"Congress vs. the President: The Scope and Limits of Congressional Oversight Powers"

Thursday, July 16, 2009
Noon - 1:30 p.m. (Lunch provided)
Taking place in the National Press Club's Murrow Room
529 14th St, NW Washington DC

[The proper role of the legislature is] to watch and control the government; to throw the light of publicity on its acts; to compel a full exposition and justification of all of them which any one considers questionable; to censure them if found condemnable. - John Stuart Mill
We will discuss the relative powers of Congress and the executive branch in congressional oversight and why such authority is vital to our system of government.

Panelists include:
Mickey Edwards; former Member of Congress (R-OK), 1977-1993
Morton Rosenberg; author/contributor to the handbooks; former Specialist in American Law at the Congressional Research Service staffer, and Constitution Project Fellow
Chris Shays; former Member of Congress (R-CT), 1987-2009
Ronald Weich; Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs for President Barack Obama

There will be copies available for purchase of The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right, published by the Project On Government Oversight ($21.10 cash or check made out to Project On Government Oversight).

You will also be able to pick up a complementary copy of When Congress Comes Calling: A Primer on the Principles, Practices, and Pragmatics of Legislative Inquiry, authored by Morton Rosenberg and published by the Constitution Project.

The event is free, but RSVPs are required. RSVP to rsvp@constitutionproject.org.

Co-hosted by the Constitution Project and the Project On Government Oversight (POGO)