Guide to House Records: Chapter 11

Records of the Government Operations Committee and Its Predecessors

Committees discussed in this chapter:

• Committee on Public Expenditures (1814-1880)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department (1816-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department (1816-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Treasury Department (1816-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the State Department (1816-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the War Department (1816-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings (1816-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department (1860-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Justice Department (1874-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Agriculture Department (1889-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Commerce and Labor Departments (1905-1913)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Commerce Department (1913-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Labor Department (1913-1927)
• Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Department (1927-1952)
• Committee on Government Operations (1952-1968)

History and Jurisdiction

11.1 Article I, section 9 of the Constitution provides that "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time." From the founding of our Government it has been the right of Congress, the legislative branch, to appropriate funds for the executive branch and to specify, except in extreme cases, where the funds should be spent. This chapter includes descriptions of the records of the Committee on Government Operations and numerous other standing committees, subcommittees, and special subcommittees of the House that have been created specifically to oversee the expenditure of funds by the executive agencies of the Government.

11.2 Initially, the House appointed special committees to monitor the use of public moneys. In 1802, the Committee of Ways and Means was empowered to review expenditures and to report such provisions and arrangements "as may be necessary to add to the economy of the departments, and the accountability of their officers."1 On February 26, 1814, Congress divided the duties of the Committee of Ways and Means and transferred that part relating to the examination of past expenditures to a standing Committee on Public Expenditures.2

11.3 The Committee on Public Expenditures was to "examine into the state of the several public departments, and particularly into the laws making appropriations of moneys and to report whether the moneys had been disbursed conformably with such laws." It was also to report measures to increase the economy of the Departments and the accountability of officers.3

11.4 In 1816 the House initiated an organizational change that provided a means of continuously and consistently following the operations of the various Departments and scrutinizing their expenditures. Henry St. George Tucker of Virginia proposed the appointment of six standing committees to examine the accounts and expenditures of the State, Treasury, War, Navy, and Post Office Departments, and those related to the construction and maintenance of public buildings.

11.5 The committees were created on March 30, 1816,4 and committees for the Departments of Interior, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce and Labor (later split into two committees), were established between 1860 and 1913. The jurisdiction of these new committees included the following subjects:

• The examination of the accounts and expenditures of the several Departments of the Government and the manner of keeping the same; the economy, justness, and correctness of such expenditures; their conformity with appropriation laws; the proper application of public moneys; the security of the Government against unjust and extravagant demands; retrenchment; the enforcement of the payment of moneys due to the United States; the economy and accountability of public officers; the abolishment of useless offices; [and] the reduction or increase of the pay of officers.5

11.6 Until January 28, 1878, each committee generally consisted of three to five members. After that date, the number was fixed at seven. Frequently, first-term members of Congress were assigned to these committees. Abraham Lincoln, for example, served as a member of the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department during the 30th Congress, his only term in Congress.

11.7 From 1816 to 1927 the committees on expenditures reviewed the financial accountability of the Departments and infrequently followed the reviews with investigations. Although they usually had relatively little to do, at times the committees attained considerable importance and prominence. Faced with a substantive war debt during their first decade, most of the committees actively monitored their respective Departments and recommended ways to effect economies in departmental operations. The committees usually were busy and effective during periods of financial crisis, but their activities generally were curtailed when the United States was at war.

11.8 The committees could conduct investigations with or without specific direction from the House. Authority for compelling testimony, however, had to be obtained from the House, except during the 44th and 45th Congresses. Because of this limitation, investigations made under authority of the rules were merely inquiries undertaken with the cooperation or acquiescence of the officers of the Departments involved. Investigations were also made at the request of Congress, but many investigations that the committees could have handled were conducted by special committees created specifically for the purpose.

11.9 By 1879 the usefulness of the Committee on Public Expenditures was being questioned by the Committee on Rules which argued that the mission of the Committee on Public Expenditures essentially duplicated on a broad scale the work of the committees on expenditures of the individual Departments. The Committee on Rules maintained that one committee could not examine the financial management of the several Departments as thoroughly as committees whose sole purpose was to examine the accounts and expenditures of a single Department. Effective March 8, 1880, the Committee on Public Expenditures ceased to exist although Congress had stipulated that no standing committee should be abolished before March 3, 1881, the end of the 46th Congress. The Committee on Public Expenditures was revived as a select committee during the 47th Congress.

11.10 The fate of the House committees on departmental expenditures was directly influenced by organizational changes in the Treasury Department. From 1817 to 1921 the Treasury Department employed six accounting officers called Auditors who examined accounts involving the collection or disbursement of public funds and decided which accounts were to be admitted or rejected. The seventh "Auditor" was the Comptroller of the Treasury whose principal duty was to construe the laws governing the disbursement and application of public moneys but who also occasionally reviewed accounts previously examined by the Auditors. The work of the Auditors was not performed for Congress, and the audited accounts were not submitted to Congress.

