[non-relevant material omitted] [Run a search for 50]
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Republican majority on the Committee on Rules refused to make in order an amendment to this rule which would have allowed the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) to offer a sensible amendment to H.R.4112, the Legislative Branch appropriations bill. For that reason, it is my intention to oppose the previous question on this rule. Should the House defeat the previous question, it will be my intention to offer an amendment to this rule which will allow for consideration of the Hoyer amendment.
Mr. Speaker, as Members know, at the beginning of the 105th Congress, the rules package of the Republican majority included an amendment to rule XI which created a new slush fund for committees to draw from for the expenses associated with the numerous investigations planned by the Republican leadership for this Congress. Subsequently, the Republican majority adopted a committee funding resolution which included, along with prior year unexpended funds, $7.9 million for the slush fund, and my Republican colleagues have been happily spending that money ever since.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a report prepared by the Democratic leadership about the partisan investigations that have been conducted by the Republican majority during the 105th Congress.
'The congressional investigation can be an instrument of freedom. Or it can be freedom's scourge. A legislative inquiry can serve as the tool to pry open the barriers that hide government corruption. It can be the catalyst that spurs Congress and the public to support vital reforms in our nation's laws. Or it can debase our principles, invade the privacy of our citizens, and afford a platform for demagogues and the rankest partisans.'--Senator Sam J. Ervin (D-N.C.) 1 Footnote are at end of article.
'Long ago, before the permanent culture of investigation had laid siege to Washington--meaning in the early 1980's--a formal congressional investigation was considered major if it issued a few dozen subpoenas. That was then. In the [last] year or so . . . [one committee] has issued 479 supoenas. Those forced to appear are grilled in private, sometimes for hours at a stretch, with few of the protections from badgering that shield witnesses in the real world . . . [it is] redolent of a mentality that Washington has not seen for some decades. The term 'McCarthyism' is used too often and too loosely, but there are times when it is useful and one of these is now.'--Jonathan Rauch 2
[Page: H5317]
'Clinton Democrats should be portrayed as 'the enemy of normal Americans . . . Republicans will use the subpoena power to investigate the Administration.' 3 --House Speaker Newt Gingrich Since Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995, they have initiated an endless parade of politically-motivated investigations.
This report details the breadth and magnitude of the Republican effort, including how duplicative and wasteful the committee investigations have been, and how much of the committees' taxpayer-financed resources are devoted to these politically-motivated investigations.
In other words, this report investigates the self-appointed investigators, in order to provide the public with information about how their taxpayer dollars are being misappropriated. Key findings include:
As of today, House Republicans have spent more than $17 million in taxpayer dollars on politically-motivated investigations. There have been more than 50 politically-motivated investigations in the House, 38 of which are still ongoing. These investigations have involved 15 of the 20 House standing committees. Currently, 13 committees are involved in investigations. Of all the completed investigations, none have turned up evidence of wrongdoing.
Perhaps even more important, a clear pattern of abuse has emerged. The House Republican leadership has called on and, when necessary, prodded its committees to devote their resources to harass political enemies. In the process, Republicans have: undermined the credibility of the oversight function of Congress; issued overly broad and excessive subpoenas; and targeted innocent private individuals with whom they have political disagreements, and as a result, have harmed those people's businesses, humiliated them personally and professionally, and forced them to bear extraordinary travel and legal costs to try to defend their reputations.
'Washington just can't imagine a world in which Republicans would have subpoena power,' said Newt Gingrich shortly before he became Speaker. 4 It was a surprising comment for a historian to make. The House first asserted its power to investigate in 1792, 5 when a special House committee was appointed to look into the Indian massacre of U.S. soldiers under Major General Arthur St. Clair's command. Republicans have led some of the worst 6 investigations in the history of the Congress. In particular, Senator Joseph McCarthy's (R-WI) 7 hearings will long be remembered as the most egregious abuse of Congress' power to investigate.
