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The Conversation USA

A brief history of congressional oversight, from Revolutionary War financing to Pam Bondi

  • Written by Gibbs Knotts, Professor of Political Science, Coastal Carolina University
imageU.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota speaks at an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 7, 2025. AP Photo/Allison Robbert

Routine congressional oversight hearings usually don’t make headlines. Historically, these often low-key events have been the sorts of things you catch only on C-SPAN – procedural, polite...

Read more: A brief history of congressional oversight, from Revolutionary War financing to Pam Bondi

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