11.11 By the end of World War I Congress realized the limitations of its control over expenditures and its inability to monitor effectively the use of funds by the executive departments. In practice the executive branch audited its own accounts through the Treasury Department with relatively little congressional supervision. Consequently, as a measure designed to increase congressional control over expenditures as well as over matters of economy and efficiency in governmental operations, Congress passed the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921.

11.12 The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (Public Law 67-13) combined the six auditing offices of the Treasury Department with the Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury to form the General Accounting Office (GAO). The GAO was separated from the Treasury Department and established as an independent office responsible to Congress. The Act also created the Office of the Comptroller General and ordered that official to investigate "all matters relating to the receipt, disbursement, and applications of public funds" and to make reports to Congress on his work and recommendations and to "make such investigations and reports as shall be ordered by either House... or by any committee... having jurisdiction over revenue appropriations, or expenditures."

11.13 When Alvan T. Fuller of Massachusetts resigned from the Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department in 1918, he said that the committee was "wasting the taxpayers' money" and was "the most inefficient and expensive barnacle that ever attached itself to a ship of state."6 Following World War I most of the committees on expenditures continued to be relatively inactive, a situation that was aggravated after the General Account Office was created in 1921 because many committee members believed that the GAO was looking out for the interests of Congress. Because the committees were accomplishing so little, Congress, on the first day of the 70th Congress, December 5, 1927, abolished the 11 committees on expenditures and replaced them with a single committee, the Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments.7

11.14 The Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments consisted of 21 members. Initially its jurisdiction was the same as that of the departmental committees. In 1928 its jurisdiction was expanded to cover independent establishments and commissions. In time the committee acquired jurisdiction over a wide variety of activities. For example, it came to be responsible for facilitating the conservation of public lands and other natural resources by coordinating the conservation functions of executive agencies. It also became involved with recordkeeping requirements for various governmental agencies.

11.15 During its early years the committee addressed a few select issues, such as the public works function in Government, the consolidation of veterans' affairs, and a retirement system for Federal employees. However, the Great Depression made monitoring economy and efficiency in the Government an urgent issue, and the committee's activities greatly increased under John J. Cochran of Missouri who chaired the committee from 1932 to 1940. America's entry into World War II, and the subsequent slowing down of New Deal activities led to a relatively inactive period for the committee.

11.16 With the end of the war and passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (Public Law 79-601), the committee once again became active. This act charged the committee with receiving and examining the reports of the Comptroller General and of reporting on them to the House; studying the operation of government activities at all levels to determine their economy and efficiency; evaluating the effects of laws enacted to reorganize the legislative and executive branches of the government; and studying intergovernmental relationships.

11.17 Much of the post-war committee work had to do with government reorganizations. In 1939 Congress authorized the President to formulate plans for abolishing, consolidating, or regrouping agencies of the executive department in the interest of efficiency and economy and to transmit the plans to Congress where they were reviewed by the Committee. If the plans were not disapproved by the Committee and Congress did not reject them within 60 days they would automatically take effect. Beginning in 1949, the Committee also reviewed the recommendations of the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government (the Hoover Commission) and the reorganization plans subsequently submitted under the general Reorganization Act of 1949. This Act ratified the Hoover Commission's recommendations in principle and authorized the President to draw up specific reorganization plans. However, the legislators reserved to themselves the right to veto any plan by adverse vote of either House within 60 days of its submission. Subsequent legislation made similar provisions about reorganization plans. Between 1949 and 1973, 19 of the 93 reorganization plans submitted by the President were rejected.

11.18 Much of the work of the committee and its successor, the Committee on Government Operations, related to the work of the General Accounting Office. In 1946 the committee was charged in the Legislative Reorganization Act with responsibility for reviewing the audit reports of the General Accounting Office. These reports grew in number and scope after 1945 when Public Law 79-248 authorized the GAO to conduct audits of Government-owned agencies and again after 1949, when GAO began "comprehensive audits" of all Departments and agencies.

11.19 On July 3, 1952, the Committee was renamed the Committee on Government Operations.8 The jurisdiction of the Committee on Government Operations pursuant to the rules of the 90th Congress included:

• A. Budget and accounting measures, other than appropriations; B. Reorganizations in the executive branch of the Government; C.(1). receiving and examining reports of the Comptroller General of the United States and of submitting such recommendations to the House as it deems necessary or desirable in connection with the subject matter of such reports; (2). studying the operation of Government activities at all levels with a view to determining its economy and efficiency; (3). evaluating the effects of laws enacted to reorganize the legislative and executive branches of the Government; (4). studying intergovernmental relationships between the United States and States and municipalities, and between the United States and international organizations of which the United States is a member.9

11.20 For the purpose of performing its duties, the committee, or any of its subcommittees when authorized by the committee, was authorized to hold hearings and act at any time and place within the United States. It was also authorized to require by subpoena or otherwise the attendance of witnesses and the production of papers, documents, and books, and to take such testimony as it deemed necessary.

