universal Service Fund subsidizes eligible telecommunications carriers for the purpose of ensuring that consumers in all regions of the nation have access to and pay rates for telecommunications services that are reasonably comparable to services provided and rates paid in urban areas.

Committee Releases Proposed Abramoff Report

Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis issued a proposed Committee report on White House contacts with Jack Abramoff that concludes that Mr. Abramoff had personal contact with President Bush, that high-level White House officials held Mr. Abramoff and his associates in high regard and solicited recommendations from them on policy matters, that Mr. Abramoff and his associates influenced some White House actions, and that Mr. Abramoff and his associates offered White House officials expensive tickets and meals.

New Questions about Vice President Cheney’s Role in CIA Leak

Chairman Waxman urges Attorney General Mukasey to turn over the FBI interviews of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, citing new information from the FBI interview of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and the recent disclosures by Scott McClellan.

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