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

Closing Statement of Chairman Edolphus Towns from the Hearing Titled: "Following the Money: Report of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP)."

Opening Statement, Witness Testimony and Webcast for Hearing Titled: "Following the Money: Report of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP)."

On Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 10:00 a.m., the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled: “Following the Money: Report of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP).”

Towns’ Oversight Hearing Finds Economically Distressed Areas Not A Priority In Awarded Stimulus Transportation Projects

Chairman Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) is taking action to ensure that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is awarding Recovery Act funds to economically distressed areas nationwide. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before Towns’ Oversight Committee that DOT is not giving priority to funding projects in “economically distressed areas,” as required by the Recovery Act.

Closing Statement of Chairman Edolphus Towns

Hearing titled: “Tracking the Money: Preventing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Recovery Act Funding.”

GAO Endorses Towns’ Legislation to Improve State and Local Government’s Ability to Track Stimulus Dollars

During the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s third in a series of stimulus oversight hearings today, Government Accountability Office (GAO) Acting Comptroller General Gene Dodaro endorsed legislation introduced by Committee Chairman Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) that will amend the Recovery Act titled, “Enhanced Oversight of State and Local Economic Recovery Act” (H.R. 2182).

Opening Statement, Witness Testimony and Webcast for Committee Hearing Titled: "Tracking the Money: Preventing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Recovery Act Funding."

At 10:00 a.m., the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled: “Tracking the Money: Preventing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Recovery Act Funding.” The hearing took place in room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.

Committee Will Receive Update on Mexican Drug Cartels and U.S. National Security

Committee to receive an overview and update on the situation facing the United States and Mexico in their efforts to disrupt and dismantle Mexican drug cartels

Third Stimulus Oversight Hearing to Examine Challenges Facing States, Local Governments

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold the third in a series of hearings examining the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Chairman Towns Calls on Vice President Biden to Convene IT Roundtable, Establish Uniform Approach to Track Stimulus Funds

U.S Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, today announced that he is calling on Vice President Joseph R. Biden to convene a high-tech roundtable of information technology (IT) leaders to develop a uniform approach to track and account for ARRA funding. Chairman Towns is concerned that Recovery.gov, the Administration’s primary transparency tool, is not yet capable of tracking funding from each federal, state, and local agency that receives stimulus funds.

Chairman's Opening Statement and Witness Testimony from Hearing on “Preventing Stimulus Waste and Fraud: Who are the Watchdogs?”

On Thursday, March 19 at 10:00 a.m., the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled, “Preventing Stimulus Waste and Fraud: Who are the Watchdogs?” The hearing took place in room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.

Joint Statement from Chairman Towns and Congressman Clay on the 2010 Census

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and U.S. Representative William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Chairman of the Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee today released the following statement regarding oversight of the 2010 Census…

Chairman Towns Urges Treasury Department to Adopt IG Recommendations for TARP Funds

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, today wrote to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; urging the adoption of recommendations made by the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP), and to provide greater accountability and transparency in TARP agreements…

Chairman Towns Announces Subcommittee Chairs and Selections for the 111th Congress

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns, Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is pleased to announce the Chairs and selections for the Subcommittees of the 111th Congress…

Chairman Towns Requests Bipartisan Meetings With Secretary Robert Gates and Other Cabinet Secretaries

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced that a major portion of the committee’s agenda will be focused on working with the Obama Administration and its cabinet secretaries to form action plans to combat waste, fraud and abuse – detailed today by the Government Accountability Office’s report on high risk federal programs…

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.

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.

Chairman Waxman Praises GAO Transition Efforts

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

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.

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.

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