by jpitney | Feb 12, 2021 | Congress, Impeachment, Oversight
George F. Will: The presentation by the House impeachment managers was a demonstration, the more welcome for its rarity, of congressional conscientiousness and meticulousness. Congress is an investigating institution, for three purposes: To establish the need for...
by jpitney | Feb 7, 2021 | Budget, Congress, Oversight
From First Branch Forecast: For decades, Congress has undercut its ability to meet its Constitution obligations by providing itself inadequate resources to meet its legislative, constitutional, and oversight responsibilities. Discretionary Executive branch resources,...
by jpitney | Jan 11, 2021 | Congress, Crime, Oversight
Amelia Strauss and Daniel Schuman at First Branch Forecast: With an abundance of resources, how is it possible the [Capitol Police] department wasn’t prepared for [Wednesday’s] events? The answer could be, in part, insufficient accountability mechanisms. The...
by jpitney | Oct 10, 2020 | Congress, House of Representatives, Oversight, Presidency
Molly E. Reynolds and Jackson Gode at Brookings: Two of the most significant [congressional oversight] mechanisms include holding congressional hearings as well as sending letters to executive branch agencies and to individuals involved in executive branch operations....
by jpitney | Sep 8, 2020 | Congress, Oversight, Presidency, Separation of Powers
Molly E. Reynolds at Lawfare: Often, proposals to increase Congress’s capacity to oversee the executive branch fall victim to partisanship, with members of the president’s party being reluctant to support reforms that limit his power. Importantly, however, several of...
by jpitney | Aug 26, 2020 | Bipartisanship, Congress, Oversight, Separation of Powers
Molly E. Reynolds at Lawfare: Often, proposals to increase Congress’s capacity to oversee the executive branch fall victim to partisanship, with members of the president’s party being reluctant to support reforms that limit his power. Importantly, however, several of...
