Capacity and Oversight

 For Wed, Davidson, ch. 12 

REVIEW FROM LAST TIME: NAIL:   Nominations, Appropriations, Investigations, Legislation

Nominations 

• Extent of confirmation power
• Nominations: Senate data
• Cabinet nominations rejected or withdrawn
• Hearings:  Whitehouse and White; DeVos
• Recess appointments, "acting" officials, and the Vacancies Act (Of course, there is a CMC connection)
  

Appropriations

• Limitation riders and the case of ACA

Investigation, Oversight, and Capacity

•  RTFM
• Oversight hearings and letters.  
• Katie Porter to witnesses: be afraid, be very afraid
• Annual Percentage Rate
• Postcards
• GAO 
• CBO
• CRS
• Diminished institutional capacity

Legislation:  Executive Branch Organization and Laws on Reporting 

• Inspectors General  (POTUS WAS DISPLEASED!)
• Reporting requirements
• The old legislative veto and the Congressional Review Act.  (Not much action so far this year)
• Congress "organizes" the executive:
  --  The "organization" of DHS.
-- DNI and the intelligence community

26 USC 6103

Upon written request from the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the Committee on Finance of the Senate, or the chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Secretary shall furnish such committee with any return or return information specified in such request, except that any return or return information which can be associated with, or otherwise identify, directly or indirectly, a particular taxpayer shall be furnished to such committee only when sitting in closed executive session unless such taxpayer otherwise consents in writing to such disclosure.

Subpoenas and Contempt of Congress

• The definitive encyclopedia article!
• Inherent contempt
• Civil contempt 
• Criminal contempt