Lecture Notes: Congressional Oversight of the Executive Branch

Overview of the Federal Government Branches

• Legislative Branch
  • Congress
    • House of Representatives
    • Senate
• Executive Branch
  • President
  • Federal Bureaucracy (~2.8 million people)
• Judicial Branch

Role of the Executive and Legislative Branches

• Executive Branch: Runs the government.
• Legislative Branch: Writes laws and controls the budget.

Focus: Congressional Oversight of the Executive Branch

• Purpose: To oversee the federal bureaucracy, which includes approximately 2.8 million people.
• Methods of Oversight:
  1. Budget Control (Power of the Purse):
     • Congress sets the budget for executive agencies.
     • Can reduce or increase budgets based on agency performance.
  2. Committee Hearings:
     • Congressional committees call leaders from executive agencies for questioning.
     • Purpose is to investigate issues, ask questions on spending, and understand operations.

Limitations

• Challenges:
  • With 2.8 million people, complete control is difficult.
  • Congress may not be aware of all details within executive agencies.
  • Committee hearings aim to gather insight, but are not foolproof.

Example of Congressional Oversight: Senate Committee Hearing

• Context:
  • Focused on the FBI, specifically on building relocation and cost issues.
• Key Issues Discussed:
  • Termination of original prospectus regarding the Hoover Building transfer.
  • Discrepancies in cost-saving measures for FBI consolidation.
• Tone:
  • Assertive questioning from senators indicating oversight function.
  • Senator expresses skepticism about the logic behind agency decisions.

Summary

• Congressional oversight is crucial for holding the executive accountable.
• Relies primarily on budgeting and hearings to influence and understand executive actions.
• Example provided illustrates real-world application of oversight methods.