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

Subcommittee Reviews Federal Financial Management

On Thursday, June 5, 2008, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled, “Oversight of Federal Financial Management.”

The hearing examined the results of GAO’s audit of the federal government’s consolidated financial statement (CFS) for the fiscal year ending in 2007, as well as management weaknesses, including improper payments, abuse of government credit cards, and problems with modernization.

Towns Investigates Sewage Sludge Experiment in Minority Neighborhoods

Chairman Towns demands answers regarding federally-funded experiments that tested fertilizer made from human and industrial wastes in poor, black neighborhoods in Baltimore and East St. Louis.

Hearing on Overseas Contracting Loophole

On Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 2:00 pm, in room 2247 of the Rayburn House Office Building, the Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 5712, Close the Contractor Fraud Loophole Act. This bill requires contractors to report fraud and overbilling on contracts performed overseas and commercial item contracts, both of which were excluded from a proposed rule on contractor ethics. The hearing will also consider a bill on the disposal of Federal surplus property.

Federal Security: ID Cards and Background Checks

The Subcommittee held a hearing to review Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which requires all federal employees and contractors to undergo background checks and to use a standardized identification card. The hearing released a GAO report finding that the program is incurring high costs but providing little benefit to date, and explored the impact that implementation of the program may have on the current security clearance issuance backlog.

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