Agenda

Oversight Committee Democrats' Proactive Agenda

Oversight That Moves Our Nation Forward

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has one of the broadest jurisdictions of any committee in Congress, with expansive authority to oversee a wide range of governmental and private sector activities.  The Oversight Committee also has tremendous potential to use its sweeping powers to improve the lives of Americans in real and meaningful ways.
Oversight Committee Democrats are focused first and foremost on issues that matter to the everyday lives of Americans across the country:  their homes, their health, their jobs, and their education.  Day in and day out, families grapple with these core issues more than any others.  The Oversight Committee can promote economic prosperity at the local, community, and national level by addressing these fundamental issues first.

Second, we believe American taxpayers deserve a government that works for them.  We have an aggressive agenda to eliminate wasteful government spending and duplication, root out fraud and abuse in federal contracting, and make agencies more transparent, accountable, and effective.  We are working to put the needs of American families ahead of the demands of corporate special interests.  Americans should not have to pay more at the pump, for example, when the federal government is subsidizing oil companies that already make billions in profits.

Third, Oversight Committee Democrats are committed to protecting and enhancing safeguards for service members, veterans, consumers, children, seniors, workers, and others who rely on the government to protect their health and welfare.  Our efforts include vigorous oversight of programs designed to protect our air, water, food, and drugs, as well as the security of our nation.

We believe the power and resources of the Oversight Committee should always be used responsibly and fairly to serve the public’s interest.  We also believe that maintaining the integrity of our Committee helps us do our job more effectively.  For these reasons, we will work with our Republican colleagues whenever we can to achieve our common goals.  Below is more information about our proactive agenda to help move our nation forward.

Improving Americans’ Quality of Life:  Homes, Health, Jobs, and Education

  • Preserving Home Ownership. The nationwide foreclosure crisis has claimed the homes of millions of American families, devastating whole communities and degrading our national economy.  Oversight Committee Democrats are committed to solutions that are fair to borrowers, lenders, and investors.  American families should not have to battle their own banks to keep their homes.  We are investigating widespread abuses by mortgage servicing companies—from illegal foreclosures to inflated fees to fraudulent lending.
     

  • Ensuring Quality, Affordable Health Care. One of our highest priorities this Congress is ensuring the efficient implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which eliminated unfair exclusions for preexisting conditions and extended healthcare to millions of American families.  We are also working to protect the guarantee of Medicare for our nation’s seniors and safeguard Medicaid. We will also address increasing drug costs and the shortage of qualified nurses.<

  • Getting America Back to Work.  Oversight Committee Democrats are working to stimulate job creation and protect the rights of both private sector and government employees, including those deployed overseas.  We are investigating the causes and solutions to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and we are promoting measures to strengthen small businesses.

  • Educating and Innovating to Win the Future. Ensuring ahigh-quality education for all students is essential to creating jobs, laying the foundation for long-term prosperity, and enabling the nation to compete in today’s global economy.  We are working to protect Pell Grants and to investigate common-sense ways to reduce college debt and student loan defaults.

Making Government Work for All Americans

  • Rooting Out Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. Every taxpayer dollar squandered is a dollar that could be used to provide equipment to our troops, rebuild a school, or restore a road or bridge.  We are investigating waste in government contracting—both at home and abroad in Afghanistan and elsewhere.  We are examining ways to improve the effectiveness of government through enhanced technology, by eliminating surplus federal properties, and by recruiting and retaining the best and brightest as part of the federal workforce.
     

  • Promoting Transparency and Accountability.  Oversight Committee Democrats are at the forefront of strengthening and expanding our nation’s open government laws.  We are working to preserve federal records intoday’s electronic age, and we are promoting efforts to protect whistleblowers who come forward to report abuse.

  • Putting the Needs of Americans Ahead of the Demands of Corporate Special Interest. Corporate tax loopholes, subsidies to oil companies, and profit protections for drug companies cost our nation billions of dollars.  We are examining ways to help level the economic playing field, reform the tax code to lift up all Americans, and reset the economy to reflect our core values of fairness and prosperity.

Promoting the Safety and Well-Being of the American People

  • Supporting Our Troops and Veterans. We owe it to our men and women in uniform to ensure that their bravery and sacrifice is matched with the resources to care for them and their families.  We are working to improve the quality and continuity of healthcare for active duty service members and veterans, and we are investigating specific challenges service members face with predatory lending and other abuses.
     

  • Protecting American Consumers. We are working to promote the safety of food, drugs, toys, and a host of other consumer goods that Americans use every day. We also support the efforts of the first-ever Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect consumers with credit cards, mortgages, and other financial products.And we are working to protect our air, water, and environment so future generations can live healthy and happy lives.

  • Safeguarding National and Homeland Security.  As Members of Congress, we have no more solemn Constitutional obligation than protecting this nation. Enhancing efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation, counter terrorist financing, and secure our cities, seaports, and borders are among our top priorities.

Conclusion

As Members of the House Oversight Committee, we have an extraordinary opportunity to look across federal agencies and the private sector to develop real solutions to problems Americans face every day.  We will always keep their best interests at heart as we strive for bipartisan achievements that move our entire nation forward.