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: White House Engaged in Systematic Effort to Manipulate Climate Change Science

The Oversight Committee approved a report that concludes that the Bush Administration has censored climate change scientists, edited climate change reports, and misled policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming.

State Department Inspector General Resigns

State Department Inspector General Howard J. Krongard announced his resignation today. In response to the announcement, Chairman Waxman released the following statement:

“Mr. Krongard’s decision removes an enormous distraction from the Inspector General’s office and will allow the office to focus on its important oversight responsibilities. The Committee will certainly take this new development into account.”

Waxman and Davis Request Interview on Deleted Files

Chairman Waxman and Ranking Minority Member Davis ask Special Counsel Bloch for an interview regarding reports that he directed the deletion of files on office computers.

White House Blocking Fitzgerald Cooperation in Plame Probe

White House objections are preventing Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald from providing the Oversight Committee with records from interviews of White House officials taken during his investigation into the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson’s identity.

Brother Contradicts Testimony of the State Department Inspector General

The Oversight Committee will hold a hearing after the Thanksgiving recess to examine whether Howard Krongard, the Inspector General of the State Department, provided truthful testimony at the Committee’s November 14, 2007, hearing.

Waxman Requests Information from Alvin “Buzzy” Krongard

Chairman Waxman wrote to Buzzy Krongard, the brother of State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard, requesting an interview and documents relating to Blackwater USA.

White House Withholds Hundreds of Abramoff Documents

Chairman Waxman asks White House Counsel Fred Fielding to turn over more than 600 pages of documents relating to the activities of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff that are being withheld because they involve internal White House deliberations.

Committee Investigates State Department Contract to Train Iraqi Police

Chairman Waxman writes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to renew the Committee’s request for documents about the State Department’s $1 billion contract with DynCorp to train Iraqi police forces.

House Rebukes State Department

On Tuesday, the House overwhelming passed the Iraq corruption resolution, H.Res. 734, which condemns the State Department for withholding information about Iraqi corruption from the Congress and the American people. The strongly worded rebuke passed by a vote of 395-21.

H.Res. 734 expresses the sense of the House that the State Department has abused its classification authority by withholding from Congress and the American people information about the extent of corruption in the Maliki government. The resolution further condemns the State Department for retroactively classifying documents that had been widely distributed previously as unclassified, and by directing its employees not to answer questions in an open forum.

Full Text of H.Res. 734
Fact Sheet on H.Res. 734

House Passes Resolution on Iraq Corruption

Today the House with a vote of 395-21 passed the Iraq Corruption Resolution, introduced on Friday, October 12, 2007, by Chairmen Waxman and Tierney. In his statement on the House floor, Chairman Waxman called the State Department abuses of the classification system “outrageous” and demanded answers to questions about corruption in Iraq.

Chairmen Call for “Honest Answers” about Corruption in Iraq

House Chairmen Waxman, Lantos, Skelton, and Obey write the Secretary of State to express their concern about endemic corruption in Iraq and the refusal of State Department officials to answer basic questions about the impact of corruption within the Maliki government on the chances of success in Iraq.

Waxman Expresses Concern Over State Department’s Handling of Blackwater Shooting

Today Chairman Waxman wrote to Secretary Rice following reports that a Blackwater contractor, who was fired after he shot and killed an Iraq security guard, was hired by Combat Support Associates, another private contractor, to work in the region two months later.  A letter was also sent to the President of Combat Support Associates requesting information about the former Blackwater contractor.

Whistleblowers in State IG Investigation Report Threats of Retaliation

Investigators working for Howard Krongard, the State Department Inspector General, say they were told “Howard can fire you” and “You have no protection against reprisal” if they cooperate with the Oversight Committee’s investigation.