'Republicans are pouring millions of new dollars into House committees to beef up the party's ability to investigate not only Democratic fundraising scandals but also longtime adversaries such as organized labor.' 8 'Speaker Newt Gingrich is poised to launch a battery of probes next year [1998] that will involve half of the House's 20 committees.' 9 Since assuming control of Congress in 1995, House Republicans have pressed 15 of the 20 standing committees into service to conduct more than 50 politically-motivated investigations. None of the completed investigations has turned up evidence of wrongdoing.
Today, 13 committees are conducting 38 separate politically-motivated investigations. These investigations are aimed exclusively at the individuals and organizations perceived by the Republican leadership as their political enemies, including the Clinton Administration, Democratic state parties, environmentalists, and labor unions. The cost to the taxpayers of the House investigations now exceeds $17 million. This figure includes only costs incurred by the legislative branch, and does not include the extensive costs incurred by federal agencies to comply with these investigations, which is currently the subject of an ongoing GAO study.
Following is an accounting of the politically-motivated investigations conducted by House committees since 1995.
Subject of investigation (listed by committee and no.)
[See no. 50 for HRES 394][See no. 51 for Tripp]
Agriculture 10 $105,000
1. Commodity transactions by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton 1996 Closed
Appropriations 11 $118,000
2. Alleged access to White House (Lincoln Bedroom, etc.) in exchange for contributions to the DNC 1997 Ongoing
Banking 12 $2,250,000
3. Whitewater 1995 Closed
4. Alleged money-laundering and drug trafficking at the Mena, Arkansas airport during the term of then-Gov. Clinton 1996 Ongoing
Commerce 13 $128,000
5. Allegations that the Molten Metal Technology company received government contracts in exchange for contributions to the Clinton-Gore campaign 1997 Closed
6. Involvement of former Gore aide Peter Knight in advocating a relocation of the FCC to the Portals building in Southwest D.C. 1997 Ongoing
Education and the Workforce 14 $2,530,000
7. American Worker Project, to look into the conduct of labor unions and the agencies that oversee them 1997 Ongoing
8. Irregularities in the Teamsters 1996 elections 1997 Ongoing
Government Reform and Oversight 15 $6,000,000
9. Review of Ramspeck Act, prompted by large numbers of Democratic staff getting executive branch jobs following GOP takeover of House 1995 Closed
10. Political ideology of organizations participating in the Combined Federal Campaign 1995 Closed
11. Firing of White House travel office personnel 1996 Closed
12. Alleged White House acquisition of FBI files of certain individuals 1995 Ongoing
13. Alleged abuse of travel privileges by Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary 1995 Closed
14. Clinton Administration enforcement action against the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas 1995 Closed
15. Financial holdings and activities of former Commerce Secretary Rob Brown 1996 Closed
16. Alleged illegal foreign contributions to the DNC in the '96 elections 1996 Ongoing
17. Alleged fundraising activities on federal property (e.g. White House coffees, Lincoln Bedroom) 1996 Ongoing
18. Alleged Hatch Act violations (e.g. fundraising phone calls from official residences, acceptance of campaign checks by White House secretaries) 1996 Ongoing
19. Alleged 'conduit' contributions to the DNC in the '96 elections (made at the request of and paid for by a third party) 1997 Ongoing
20. Alleged foreign influence on U.S. elections and access to U.S. intelligence 1997 Ongoing
21. Clinton Administration's appointment of Charlie Trie to a special Commerce trade commission allegedly in return for campaign contributions 1997 Ongoing
22. Justice Department failure to appoint an independent counsel to investigate alleged fundraising calls from the White House 1997 Ongoing
23. Alleged quid pro quo--refusal by Interior Secretary Babbitt to grant a gaming permit to the Hudson Casino and Dog Track because of campaign contributions from opposing parties 1997 Closed
24. Designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, allegedly in part to benefit a Texas mining company connected with James Riady which did not want mining competition in Utah 1997 Ongoing
25. Alleged failure of FEC to prosecute fundraiser Howard Glicken, because of ties to Vice President Gore 1997 Ongoing
