The Missing Half of Congress’s Job

Every now and then, I’m asked if I miss Congress. My stock answer is that no, I don’t really miss it, but there are definitely times when I’d like to jump into a policy debate or call congressional hearings.

This is one of those times.

Over the last few weeks, several media outlets have reported that U.S. military commanders want more American troops on the ground in places like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and, most recently, Libya. This ought to have Congress working overtime to prepare for these requests. The military faces serious security challenges in the Middle East, but one can be sympathetic and at the same time skeptical, or at least probing.

Congress should push hard to get answers to some very tough questions. Where are we headed with these proposed troop increases? If they don’t work, what’s next? What’s our exit strategy? What are the prospects for negotiations? We insist that we’re going to destroy ISIS, but no other country in the international coalition fighting the Islamic State seems willing to put forces on the ground. Are we going to be the only one? And just how does the administration propose to destroy ISIS?

Congress has two key functions in our system of government: legislation and oversight. Most public attention — and certainly most media attention — focuses on policy-making and legislative maneuvering. But Capitol Hill’s role in overseeing the executive branch is just as important.

That’s because in seeking answers, Congress can force the President and his top advisers to articulate and defend their policies, their objectives, the steps they’re taking to implement those objectives, and the impact they expect. They need to explain the resources needed to obtain their objectives: in this case, how many troops, how much money, what are the risks to American lives and interests?

Simply put, government functions better when Congress pursues robust oversight. It sharpens objectives, improves government performance, makes the bureaucracy more responsive, and curtails wasteful spending.

Sadly, this key responsibility has fallen into disrepair. Really tough overseers of the administration’s policies — lawmakers interested in government performance, not political one-upmanship — have grown scarce on Capitol Hill. If we want to restore the vigor of the Congress, getting it to look into every nook and cranny of government is vital. The military’s pursuit of growing troop strength and new strategies in the Middle East would be a good place to start.

Lee Hamilton is director of the Center on Congress (www.centeroncongress.org) at Indiana University (IU), distinguished scholar at the IU School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years, representing a district in south central Indiana.