I. Introduction
Under the United States Constitution, the federal government includes three branches:
the legislative branch, consisting of a bicameral Congress with a House of Representatives and a Senate;
the executive branch, consisting of the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet, and various agencies and other bodies; and,
the judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court and the federal appellate and trial courts.[1]
Although the branches of the government are distinct and, in broad terms, equal in power, the legislative branch constrains and checks the power of the executive in important ways, including by exercising oversight powers.[2]
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II. Oversight Processes
Congressional oversight of the executive branch has existed since the earliest days of the United States Congress.[3] Major processes related to congressional oversight include the investigative, impeachment, confirmation, appropriations, authorization, and budget processes.
A. Investigative Process
The Supreme Court has held that the power to investigate is implied in the Constitution’s vesting of legislative powers in Congress.[4] In furtherance of these powers, Congress may compel the disclosure of documents or require the attendance and testimony of witnesses at hearings through the issuance of subpoenas.[5] Failure to comply with a valid subpoena or the provision of false statements to Congress may result in criminal liability.[6] Investigatory hearings and reports published in conjunction with such hearings may receive extensive media attention and result in resignations, firings, or impeachment proceedings.[7]
B. Impeachment Process
The Constitution gives Congress the authority to impeach and remove the President, Vice President, and other federal civil officers after determining that the officers have engaged in treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.[8] While this is a critical tool for holding government officers accountable, it is rarely used,[9] and is considered a political mechanism for checking executive branch authority.[10]
C. Confirmation Process
The Constitution requires Senate confirmation for a number of high-ranking executive branch positions,[11] especially those “exercising significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States.”[12] This process can be used by senators to provide policy directions to and obtain commitments from nominees seeking confirmation.[13]
D. Appropriations Process
The Constitution requires appropriations measures for general government operations and certain discretionary funding.[14] Appropriations measures may include explicit statutory controls, including language constraining how the funding may be used.[15] Nonstatutory controls also exist where agencies reliant on future appropriations risk receiving less funding and becoming subject to more stringent controls if they ignore the recommendations of Congress.[16]
E. Authorization Process
Authorizing measures are pieces of legislation that establish, continue, or modify an agency, program, or activity on a permanent, annual, or multiyear basis.[17] Such measures may contain statutory controls in the form of explicit directions, as well as nonstatutory controls imposed by committees.[18]
F. Budget Process
Members of Congress can use the budget process to relate program priorities to financial claims on the national budget and incentivize the elimination of less-desirable programs in favor of more-desirable ones.[19]
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/parliamentary-oversight/unitedstates.php
Civics 101 according to the library of Congress. I'm not sure how this works in Trumpkinland
B/A
There ya go. They have oversight. So what does precedence show us? When the Legislative Branch seeks to subpoena and seek testimony from the Executive Branch and the Executive Branch disregards that subpoena, all past Legislative Branch actions have been to seek relief from the Judicial Branch. The left in this case decided to do an end around that precedent and go straight to Impeachment by creating a never used before crime..... "Obstruction of Congress".
Please keep bringing it B/A...... Maybe we can learn more together!!
I guess Bernie, Biden, Bloomberg etc. need not look for that coveted endorsement from the throne. Is he for Tulsi????