26. Fundraising practices of state Democratic parties 1997 Ongoing
27. Alleged use of White House databases for political purposes 1996 Ongoing
28. Irregularities in the Teamsters 1996 elections 1997 Ongoing
29. Alleged lack of compliance with subpoenas issued to White House, including failure to produce videotapes of White House coffees 1997 Ongoing
30. Alleged acceptance by Webb Hubbell of White House-arranged 'hush money' 1997 Ongoing
31. Alleged White House obstruction surrounding allegations regarding Monica Lewinsky and her relationship with President Clinton 1998 Ongoing
House Oversight 16 $1,510,000
32. Alleged voter fraud in the Dornan-Sanchez election contest in California's 46th district in 1996 1997 Closed
Intelligence N/A
33. Alleged foreign influence on U.S. elections and access to U.S. intelligence 1997 Ongoing
34. U.S. technology transfers to China, including allegations that political contributions influenced the Clinton Administration's export policy 1998 Ongoing
International Relations (*)
35. Alleged link between Clinton Administration's trade policies and political contributions, including but not limited to alleged illegal contributions from Indonesian and Chinese sources 1996 Closed (*)
36. U.S. technology transfers to China, including allegations that political contributions influenced the Clinton Administration's export policy 1998 Ongoing (*)
Judiciary 17 $1,445,000
37. Clinton Administration enforcement action against the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas 1995 Closed
38. Allegations that the Clinton Administration improperly influenced career prosecutors at the Justice Dept. to settle a civil racketeering lawsuit involving the Laborers' International Union 1996 Closed
39. Justice Department failure to appoint an independence counsel to investigate alleged fundraising calls from the White House 1997 Closed
40. Justice Department oversight/preparation for impeachment proceedings 1998 Ongoing
National Security (*)
41. U.S. technology transfers to China, including allegations that political contributions influenced the Clinton Administration's export policy 1998 Ongoing
Resources 18 $460,000
Note: There are more than 15 investigations ongoing in the Resources Committee which involve abuses of the investigative powers of the Congress. In several instances, committee Republicans have used investigations to aid a conservative legal foundation which has brought three lawsuits against the Clinton Administration (these are discussed later in this report, under 'Abuse of Subpoena Power.') Following is a description of some of the most clearly politically-motivated Resources Committee investigations.
42. Designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, allegedly for political purposes 1997 Ongoing
43. Alleged quid pro quo--refusal by Interior Secretary Babbitt to grant a gaming permit to the Hudson Casino and Dog Track because of campaign contributions 1997 Ongoing
44. Allegations that campaign contributions influenced Interior Department policies on Guam 1997 Ongoing
Rules 19 $75,000
45. Allegations that former Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary or her staff solicited a bribe for a Department of Energy contract 1996 Closed
46. General investigation into fundraising activities of Clinton Administration and Democratic party officials 1996 Ongoing
47. Alleged economic espionage for the Chinese government by John Huang while employed at the Commerce Dept. 1996 Ongoing
48. Alleged foreign influence on U.S. elections and access to U.S. intelligence 1996 Ongoing
49. China Ocean Shipping Company 1997 Ongoing
50. Preparation for impeachment inquiry (based on referral to committee of Barr resolution, H. Res. 304) 1997 Ongoing
51. Pentagon release to press of Linda Tripp's personnel file 1998 Ongoing
52. U.S. technology transfers to China, including allegations that political contributions influenced the Clinton Administration's export policy 1998 Ongoing
Select Committee on China $2,500,000
53. U.S. technology transfers to China, including allegations that political contributions influenced the Clinton Administration's export policy 1998 Ongoing
Veterans' Affairs (*)
54. Alleged use of political influence and campaign contributions to allow for burial of non-eligible persons in Arlington National Cemetery 1997 Closed
Ways and Means/Joint Tax (*)
55. Alleged politically-motivated IRS audits of conservative organizations 1997 Ongoing
Total cost for all committees $17,121,000
[Footnote] *Less than $25,000.
[Many more allegations follow]
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