[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 9, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORTING THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH INDEPENDENCE ACT

                                  _____
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 9, 2025

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to join me 
in strengthening and protecting Congress as a separate, independent and 
co-equal branch of our government by cosponsoring my Legislative Branch 
Independence Act.
  My bill would amend the appointment processes for three key 
legislative branch positions--the Librarian of Congress, the 
Comptroller General and the Director of the Government Publishing 
Office (GPO)--to provide that appointment and removal of their leaders 
are the exclusive purview of Congress. These three agencies are 
critical to the independent operations of Congress and should not be 
subject to undue influence by the executive branch or any other 
external organization.
  The Librarian of Congress is the main research arm of Congress, 
managing the Congressional Research Service. The Comptroller General 
leads the Government Accountability Office, which conducts audits and 
reviews government programs to provide nonpartisan oversight for 
Congress. The GPO prints and distributes official Congressional and 
federal publications.
  To ensure their independence from the executive branch, there must be 
no question that Congress has complete authority to dictate the 
appointment as well as the removal of the leaders of these 
organizations. Thus, my proposal would remove the President from the 
appointment process for all these positions and change it to a 
commission structure. The commissions would be made up of House and 
Senate leadership, as well as members from the relevant Congressional 
committees. The House would now also have a say in the appointment 
process, since its appointees would have to be confirmed by the 
adoption of concurrent resolutions.
  This bill would also codify Congress' exclusive authority to remove 
the Librarian of Congress and the GPO Director. Specifically, their 
removal would only occur by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the 
Members of the Senate and House, and clarify that the executive branch 
has no role in these decisions. (This is already the case for the 
Comptroller General.)
  I ask for my colleagues' support for this bill, which empowers 
Congress to control all aspects of key legislative branch agencies. As 
the independence of the legislative branch continues to be challenged 
and eroded, we must take the necessary steps to ensure our ability to 
function as an unimpeded co-equal branch of government.

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