Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) , chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, discussed the influence his committee has on public policy in the United States at the National Press Club. Waxman discussed a number of topics including proceedings involving tobacco executives, steroids in Major League Baseball, Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. Waxman said his committee is able to enact changes without passing laws due to its visible role in many aspects of American life.

Waxman emphasized the importance of congressional oversight and criticized Republicans for taking a partisan position on the topic. He said the Republican controlled committee investigated numerous trivial topics during the Clinton administration and failed to analyze large profile events during the first six years of Pres. George W. Bush’s administration. Waxman said the committee’s purpose is to monitor government decisions and to make government work for people, not to enhance party politics.

An example given by Waxman of the committee’s failure to better the lives of Americans involved the presence of formaldehyde in the FEMA trailers provided to those without homes following Hurricane Katrina. Waxman accused FEMA of “sitting on its hands” and ignoring its obligations to help those in need while criticizing the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for allowing such events to occur. He stated that FEMA failed to help those in need and that the committee’s indifference allowed FEMA to be run inefficiently.

When asked if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would be subpoenaed by the committee to discuss when the Bush administration realized that Iraq had no nuclear weapons prior to invasion, Waxman said “maybe” and that the idea is under discussion. Waxman also suggested that the success of the Iraqi insurgency can be attributed in part to the American ambassador’s decision to distribute $8.8 billion to Iraqis without any form of accountability.