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

Permanent Estate Tax Repeal Would Save President, Cabinet Millions of Dollars

Rep. Waxman releases a fact sheet showing that a permanent estate tax repeal would favor the President, Vice President, and 11 cabinet members, saving them as much as $344 million dollars total.

Rep. Waxman Calls for Investigation of DHS Contracting

Rep. Waxman writes to Chairman Davis asking for an investigation into reports of waste, fraud, and abuse in Department of Homeland Security contracts.

Legislation Makes Clear Federal Employees Are Protected From Anti-Gay Discrimination

Rep. Waxman, with nine other lead cosponsors, introduces legislation to reaffirm that federal employees are protected from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to repudiate any assertion to the contrary.

Waxman and Lynch Ask OMB for Full Response on Industry Group Meetings

In a follow-up letter, Reps. Waxman and Lynch ask the Office of Management and Budget to provide a complete response to their March 24, 2005, request for information on meetings held and documents exchanged with business community representatives on proposals to change the regulatory process.

GAO: Pentagon Squandering Billions on Excess Property

The Government Reform Committee National Security Subcommittee holds a hearing to examine a new GAO study on waste and inefficiency in the Defense Department. The report finds that the Department has improperly disposed of valuable equipment at a cost to taxpayers of more than $3.5 billion.

Democrats to Introduce Legislation to Create Select Committee to Investigate Prisoner Abuse

Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman, along with Democratic Leader Pelosi, Armed Services Ranking Member Skelton, and other senior congressional leaders, announced plans to introduce legislation to create a House select committee to investigate the abuses of detainees held in U.S. custody in connection with the war in Iraq and the global war on terrorism.

OMB Questioned on Industry Group Meetings

Reps. Waxman and Lynch ask the Office of Management and Budget to release information on recent meetings with business community representatives to discuss proposals for changes to the regulatory process.

Committee to Investigate Awarding of No-Bid Contracts to Alaska Native Corporations

Chairman Davis and Rep. Waxman write Administration officials and GAO about the increasing number of no-bid federal contracts awarded to Alaska Native Corporations under special contracting provisions.

DOD Contracts with ESSI "Appear to Have Anomalies in Them"

In a letter to Secretary Rumsfeld, Rep. Waxman asks for details of the Defense Department's contracts with Engineered Support Systems, Inc., on whose board William H.T. Bush, the President's uncle, sits. An Undersecretary of Defense has said the contracts "appear to have anomalies in them."

SSA Altered Communications to Undermine Confidence

A new report released by Reps. Waxman and other senior members of Congress details how the Social Security Administration has systematically altered its public communications.

Members Ask for Hearings on Withheld 9/11 Information

Reps. Waxman and Maloney ask for hearings on whether political considerations caused the Administration to delay release of findings by the 9/11 Commission about pre-attack warnings.

DOD Pay Plan Would Reward Political Appointees

Rep. Waxman, Sen. Akaka and Rep. Danny Davis express serious concerns about a Defense Department plan to give higher raises to political appointees than to career employees.

Proposed Committee Oversight Plan Omits Administration Abuses

Rep. Waxman asks Chairman Davis to amend the Committee's oversight plan to include consideration of the treatment of detainees, the use of covert propaganda, the politicization of science, conflicts of interest, the rise in government secrecy, and other important issues that Congress has failed to address.

Governmentwide Civil Service Changes Misguided and Premature

Democratic Whip Hoyer, Rep. Waxman, and seven other Democratic members of Congress object to the Administration's plan to expand the elimination of civil service protections from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to the rest of the federal government.

Questions Raised About Office of Special Counsel

Rep. Waxman and other members of Congress seek more information about recent management decisions made by the Office of Special Counsel, including a decision to require a dozen senior DC-based employees to transfer to field offices.

Questions Raised on Potential Conflicts of Interest at DHS

Rep. Waxman and Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson ask Secretary Ridge to disclose contacts between top Department of Homeland Security officials and Blank Rome, a firm that lobbies the department extensively for federal contracts.

9/11 Legislation May Be Vehicle to Relax Member Financial Disclosure Requirements

Rep. Waxman writes Senate Majority Leader Frist and House Speaker Hastert to urge them to reject a last-minute effort to insert provisions undermining financial disclosure laws in the 9/11 legislation.

Politicization of Inspectors General

A new report released by Rep. Waxman finds that the President has repeatedly appointed individuals with Republican political backgrounds to serve as nonpartisan Inspectors General at federal departments and agencies.

Waxman Asks Administration to Disclose Identities of U.S. Companies that Worked in Iraq

In a letter to CIA Director Goss, Rep. Waxman questions why the Administration is concealing the identities of U.S. corporations that did business in Saddam Hussein's Iraq under the U.N. Oil for Food program.

Congress’ Abdication of Oversight Responsibility

One of Congress’ main constitutional responsibilities is to conduct oversight to check abuses of power by other branches of government. During the last four years, however, Congress has failed to conduct meaningful investigations of allegations of serious misconduct involving the Bush Administration.

Report: Secrecy in the Bush Administration

Rep. Waxman has released a comprehensive examination of the unprecedented assault on the principle of open government under the Bush Administration.

Justice Dept. Conduct in Berger Case Questioned

Rep. Waxman asks Attorney General Ashcroft to explain why senior officials in the Justice Department overruled the judgment of career prosecutors and authorized the release of detailed information about Sandy Berger requested by Republican congressional staff.

Berger Investigation Questioned

In a letter to Chairman Davis, Rep Waxman writes that the Government Reform Committee is applying a different standard to former Clinton-appointee Sandy Berger than it has applied to Bush Administration officials.

Free Pass from Congress

The Washington Post has published Rep. Waxman's essay on the abrupt reversal in Congress's approach to oversight.

Noncompetitive Contracts Soar under Bush Administration

A new report released by Rep. Waxman shows that the Bush Administration awarded $107 billion in sole-source and other noncompetitive contracts in fiscal year 2003, an increase of 60% compared to the last year of the Clinton Administration.

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