Congressional Oversight & Investigation

Announcements:
Veterans Day Fundraiser for KC Heartland Honor Flight 
News story on Honor Flight READING: 325-331 
QUIZ on Wednesday: Legislative Branch

UNIT TWO IDENTIFICATION TERMS
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Today's Essential Question: How is Congress's oversight power essential in our system of checks and balances?

Learning Standards:
PMI-2.C: Explain how Congress uses its oversight power in its relationship with the executive branch

PMI-2.C.1: Oversight and methods used by Congress to ensure that legislation is implemented as intended are represented by:

• Committee hearings
• Power of the purse 

PMI-2.C.2: As a means to curtail the use of presidential power, congressional oversight serves as a check of executive authorization and appropriation.

Congressional Oversight
One of the most important powers of Congress is its ability to conduct oversight and investigation. This serves as a fundamental check on the executive branch and its implementation of laws and policies by the bureaucracy. Specifically, we want to address the purpose of Congressional oversight and the various techniques used to conduct oversight of the executive branch.


Republicans Have Abdicated Their Oversight Responsibilities

Oversight in Action!
Select Committee on Hurricane Katrina


Read this selection on Congressional oversight and investigation.  As you read answer these questions on the purpose and methods of oversight.

1. Define oversight.
2. What constitutional authority gives Congress its oversight powers?
3. Explain various methods or techniques used by Congress for oversight.
4. Explain the investigative power of Congress. Why is it so important?
5. How does the Senate's "advise and consent" power contribute to their oversight function?
6. Find and summarize a recent example of Congress's oversight power.
7. Find and summarize a recent example of Congress's "advise and consent" power.







Impeachment
Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will begin public impeachment hearings. As part of their oversight and investigatory powers, the House is looking into alleged abuse of power by President Trump and his asking of a foreign power to investigate a political rival in exchange for Congressionally appropriated foreign aid.  To help understand the process of impeachment and the specific circumstances of this "quid pro quo" we will look at the Washington Post's guide to impeachment.

Here are the key figures so far in the impeachment inquiry.

Here's the rough transcript of the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky and here is a copy of the whistleblower's complaint about the phone call.









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