Chapter 5: Congress Beyond the "Water's Edge"

Exercises

Looking at Congressional Oversight

1. Access the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence at http://intelligence.house.gov .

2. Additionally, access the hearings and documents from the 2003–2004 investigation into intelligence about Iraq at http://intelligence.house.gov/CaseStudies.aspx?Section=11 . Review these materials, particularly the “Joint Inquiry Report on September 11, 2001.”

3. What are some of the main findings of the report? What are the recommendations of the committee?

4. Who are the members of the committee? What are the subcommittees and their missions? What other oversight responsibilities does this committee have?

5. What are some of the constraints and influences that this committee faces?

Understanding Congressional Committees

1. Access one of the congressional committees--either House or Senate--that deals with an aspect of foreign policy at www.congress.gov .

2. Read the committee's mission statement, latest press releases, sponsored legislation, and membership list.

3. How diverse is the committee's membership? What kind of experience do the legislators bring to their committee? What pieces of legislation are sponsored by this committee? Do the committee and legislation appear partisan or ideological? Is this a committee that legislators would desire to be appointed to?

4. Does this committee primarily provide oversight, procedural, or substantive legislation? What is the committee's role in the war on terrorism?

Examining the Power of the Purse

1. Access the current budget projections at the Congressional Budget Office Web page at www.cbo.gov .

2. Look specifically at Defense and Homeland Security outlays, and write down the trends for these outlays.

3. What are the current trends in defense and homeland security spending? How does defense spending compare with other discretionary spending over the years? Using Table 5.1 from Chapter 5, do you notice any relationship between political parties in Congress and defense spending?

4. Do you expect an increase, decrease, or constant level of spending in national defense and homeland security outlays over the next few years? Why?