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He wants to revive Congress' scrutiny

Henry Waxman and the Democrats say they’ll restore checks and balances.

By BILL ADAIR and WES ALLISON
Published November 12, 2006

WASHINGTON — To understand what Congress will be like under Democratic control, meet Rep. Henry Waxman, the incoming chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, a man who’s been called “the Democrats’ Eliot Ness.”

For the past six years of the Bush presidency, Waxman and other Democrats say, the Republican-controlled Congress, which reconvenes today for a lame-duck session, was more cheerleader than investigator. Congressional committees failed to scrutinize the administration’s actions on Iraq, energy policy, the war on terrorism and many other issues. They say committee hearings were little more than GOP infomercials.

“The Republican leaders of the Congress decided they were Republicans first and leaders of a branch of government second,” Waxman said in an interview. “They thought they were doing the Bush administration a favor by not asking questions that might embarrass them.”

Yes, the new Democratic Party leaders have met with President Bush in recent days, and yes, everyone agrees that the message of Election Day was that partisanship must come second to legislative achievement.

But that does not dissuade Waxman from his strong belief in the oversight role of Congress.

A short, balding man with a moustache and a soft voice, Waxman doesn’t look like a fire-breathing politician. But in 32 years representing an affluent Los Angeles district, Waxman has churned out hundreds of letters and reports on issues ranging from Halliburton to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, from contact lens safety to steroids in baseball.

Come January, he’ll have the power to issue subpoenas, a license to root through the Bush administration’s dirty laundry. He says it’s time for Congress to fulfill its responsibility to oversee the executive branch.

“I would hope the Republicans would want to join us in monitoring waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” he said, rattling off a list of likely investigations: war profiteering in Iraq, blunders after Hurricane Katrina and federal rules that hurt consumers.

His Democratic colleagues say the changes are long overdue.

“You’ll now have checks and balances back, and you’ll have a situation like our forefathers envisioned,” said Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Monticello, a leader of a conservative group called the Blue Dog Democrats.

Republicans wary

Some Senate Republicans, particularly Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Armed Services Chairman John Warner of Virginia , have challenged the administration, but House leaders have shown little interest in oversight.

“It hasn’t been absent, but it’s been minimal,’’ said Norman Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.

Some Republicans cringe at the prospect of Waxman in charge of the Government Reform committee, which has broad authority to oversee the executive branch. They fret that Waxman will use the perch for political attacks on the Republican administration.

But other Republicans, including Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville, say it’s time for Congress to provide more scrutiny.

“I was appalled, for example, to read that all of the weapons we shipped to Iraq, we only kept track of serial numbers of 3 percent — that is inexcusable,’’ she said. “I would like to see more oversight.”

Waxman’s committee won’t be the only one scrutinizing the administration.

Other panels are expected to examine the effort in Iraq, both in how the war has been handled and in the reconstruction effort. Ornstein expects investigations into the politicizing of the Justice Department, including the decision to approve a Texas redistricting plan, which sent more Republicans to Congress, and the approval of Georgia’s voter identification requirement, a Republican initiative the courts later dismissed as discriminatory.

Also, the incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has pledged to look into whether U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have the equipment they need.

The Socks Fan Club

Despite the Democrats’ aggressive tone, analysts predict they will show restraint with their newfound authority.

“You’re going to get a major effort made by Speaker Pelosi to focus and frame and narrow the investigations,” Ornstein said. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who has been House minority leader since 2002, is expected to become speaker. “That’s not going to stop them from issuing subpoenas or moving aggressively in some areas, but it is going to mean that they are going to be very sensitive to the idea of avoiding the pitfalls that the Republicans got into with Clinton,” Ornstein said.

Democrats say they won’t repeat the tactics of the Republican Congress during the Clinton administration, when more than 1,000 subpoenas were issued and investigations were constant — including one by Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., then-chairman of the Government Reform Committee, into whether taxpayers were paying for postage and stationery for the fan club devoted to the Clintons’ cat, Socks. (They weren’t.)

Waxman said Burton “was reckless and irresponsible.”

“I think he is someone to learn from,” he said. “I don’t think our job is to engage in political payback. I don’t think our job is to use oversight for political purposes.”

He said he would use the subpoena power sparingly. “I don’t think you issue a subpoena unless it’s the last recourse.”

Democrats say they will not try to impeach Bush for misleading the Congress about Iraq’s weapons capabilities, as Republicans alleged during the congressional campaign. Democratic leaders will face strong pressure from liberal constituencies to look into everything, but so far they’ve pledged temperance.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, who is seeking the post of majority leader, said his party will be aggressive but won’t overreach. He said Waxman is “tough and tenacious.”

“I also think he’s fair and thorough. As a result, I think there’s going to be proper oversight. But we’re not talking about any lynch mobs here.”

Times Washington Bureau Chief Bill Adair can be reached at adair@ sptimes.com or (202) 463-0575.

Rep. Henry Waxman
Home: Beverly Hills
Born: September 12, 1939;
Los Angeles
Religion: Jewish
Family: Wife, Janet Waxman; two children
Education: University of California, Los Angeles, B.A. 1961 (political science), J.D. 1964
Career: Lawyer
Elected: 1974

[Last modified November 12, 2006, 21:24:07]