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WASHINGTON, DC – The job of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is to shape a more transparent, efficient and accountable federal government through aggressive oversight of virtually everything government does – from national security policies to homeland security grants, from federal records preservation to regulatory reform, from government procurements to federal worker health care plans.

As Minority Members of the U.S. House of Representatives chief watchdog committee –with jurisdiction to investigate all federal programs and any matter with national policy implications – Republicans on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee have been at the vanguard of many of the nation’s most pressing debates in 2009 and 2010.  Recognizing the importance and unique challenges of our role in the Minority – at a time when both Congress and the Administration are ruled by one party – Committee Republicans have led investigations into waste, mismanagement and wrongdoing at the federal level, undertaking numerous inquiries and asking the tough questions when the Majority will not.

Key Committee Republican Oversight Accomplishments

Government Bailout Accountability

Following the unprecedented expansion of federal government involvement in the private-sector through bailouts of AIG, GM, Chrysler, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Committee Republicans have tirelessly and successfully pushed the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and other agencies to provide greater transparency about taxpayer bailouts.  Bailout money belongs to the taxpayers and they have a right to know how it’s being used.

Demanding Real Job Creation, Not “Stimulus” Myths

Committee Republicans have repeatedly questioned the Obama Administration about the inconsistencies and dishonesty related to the White House’s claims of stimulus-related job creation.  The Chairman of the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board echoed these concerns, stating during a public hearing that the Administration does not have the “ability to calculate the full-time jobs equivalent” created or saved by the stimulus.  Following this hearing and investigation, the Obama Administration revised its jobs counting method, muting its job creation claims that were distracting from efforts to address nearly 10% unemployment.

Cutting off Federal Funding for ACORN

After an investigation into allegations of systemic fraud by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), Committee Republicans successfully led the effort to pass legislation denying all federal funding for the organization.  Federal funds are a privilege – not a right – and should not go to corrupt organizations.

Exposed Key Role Government Housing Policy Played in Economic Collapse

Oversight Republicans traced the root cause of our economic crisis back to decades of sustained federal intervention in U.S. housing markets.  As President Obama and Congressional Democrats refuse to either acknowledge the role of government housing policies in our economic collapse or reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Team Oversight continues to watchdog the destructive, opaque and tragic consequences of federal intrusion into housing markets.

Before and After Gulf Oil Spill, Offering Solutions to Fix Failed Regulator

Six months before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Oversight Republicans released a report critical of failed management and leadership at the regulator – the Minerals Management Service (MMS) – at the center of the Gulf oil spill.  Since the spill, Oversight Republicans have been at the forefront giving a voice to those harmed by the spill while pushing the Obama Administration to protect the Gulf Coast more effectively and reform MMS.