State Department Prohibits Officials from Discussing Iraqi Corruption

In a letter sent to Secretary Rice, Chairman Waxman objects to the State Department’s instruction to its officials that they cannot communicate with the Committee about corruption in the Maliki government unless the Committee agrees to treat all information, including “broad statements/assessments,” as national security secrets. Other points of growing contention between the Committee and the State Department include Secretary Rice’s refusal to testify.

Update: The State Department has sent a new letter to Blackwater informing Blackwater that the company should provide documents to the Committee.

White House Approved Lobbying Effort to Block Approval of California Vehicle Standards

Internal e-mails show that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters personally directed a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign approved by the White House to oppose EPA approval of California’s landmark standards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.

Questions Raised about the Conduct of the State Department Inspector General

According to seven current and former officials, State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard has repeatedly interfered with on-going investigations to protect the State Department and the White House from political embarrassment.

GAO Find President's 2005 Social Security Tour Cost Taxpayers Millions

After long delays, due in part to the refusal of the White House to cooperate, today Chairman Waxman released a GAO report assessing the costs to taxpayers of a 2005 White House initiative to support the President’s efforts to privatize Social Security.

Committee Requests Information on Reports of Lost White House E-mails

Chairman Waxman wrote to request information from the White House Office of Administration about reports that millions of e-mails that may have been lost from the White House e-mail system.

Committee Asks Agencies about White House “Asset Deployment” Meetings

Chairman Waxman writes to federal agencies requesting documents about their involvement in White House “asset deployment” meetings held to discuss the use of federal resources to promote the reelection of President Bush and Republicans in Congress.

Department of Justice Responds to Chairman Waxman Regarding Political Briefings

The Department of Justice responds to Chairman Waxman’s inquiry about political briefings the White House gave to executive agency officials. DOJ has identified 11 White House briefings provided to Department of Justice officials by the Office of Political Affairs, most of which included political updates.

Reps. Waxman and Davis Renew Request for White House Documents

Following a staff review of a number of previously-withheld climate change documents, Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis now request that 56 of those White House documents be provided to the Committee to further its investigation into allegations of political interference with climate change science.

Chairman Waxman Asks About the White House Counsel's Knowledge of Potential Presidential Records Act Violations

In two separate letters, Chairman Waxman asks when the White House Counsel's office learned about White House officials' use of nongovernmental e-mail accounts for official purposes, and what steps, if any, it took to preserve these records and prevent violations of the Presidential Records Act. A staff report issued by the committee's majority staff in June found that the White House Counsel's office under Alberto Gonzales may have known about officials' use of these accounts as early as 2001 and done nothing to prevent continued use of the accounts for official business. Chairman Waxman asks Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Fred F. Fielding, the current White House Counsel, for information and documents.

Politicization of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

At the request of Sara Taylor, the former White House Director of Political Affairs, John Walters, the nation’s drug czar, and his deputies traveled to 20 events with vulnerable Republican members of Congress in the months prior to the 2006 elections. The trips were paid for by federal taxpayers and several were combined with the announcement of federal grants or actions that benefited the districts of the Republican members.

DOT Attempts to Withhold Documents Related to Lobbying Congress

In response to Rep. Waxman’s request, the Department of Transportation provided limited documents and e-mails related to its lobbying of Members of Congress to oppose efforts by California and other states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. In the correspondence providing the documents, DOT states that it intends to withhold 53 responsive documents from the Committee.

Rep. Waxman Questions DOJ’s Reversal on Anti-Prostitution Pledges

A letter recently obtained by Chairman Waxman reveals that in 2003, the Justice Department advised Congress that an anti-prostitution pledge requirement in the anti-trafficking bill then under consideration raised "serious First Amendment concerns" and should be struck from the bill. Chairman Waxman reiterates his concerns about the constitutionality and public health effects of this provision in the global AIDS and anti-trafficking LAWS, and asks for a full explanation of DOJ's reversal in opinion.

Displaying Items 26 to 50 of 213:

Previous Page • Next Page

[1] • [2] • [3] • [4] • [5] • [6] • [7] • [8] • [9]