[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6436]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT--DEMOCRATS DELIVER WITH LEGISLATION THIS 
                                  WEEK

  (Mr. ELLISON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ELLISON. Madam Speaker, the appalling conditions at Walter Reed 
captured the Nation's attention this month and finally spurred this 
administration to begin taking action. But reports on the poor 
conditions at Walter Reed date back 2 years ago. The President and the 
Congressional Republicans did nothing. In fact, Lieutenant General 
Kiley, former head of Walter Reed, knew for years about the horrible 
conditions at the facility, but he claimed the problems ``weren't 
serious and there weren't a lot of them.''
  We now know that that was not true, thanks to The Washington Post and 
hearings held by the Democratic House. Oversight by the former 
Republican Congress could have stopped these problems long ago. But 
lack of oversight didn't begin or end with Walter Reed. Republicans 
also failed to look at the President's policies in Iraq, the 
administration's actions during Hurricane Katrina, or the firing of 
numerous U.S. Attorneys for political reasons.
  Madam Speaker, this Democratic Congress has already held 91 oversight 
hearings on these issues and others, and we will continue to uphold our 
legislative duty to oversee the actions of the executive branch.

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