Democrats likely to step up oversight efforts

DEMOCRATS LIKELY TO STEP UP OVERSIGHT EFFORTS
[SOURCE: National Journal, AUTHOR: Brian Friel]
A wide array of executive branch chiefs and corporate leaders -- from the State Department to the CIA to the Federal Communications Commission -- are dealing with, or bracing for, the effects of congressional Democrats' aggressive oversight. "2007 was a remarkable year for both congressional oversight and for congressional investigations," said Raymond Shepherd, a former Republican staff director of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Although congressional leaders plan to tackle such big-ticket issues as economic stimulus and global warming, the expectations are low for lawmakers getting much significant legislation enacted in this decidedly political year. In many cases, differences between the parties and among interest groups make final passage problematic. And the hotly contested presidential election -- not to mention members' need to defend their own seats on the campaign trail -- shortens the window for wheeling and dealing. But Democrats will still be looking to burnish their record and score political points to boost their electoral prospects. So their oversight efforts could thus assume an even higher profile than in 2007. "If anything, you'll see generally an increase in oversight hearings," said former Rep. Gerry Sikorski (D-MN), an investigations specialist at the lobbying firm Holland & Knight. "It's an even-numbered year. Congress is going to be flushed out. The legislation all has to be reintroduced or forgotten, and so too the ongoing investigations will be flushed out. There's an incentive to get it done before the new Congress comes in." Democratic oversight efforts have strongly influenced legislation making its way to the House and Senate floors this year. Because of probes by the Judiciary and Intelligence panels, for instance, pending legislation to overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act includes numerous provisions to broaden congressional review of the government's activities.
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