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Congressional oversight in the Trump era

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) presides as Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 8, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC196AA7E300

In our constitutional system, congressional oversight of the executive branch is an important tool. As a co-equal branch of government, and the one that passes legislation and appropriates funds to carry out public policy, Congress has an obligation to the Constitution, and to citizens, to hold the executive branch accountable.

In this episode, Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds introduces the new House Oversight Tracker interactive, explains why oversight is so important, and shares her views on recent news about some of the Trump administration’s responses to oversight requests.

Also on today’s episode, meet new scholar DJ Gribbin, who joined the Metropolitan Policy Program after serving in the White House as the nation’s first special assistant to the president for infrastructure.

Related content:

Trump Sues Oversight Committee: Valid Move or Aggressive Delay Tactic?

Constitutional Hardball and Congress’s Oversight Authority

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