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December 2, 2008 9:18:43 AM CST

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Congressional oversight

Congressional oversight news stories

9 Stories

Rove Used Federal Coin to Help GOP in '06

Officials traveled, gave out grants to help incumbents: report

Washington Post Washington Post Oct 15, 08 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Karl Rove helped direct federal officials and funds to 99 congressional districts where Republican candidates were threatened in the 2006 elections, the Washington Post reports. Many presidents, including Bill Clinton, have briefed cabinet members before reelection efforts, but the “gross abuse” of public White House funds for at least 303 politicking trips is unprecedented, House Democratic investigators say. More »

More about:  Congress • Bush administration • Republican • election • Karl Rove • Congressional oversight

Dems Set Their Own Terms for Bailout Plan

Congress wants oversight of treasury, homeowner assistance

New York Times New York Times Sep 22, 08 6:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - As Hank Paulson did the Sunday talk shows, Democrats in the House and Senate set down their own terms for a plan to rescue the nation's financial institutions—one that would give Congress greater oversight over the treasury. Barney Frank, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, put forward his party's changes to the Bush plan, which also include an assistance program for homeowners and a limit on executive compensation. More »

More about:  Financial Crisis • Congress • bailout • Henry Paulson • Treasury Department • Barney Frank • House Financial Services Committee • Congressional oversight

OPINION

Charming Army Brass Get Little Rebuke From Vet Care Panel

Despite slow progress since Walter Reed flap

Washington Post Washington Post Jul 23, 08 1:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - Faced with little evidence of progress in caring for wounded veterans 16 months after the Walter Reed scandal, US Army generals resorted to battlefield tactics in a hearing before a House subcommittee yesterday, Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post : “A tactical retreat in the face of an overwhelming enemy: the facts.” The generals fell over themselves apologizing, and disarmed the committee with flattery. More »

More about:  Congressional oversight • Walter Reed fallout • Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Senate to Hold Drug Water Hearings

Lawmakers press EPA to establish task force on contaminants

Associated Press Associated Press Mar 11, 08 6:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Alarmed by an AP story, two top senators vowed yesterday to probe drug traces in US drinking water. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Sen. Frank Lautenberg plan to lead hearings next month to "protect our residents and clean up our water supply," Lautenberg said. The first of AP's three PharmaWater stories reported that antibiotics, sex hormones, and dozens of other drugs float in water consumed by 41 million Americans. More »

Photo Looks Like Trouble
for Clemens

Fan's party snapshot could figure in potential federal investigation

New York Daily News New York Daily News Feb 22, 08 6:26 PM CST
(Newser) - An 11-year-old fan's photo of Roger Clemens could mean trouble for the scandal-battered pitcher, especially if the congressional committee pursuing the steroids investigation refers the case to the Justice Department, the New York Daily News reports. The image is allegedly of Clemens at a 1988 party given by Jose Canseco, which he and Canseco have both testified he didn't attend. More »

More about:  Congress • steroids • Roger Clemens • Barry Bonds • human growth hormone • Mitchell Report • Brian McNamee • Jose Canseco • Congressional oversight

Gates Apologizes
to Hillary

Defense sec tries to cool feud over challenge to patriotism

Associated Press Associated Press Jul 26, 07 5:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hillary shouldn't have been called a traitor, Robert Gates wrote yesterday in a letter apologizing for a deputy's refusal to share Iraq withdrawal plans with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The deputy had charged that the divulging the information could “reinforce enemy propaganda.” More »

More about:  Hillary Clinton • troop withdrawal • Robert Gates • Congressional oversight • traitor

Secretive Veep Won't Give Up Documents

Cheney defies executive order to provide sensitive info

Washington Post Washington Post Jun 22, 07 2:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - For the past 4 years, Dick Cheney's office has declined to file reports on classified information in its possession, flouting an executive order. When pressed, the VP's staff recently proposed abolishing the oversight office, reports the Washington Post . Says the chair of the House committee that released a chronology of the dispute yesterday: "He's saying he's above the law." More »

More about:  Bush administration • Dick Cheney • vice president • privacy • Henry Waxman • Congressional oversight

Democrats Dole Out Subpoenas

Congress gets tough on U.S. attorneys players—and calls Condi in to talk Iraq

The Hill The Hill Apr 26, 07 8:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Democratic Congress flexed its oversight muscle today, with both houses dishing out subpoenas all the way up to Condi Rice. A House committee subpoenaed the Secretary of State to discuss the lead-up to the Iraq War, while both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees summoned aides involved in the U.S. attorney firings. More »

Dems Score
With Subpoenas

They can't pass bills, but they can sure
hold hearings

Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Mar 20, 07 9:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - Democrats haven't managed to score with a single one of the bills drafted in their giddy first 100 hours, but playing hardball with hearings has proved more fruitful. In cranking up the congressional oversight machinery, write Richard Simon and Noam Levey, they've dominated headlines and applied pressure to the administration. More »

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