Congressional Oversight: Reality and Reform

Congress has the responsibility to oversee the execution of the laws it passes. Oversight is difficult, demanding, and not politically rewarding. Ad hoc oversight tends to focus on a specific case. Oversight of this nature almost always has a negative tone and is investigatory in structure and content, tending to concentrate on finding out who is to blame and on castigating the guilty. Since the existence of a problem contributes to the public's cynicism about government, ad hoc oversight is important. Another type of oversight is oversight at the program and policy level, which is aimed at assessing the program or policy itself rather than concentrating on the failings of those who have been charged with carrying it out. Much of the recent debate on oversight reform is in this area. The view that the purpose of oversight is to identify obsolete programs or policies and eliminate them vies with the view that the purpose is to improve the effectiveness of programs and policies. The two concepts lead to very different bases for action, and suggest very different operational processes. One of the more powerful arguments against sunset legislation was the existence of built-in program termination by fixed authorizations for a specific period of time. Congressional oversight performance is uneven. Ad hoc oversight is more visible. The extent and quality of oversight reflects the priorities of the committees. Any internal enforcement mechanism would involve a major change in the power relationships within Congress, and thus seems questionable. New laws can only create mechanisms and procedures which will permit the commitment of the leaders to be translated into action. Congress is giving more attention to oversight, equipping itself better for the task, and making better use of the resources it has available for that purpose. There is an increased use of GAO in oversight work. Oversight reform legislation and an oversight agenda would help. In the present environment of scarcity and an awareness of it, oversight reform is inevitable.