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Congress’s oversight authority derives from its "implied" powers in the Constitution, public laws, and House and Senate rules. It is an integral part of the American system of checks and balances. Some scholars have questioned the efficacy of congressional oversight in ensuring bureaucratic performance and compliance with law. [2]
One congressional power is oversight of other branches of the government. In the early 1970s, the Senate investigated the activities of President Richard Nixon regarding Watergate which led to the president's resignation. One of the foremost legislative functions of the Congress is the power to investigate and to oversee the executive branch.
Congress divides its legislative, oversight, and internal administrative tasks among approximately two hundred committees and subcommittees. Within assigned areas, these functional sub-units gather information, compare and evaluate legislative alternatives, identify policy problems and propose solutions, select, determine, and report measures ...
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives.The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the House.
Before 1874 and since 1973, Congress has allowed certain powers of government to be carried out by locally elected officials. However, Congress maintains the power to overturn local laws and exercises greater oversight of the district than exists for any U.S. state. Furthermore, the District's elected government exists under the grace of ...
Congressional oversight is intended to prevent waste and fraud, protect civil liberties and individual rights, ensure executive compliance with the law, gather information for making laws and educating the public, and evaluate executive performance. [12] It applies to cabinet departments, executive agencies, regulatory commissions, and the ...
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At the same time the power and prestige of Congress were rapidly eroding. During the Depression, and even more so during the war, Congress delegated sweeping authority to the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt to implement legislation as he and his agents in the executive branch saw fit. In addition, the war caused Congress a severe loss ...