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Lack of oversight6/26/2023 ![]() House committee staff levels have periodically grown since the large reductions in the mid-1990s, but they remain lower than their pre-1995 levels. ![]() For example, Republicans assumed majorities in both chambers for the first time in 40 years in 1995 after promising to eliminate one-third of committee staff as part of the broader promise to reduce the size and scope of the federal government included in the Contract for America platform on which Republicans had contested the 1994 elections. 1 This research does not find a relationship between the number of legislative staff in House personal offices and legislative effectiveness, but if there are negative effects of staff levels on the functioning of congressional committees, then the House is ripe for them. In the absence of internal capacity to undertake these tasks, Congress is forced to either turn to outside sources-like lobbyists-to get the information members need or leave oversight undone.Įvidence from research on Congress suggests that in individual House member offices, the presence of highly-experienced staffers makes for more effective lawmakers. One involves the legislative branch’s capacity to gather and process information about what is happening in federal agencies and the White House-a task that requires sufficient staff resources. I argue we need not only changes to the oversight process, but broad congressional reforms that improve the institution’s capacity to address problems, enact legislation, and bolster legislative influence.Ĭongress’s challenges in exerting itself as a meaningful check on the executive branch take several forms. ![]() The experience of the House of Representatives over the past year, however, has revealed a number of persistent issues that plague the first branch as it attempts to assert its authority over the executive branch. Download the full brief Executive SummaryĬongressional oversight has been in the headlines for much of 2019 and is likely to remain a focus of legislative attention for the foreseeable future.
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