Issa, House GOP Preparing Major Investigations of Obama Administration

Tuesday, 04 Jan 2011 11:57 AM

President Barack Obama and the Democrats will face a newly invigorated House Republican leadership this week with sweeping plans for congressional investigations into a wide range of issues.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who will become chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee when the 112th Congress is sworn in Wednesday, told The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... id=topnews he plans to lead six major investigations in the first three months of the year. That will call for a grueling schedule, since congressional investigations often take months to bear fruit.

On Issa’s list:

• WikiLeaks' release of classified diplomatic cables

• Recalls at the Food and Drug Administration

• The role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the foreclosure crisis

• The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission's failure to identify the origins of the meltdown

• Alleged corruption in Afghanistan

Issa is sure to make waves, because he’ll have subpoena power to compel officials to appear before his committee. Among the administration officials he’ll be questioning soon is national security adviser Tom Donilon. Issa specifically wants to know whether the administration has a strategy to stop the dissemination of sensitive information on sites such asWikiLeaks.

issa,obama,investigations,post,king,muslims,wikile aks,bailout,tarp,reform,finances,meltdown"I've always been fond of the saying that when it comes to oversight and reform, the federal government does two things well: nothing and overreact," Issa told reporters Monday. "Too often, a problem is allowed to fester until it reaches a crisis point . . . and the American people are left asking the question: What went wrong and why?"

Issa also has asked business groups which Obama administration regulations to target, according to Politico. He sent a letter to 150-plus trade associations, private companies, and think tanks this week. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/01 ... z1A4X7GXgM

“As a trade organization comprised of members that must comply with the regulatory state, I ask for your assistance in identifying existing and proposed regulations that have negatively impacted job growth in your members’ industry,â€