Chronology of Committee Work

Chairman Towns Rolls Out Oversight Committee Priorities

WASHINGTON – One week into his tenure as the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), discussed his plans for the Committee at a panel discussion on the future of government oversight and investigations in the 111th Congress….

Rep. Towns Passes Major Transparency Reforms: Presidential Records Act Amendments and Presidential Library Donation Reform

Seeking to create a seamless transition, U.S. Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) hit the ground running on the first day of the 111th Congress with two major pieces of legislation, which passed the House of Representatives: the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2009 (H.R. 35) and Presidential Library Donation Act of 2009 (H.R. 36). Rep. Towns’ bills were the first order of business and the first to be considered on the first day Congress met to address legislative business. Both bills include significant transparency reforms that would overhaul the process for accessing presidential records and disclose donations to presidential libraries.

Towns Launches Probes Into Tennessee Coal Ash Spill

U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the massive coal ash spill at a facility operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Kingston, Tennessee, one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

Unimplemented IG Recommendations Costing Taxpayers Billions of Dollars

Today, Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, and Sen. Claire McCaskill issued a new report that finds that the Bush Administration has failed to implement over 13,000 recommendations made by Inspectors General (IGs) since 2001. Federal agencies could save taxpayers over $25 billion by implementing these open recommendations.

Chairman Towns Names Senior Oversight Staff

Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), incoming Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, named Ronald Stroman as staff director and Michael McCarthy as deputy staff director of the committee.

Ed Towns Is Elected Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee

This evening, the House Democratic Caucus formally elected Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) as Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Chairman Waxman Releases Letter Regarding Illegal Steroid Use in Professional Wrestling

In a letter to Office of National Drug Control Policy Director John P. Walters, Chairman Waxman summarizes results of the Committee’s investigation into steroid use in professional wrestling and requests that ONDCP examine the widespread steroid abuse and systemic deficiencies in testing policies and practices.

Deterioration of the Nation’s Clean Water Act Enforcement Program

Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar wrote to President-elect Obama regarding their investigation into the drastic deterioration of the Clean Water Act enforcement program.

Committee Releases Report Criticizing President’s Assertion of Executive Privilege

The Committee approved a report supported by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and former Ranking Member Tom Davis finding that President Bush made a “legally unprecedented and an inappropriate use of executive privilege” when he directed Attorney General Mukasey to withhold Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s interview of Vice President Cheney from the Committee.

Administration Abandons Proposal to Weaken Air Quality Protections for National Parks

EPA announced it would not go forward with regulation that would have degraded air quality in our National Parks and other areas with clean air.

Administration Drops Effort to Roll Back Pollution Requirements for Power Plants

EPA announced that it would not go forward with the regulation that would allow older power plants to increase their emissions of air pollutants and exacerbate global warming.

Chairman Waxman Publishes Committee's Oversight Accomplishments

In the 110th Congress, the Committee conducted vigorous oversight to uncover waste, fraud, and abuse, to improve the operations of the federal government, and to examine wrongdoing in the private sector. At the close of this session, Chairman Waxman has published a selection of the Committee’s oversight accomplishments.

Committee Holds Hearing on Collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

The Committee held a hearing titled, “The Role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the Financial Crisis” on Tuesday, December 9, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing examined the extent to which the actions and policies of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may have contributed to the ongoing crisis.

Committee Report Criticizes President’s Assertion of Executive Privilege

The Committee will next Tuesday consider a report supported by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and former Ranking Member Tom Davis finding that President Bush made a “legally unprecedented and an inappropriate use of executive privilege” when he directed Attorney General Mukasey to withhold Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s interview of Vice President Cheney from the Committee.

Committee Holds Hearing on Hedge Funds and the Financial Market

The Committee held a hearing titled, “Hedge Funds and the Financial Market” on Thursday, November 13, 2008. The hearing examined systemic risks to the financial markets posed by hedge funds and proposals for regulatory and tax reforms.

Chairman Waxman Praises GAO Transition Efforts

Chairman Henry A. Waxman issued a statement regarding the transition efforts of the Government Accountability Office.

Chairman Waxman Releases GAO Report on Federal Oversight of Part D Drug Pricing

Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a new GAO report titled “Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage: Federal Oversight of Reported Price Concessions Data.” The report finds that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has only conducted half of the scheduled audits of drug pricing information reported by the Part D plans.

Internal FDA Documents Show Career Staff Objected to Agency’s New Stance on Preemption

According to a report released today by Chairman Waxman, key FDA career officials strongly objected to Bush Administration drug labeling regulations that would preempt state liability lawsuits, asserting that the central justifications for the regulations were “false and misleading” and warning that the changes would deprive consumers of timely information about drug hazards.

Chairman Waxman Requests Compensation and Bonus Information for Employees of Major Banks

In letters to nine major banks that will receive $125 billion of taxpayer funds, Chairman Waxman requested information on their compensation and bonus plans in 2008.

Proposed Regulation Blocking Access to Healthcare Violates Executive Order

Chairman Waxman requested an explanation from HHS Secretary Leavitt on why a proposed rule that would threaten access to reproductive and other health services was issued in apparent violation of an executive order requiring interagency coordination and review.

Committee Holds Hearing on the the Role of Federal Regulators in the Financial Crisis

The Committee held a hearing titled, “The Financial Crisis and the Role of Federal Regulators” at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing examined the roles and responsibilities of federal regulators in the current financial crisis.

Committee Holds Hearing on the Credit Rating Agencies and the Financial Crisis

The Committee held a hearing titled, “Credit Rating Agencies and the Financial Crisis” on Wednesday, October 22, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing examined the actions of the three largest credit rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Corporation, and Fitch Ratings, leading up to the current financial crisis.

Chairman Waxman Reveals EPA Record of Court Losses, Opposes Legally Flawed Rule to Weaken Pollution Controls

In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman quantifies EPA’s extensive losses in federal court, details the harms they have caused, and urges EPA not to exacerbate those harms by issuing another legally reckless rule to weaken air pollution controls on power plants.

Chairman Waxman Requests Details of AIG Event Spending and Bonuses

In response to reports that AIG spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on extravagant employee events after receiving an $85 billion rescue package, Chairman Waxman requested a detailed listing of all conferences, events, or retreats paid for by AIG this year as well as bonuses paid to AIG executives.

Questions Raised about Iraq Fuel Charges

The International Oil Trading Company, which is owned by Harry Sargeant, charged prices that were not “fair and reasonable” to deliver fuel through Jordan to Iraq, according to internal Defense Department documents.

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