U.S. Government

Congress to Address Numerous Issues in Committee Hearings This Week

Both the House and Senate are in session this week, with each expected to debate and consider high-profile legislation. The House is set to vote on the fiscal year (FY) 2008 Defense Department authorization, while the Senate will spend considerable time debating possible changes to U.S. immigration policy. In addition to legislation, both the House and Senate are again planning to hold a number of important committee hearings. These include one by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on a bill which would grant the District of Columbia a voting member of the House, as well as a House Science and Technology Committee hearing on the current state of global warming. Here, courtesy of GovTrack, is a quick rundown of all of this week’s House and Senate hearings:

War vs. Democracy: Untold Stories from the Lynch / Tillman Hearing

What does it mean to be a nation at war? Is it possible to exercise democratic control over a wartime government that dismisses honest criticism as unpatriotic? What should citizens do when members of their military not only commit crimes -- as happens during every war -- but also rely on propaganda to hide mistakes and to embellish or even create victories, as happened in the cases of Army Ranger Pat Tillman and Private Jessica Lynch?

Jessica Lynch testifies
Jessica Lynch testifies

Those are big questions, but a few things are clear. One is that the secrecy, deception and constraints sought by wartime administrations are anathema to the transparency, accountability and freedom necessary to democracy. As James Madison warned, "Of all the enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other." Another truism is that citizens retain the right to receive information and provide guidance to their government during wartime. The last is that, while security concerns may legitimately restrict what information can be shared when, maintaining civilian oversight of war operations helps ensure that human rights standards are upheld. Perhaps the most important effort to provide oversight of ongoing U.S. wars was the April 24 Congressional hearing on battlefield misinformation.

House and Senate Face Busy Week of Committee Hearings

Both the House and Senate are in session this week, with each expected to consider numerous bills and resolutions. The House is planning to vote on a measure authorizing fiscal year (FY) 2008 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security, while the Senate will likely consider a bill allowing the reimportation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. In addition to legislation, both the House and Senate are again planning to hold a number of important committee hearings. These include one by the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works on emerging technologies and practices designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs' long-term care programs. Here, courtesy of GovTrack, is a quick rundown of all of this week’s House and Senate hearings:

More Outsourced Science Raises More Questions

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

"The public interest and the private interest aren't always the same thing," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), as Congress prepares to investigate "possible conflicts of interest involving medical research firms such as the Constella Group." The U.S.

No
Main Source: 
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wis.), May 5, 2007
Topics: 
Corporations
Ethics
Health
Pharmaceuticals
Science
U.S. Government

TheWeekInCongress (April 30-May 4, 2007)

Both the House and Senate tackled some hotly-debated issues this week, including federal hate crimes legislation and the Head Start program. For an in-depth look at the bills considered on Capitol Hill since Monday, we again turn to Robert McElroy’s TheWeekInCongress. His site is a great resource for citizens wishing to keep track of what their members are up to in Washington, and we urge you to check it out.

Pages

Subscribe to U.S. Government