Congressional Control of Administrative Agencies

Abstract

Conventional wisdom holds that Congress has limited ex post means of controlling the administrative state. I examine the efficacy of oversight hearings – a relatively understudied potential mechanism for congressional control – to determine the extent to which these hearings can alter agency activity. I then examine the specific conditions under which oversight is likely to occur. Leveraging original data on agency behavior, I find that agency “infractions” that are subject to congressional oversight are approximately 22% less likely to recur, compared to similar actions that do not receive oversight attention. I then examine how structural features of the administrative and congressional environments are associated with oversight activity, suggesting that these institutions may be designed with an eye to altering congressional involvement in administration. These findings suggest that, in an era of greater presidential control over administration, oversight offers a significant tool for Congress to retain some degree of influence.