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Lying in State of President George H. W. Bush


The public is invited to pay their respects to President George H. W. Bush from 7:30 p.m. Monday, December 3, to 7 a.m. Wednesday, December 5. Please enter through the Capitol Visitor Center.

On Monday, December 3, Tuesday, December 4, and Wednesday, December 5, the Capitol Visitor Center will be closed for normal operations, and all Capitol tours are cancelled.

If you have a tour reservation and would like to reschedule, please visit our website at www.visitthecapitol.gov or contact the Visitor Services Office at (202)226-8000.

On Thursday, December 6, the Capitol Visitor Center will reopen for normal operations 8:30 a.m.

Congress and the Executive Branch: Investigations

“The Senate as a Court of Impeachment for the Trial of Andrew Johnson,” wood engraving by Theodore R. Davis, Harper’s Weekly, April 11, 1868

Congress’s oversight authority is an implied, but vital, constitutional power.

The nation’s founders, mindful of human nature and the potentially corrupting effects of power, anticipated congressional oversight of the federal government. In addition to investigating misuse of federal funds and abuses of power, Congress also gathers information needed to create new legislation. The power to investigate is one of Congress’s most important tools for developing effective public policy, conducting oversight, and informing the public.

Congress Investigates General MacArthur’s Dismissal Copy of letter from General Douglas MacArthur to Representative Joseph William Martin Jr. of Massachusetts, March 20, 1951 Featured Copy of letter from General Douglas MacArthur to Representative Joseph William Martin Jr. of Massachusetts, March 20, 1951
Congress Impeaches and Tries a President Memorandum from Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, February 21, 1868 Featured Memorandum from Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, February 21, 1868
Congress Investigates the Civil War The President and Major General George B. McClellan on the Battlefield of Antietam, photograph by Alexander Gardner, October 3, 1862 Featured The President and Major General George B. McClellan on the Battlefield of Antietam, photograph by Alexander Gardner, October 3, 1862
The Senate Investigates One of Its Own Chronology of Efforts Made by Senator McCarthy . . . to Put Pressure on the Army . . . , by John Adams, March 11, 1954 Featured Chronology of Efforts Made by Senator McCarthy . . . to Put Pressure on the Army . . . , by John Adams, March 11, 1954