The U.S. Congress is weakening the government by not providing adequate oversight of the executive branch, said former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton at the third annual Getzen Lecture in Government Accountability.
“There are a lot of reasons for this lack of oversight in the Congress. They come in on Tuesday afternoon and leave Thursday morning. . . A shorter workweek means less oversight. This is a tough business, oversight. It’s tedious. It’s not glamorous,” Hamilton said from the podium at the Chapel. “This leads to unequal branches, and the government doesn’t work as well or as transparently.”
The 76-year-old Hamilton listed Congress’ sins of oversight omission: the skyrocketing budget for the Iraq War, the misestimated cost of the senior prescription drug plan and prisoner abuse at the U.S. prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, among others. The reason for this malfeasance lies with Congress’ refusal to check the legitimacy of actions taken by the executive branch, he said.
“I believe the job of Congress is to look into every nook and cranny of the government. Appalling things happen in the shadows. And one of the jobs of the Congress is to turn that spotlight on and make the executive [branch] defend its policies and to articulate those policies, so that we all understand how the federal programs are working,” he said.
But while he criticized Congress’ practices and added blame upon the media and the populace for not demanding more oversight from their elected officials, Hamilton’s talk had a buoyant side.
“So what can we do? The simple answer is for Congress to reclaim its Constitutional powers. . . (and) for the American people to speak up,” he said.
“The American people are the most powerful force of change.”
The U.S. Congress is weakening the government by failing to provide adequate oversight of the executive branch, said former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton at the third annual Getzen Lecture in Government Accountability on April 9.
“There are a lot of reasons for this lack of oversight in the Congress. They come in on Tuesday afternoon and leave Thursday morning. . . A shorter workweek means less oversight. This is a tough business, oversight. It’s tedious. It’s not glamorous,” Hamilton said from the podium at the Chapel. “This leads to unequal branches, and the government doesn’t work as well or as transparently.”
The 76-year-old Hamilton listed Congress’ sins of oversight omission: the skyrocketing budget for the Iraq War, the misestimated cost of the senior prescription drug plan and prisoner abuse at the U.S. prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, among others. The reason for this malfeasance lies with Congress’ refusal to check the legitimacy of actions taken by the executive branch, he said.
“I believe the job of Congress is to look into every nook and cranny of the government. Appalling things happen in the shadows. Appalling things. And one of the jobs of the Congress is to turn that spotlight on and make the executive [branch] defend its policies and to articulate those policies, so that we all understand how the federal programs are working,” he said.
The talk returned several times to legislature ceding power to the executive branch, which has already usurped several of Congress’ constitutionally-granted powers, Hamilton said.
“Congress has the power of the purse. . . . Well, about 95 percent of a president’s budget is rubber stamped,” he said. “Do you know where the real debates about the budget take place? It’s not in Congress. It’s in the White House.”
He added: “Another power: Congress has the power to declare war. . . When was the last time Congress declared war?” Hamilton asked. “It was a long, long time ago, and we’ve committed troops all over the world since then.”
This does not mean, however, that Congress should be weighted more heavily in the federal government, he said.v”I don’t believe in a weak president. I believe in a strong president. And I believe in a strong Congress,” he said. “I believe in a strong president and a strong Congress. . . and out of that tension there emerges better public policy.”
But while he criticized Congress’ practices and added blame upon the media and the populace for not demanding more oversight from their elected officials, Hamilton’s talk had a buoyant side.
“So what can we do? The simple answer is for Congress to reclaim its Constitutional powers. . . (and) for the American people to speak up,” he said. “The American people are the most powerful force of change.”
