Oversight 413simply cut off the funds to that agency. However, this approach to punishment is rarely
used because it often eliminates good aspects of the agency along with the bad.
Second, Congress can hold hearings and investigations. By summoning
administration officials and agency heads to a public hearing, Congress can use the
media spotlight to focus attention on problems within the bureaucracy or on issues
that have been overlooked. For example, House Republicans called former Health and
Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius to testify several times in 2013 and 2014
about the rocky rollout of the healthcare.gov website for Obamacare. Hearings may also
be used to support the president, as when the House Intelligence Committee examined
alleged bias within the Department of Justice during its investigation of Russian
involvement in the 2016 elections.^51 This type of oversight is known as “fire alarm
oversight”—that is, members wait until there is a crisis before they spring to action.^52
This is in contrast to “police patrol” oversight, which involves constant vigilance in
overseeing the bureaucracy. For example, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
recently investigated extremely long waits for medical appointments at VA hospitals
and the falsification of records to cover up how long veterans had to wait to be seen by
doctors, which eventually led to General Eric Shinseki’s resignation as the secretary
of Veterans’ Affairs.^53 Of the two, fire alarm oversight is far more common because
Congress does not have the resources to constantly monitor the entire bureaucracy.
Finally, the Senate exercises specific control over other executive functions through
its constitutional responsibilities to provide “advice and consent” on presidential
appointments and approval of treaties. The Senate typically defers to the president on
these matters, but it may assert its power, especially when constituent interests are
involved. Two current examples would be the Senate’s increasing skepticism about
free-trade agreements negotiated by the president’s trade representatives and the
Senate’s holds on presidential nominations.
The ultimate in congressional oversight is the process of removing the president,
vice president, other civil officers, or federal judges through impeachment. The House
and Senate share this power: the House issues articles of impeachment, which outline the
charges against the official, and the Senate conducts the trial of the impeached officials. Two
presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson in the controversy over Reconstruction
after the Civil War, and Bill Clinton over the scandal involving White House intern Monica
Lewinsky. However, neither president was convicted and removed by the Senate.Former FBI director James Comey
testifies before the Senate Judiciary
Committee on Capitol Hill, in
Washington, in May 2017. Comey
defended his rationale for notifying
Congress about new e-mails
relevant to the Hillary Clinton e-mail
investigation less than two weeks
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