PROGRAMS UNDER SIEGE: CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT AS A DEFENSIVE STRATEGY AGAINST BUDGETARY RETRENCHMENT AND TERMINATION

Social programs have been targets for budgetary cutback proposals in the 1980s. Political science literature written before 1980 described subgovernment programs as highly resistant to external interference and cutback. In Congressional literature oversight was cited as a likely Congressional protective or preemptive response to Executive attempts to control committee programs. Within the context of Reagan Administration cutback proposals, this research investigated the use of oversight as a subgovernment defensive strategy against budgetary cutback. Four social programs scheduled for termination or retrenchment were selected as case studies of defensive oversight. The First Session of the Ninety-Seventh Congress was chosen as the research setting due to the presence of several factors conductive to the success of cutback proposals--divided party control in Congress, a reduced Democratic House majority, and President Reagan's first legislative session. Data was drawn from 78 interviews with 55 Congressional, interest group, and agency officials. Defensive oversight occurred in all four programs. Oversight hearings for the termination-slated Community Action Program were designed to undermine the Administration's program proposal. This strategy was overcome by the budget reconciliation process. Oversight Hearings for the termination-slated Legal Services Program resulted in bipartisan program amendments which enabled moderate Republicans and Democrats to vote for reauthorization. Oversight activities of a latent form occurred for the retrenchment-slated Food Stamp Program. These hearings enabled program defenders to fill the record with information on program performance which was used as political ammunition in later mark-up and floor sessions. In 1981 Head Start was scheduled for and received a funding increase. In the 1982 oversight hearing this subgovernment demonstrated extensive grassroots support. A departmental retrenchment proposal died in these hearings. Congressional committee officials originated the idea for defensive oversight hearings. Many interest groups reinforced but did not solicit this committee strategy. Agency officials only assisted in staging the hearings. This research has verified that oversight is used for defensive purposes and that the budgetary cutback environment of the 1980s is a favorable setting for defensive oversight.