[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      ACCOUNTABILITY HAS RETURNED

  (Mr. WELCH of Vermont asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Speaker, accountability has returned to 
Washington with a new Congress that takes its oversight 
responsibilities very seriously.
  In the past 4 months, Congress has conducted over 180 oversight 
hearings on issues very important to the American people. These are not 
just hearings; they're hearings that have led to action.
  Walter Reed: Since we concluded our hearing, we determined on a 
bipartisan basis after the information came out that more money was 
needed. We put $1.7 billion to make certain that we would take care of 
our wounded warriors.
  Congress now continues to oversee the ever-changing U.S. attorney 
scandal. The American people absolutely must have confidence that the 
U.S. Attorney's Office is about enforcing the law, not making it up as 
they go along or pursuing outcomes for partisan political reasons.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot have real accountability without congressional 
oversight, and this is one of the ways the new Democratic Congress is 
changing the way that we do business here in Washington.

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