Group to watch White House(Democrat watchdogs to attract whistleblowers)

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., today was expected to announce a new Democratic investigative team to act as a watchdog of the White House.

Congress has a traditional oversight role in tracking the actions of the executive branch.

But Republicans control both chambers and have not been aggressive in challenging the Bush administration, Reid and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., were to say at a press conference today.

~snip~

The first investigation of the new team likely will focus on government contracts in Iraq. Bush critics have noted that businesses with close ties to the White House -- including Halliburton Co., once run by Vice President Dick Cheney and now the largest contractor in Iraq -- have won lucrative contracts.

Halliburton is a good example of a company that has escaped significant congressional oversight, Dorgan said. For example, the contractor has claimed to feed far more soldiers every day than it actually does, Dorgan said.



more: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-gov/2004/dec/13/517976069.html

edited to add yahoo link:

Senate Dems Plan Investigatory Hearings

2 minutes ago Politics - U. S. Congress


By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - New Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Monday his party will launch investigative hearings next year in response to what he said was the reluctance of Republicans to look into problems in the Bush administration.



"There are too many unasked and unanswered questions and the American public deserves better," the Nevada senator said at a news conference. He will formally succeed Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., as party leader next month.


Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., who heads the Democratic Policy Committee, said the first hearing will be at the end of January and he suggested it might focus on contract abuse in Iraq (news - web sites). He said the policy committee, which has held occasional investigative hearings in the past, planned to convene at least one such hearing a month.


Dorgan said that with Republicans controlling the White House and both the House and Senate, "the congressional watchdog remains fast asleep in this Congress."

more: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041213/ap_on_go_co/democrats_oversight_1