11.21 The Committee's jurisdiction with respect to oversight responsibilities overlapped with that of most other standing committees. Such overlapping jurisdiction necessarily arose from the broad oversight functions assigned to the committee by the House rules.

11.22 The work of the committee has increased with almost every Congress during the past four decades. The same has been true of the oversight activities of the other House committees, as a result, in part, to the directive in Section 136 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 that "each standing committee... shall exercise continuous watchfulness of the execution... of any laws" by the administrative agencies within their jurisdiction, and by the requirement of the Reorganization Act of 1970, that the committees report annually on their oversight activities.

11.23 Two series of records that document the administrative operation of the committees are common to most of the committees on expenditures for the period 1814-1927. Minute books contain information about committee membership and attendance at meetings, the appointment of clerks, topics discussed during the meetings, and lists of witnesses who appeared before the committees. The docket books contain information about the status of bills, correspondence, and actions of committee interest. Because the contents of the minute and docket books are basically the same for each committee, only those volumes that contain unusual information are mentioned specifically in the discussion of the records of each committee.

11.24 Two other series that are found for most of the committees are petitions and memorials and committee papers. Relatively few petitions and memorials were referred to the committees and for most committees the footage for this series is negligible. Committee papers form the bulk of the records for most of the committees. These papers generally consist of financial statements and other fiscal records providing information about specific and contingent expenditures. Often detailed information is given about the expenses, salaries, and promotions of individual employees of the Government. Many of the records concern studies on the adjustment of pay and allowances for governmental workers. The volume of committee papers increases significantly with the 80th Congress (1947-49).

11.25 The bill files, are found in great volume after the 80th Congress. They are arranged by Congress and thereunder by bill type: House bills, House resolutions, House joint resolutions, House concurrent resolutions, Senate bills, Senate joint resolutions, and Senate concurrent resolutions, and thereunder by bill or resolution number.

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Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures (1814-1880)

11.26 There are records for this committee for the entire period of its existence.

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures, 13th-46th Congresses (1814-1880)

11.27 Docket books show the status of legislation and topics of committee interest. Occasionally, remarks are noted, which, in some instances, actually are minutes of meetings.

11.28 Petitions and memorials are sparse. Calls in 1842 for "retrenchment and reform" in Congress and in the executive departments comprise most of the petitions and memorials (27A-G19.1).

11.29 Committee papers indicate the wide variety of activities that the committee reviewed or investigated to see if they were being conducted in an economical and efficient manner. For example, in 1822 and 1828 the committee conducted surveys to determine whether governmental departments were structured in a manner that facilitated reviews for accountability (17A-C22.1, 20A-D19.1). In 1841, the committee reviewed contract procedures to determine what benefits, if any, executive departments derived from the requirement that they accept the lowest bids for printing services and stationery supplies (26A-D22.1).

11.30 Many matters relating to military procurement practices came within the committee's purview. Among the committee papers are records relating to an 1816 inquiry into the procurement practices of General William Henry Harrison in 1813-14 (14A-C13.1); an 1817 review of expenditures, including wartime contracts (14A-C13.2); and an 1844 inquiry into financial mismanagement by the commanding officer of the Florida Squadron during 1841-42 (28A-D24.1). Also included are records of three investigations of the financial affairs of military officers in 1842 (27A-D18.1, 27A-D18.2, 27A-D18.3).

11.31 Committee papers concerning activities of civil agencies include records relating to an investigation of contracts for mailbags (27A-D18.5); a review of the expenditures on repairs, alterations, and improvement of the White House in 1842 (27A-D18.6); reports in 1848 on the Secretary of Treasury's annual report (30A-D19.1) and in 1860 on public printing (36A-D20.1); and a review of the operations of the New York Customhouse (38A-E18.1).

11.32 The committee papers also include records created in 1831 and 1832 when the committee attempted to develop a better system for estimating the distance Members traveled to Congress (21A-D20.1, 22A-D20.1).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department (1816-1927)

11.33 The earliest records of this committee are from the 16th Congress (1819-1821).

Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department, 14th-69th Congresses (1816-1927)

11.34 Few petitions and memorials exist for this committee. One that has been preserved is a January 1867 petition by employees of the Washington Navy Yard requesting an increase their pay (39A-H9.1).

11.35 Most of the committee papers concern accounting for the contingency expenditures in the Navy Department; investigating contracting practices (28A-D8.1, 36A-D7.1, 44A-F11.1); and reviewing pay and allowances (16A-D7.1, 66A-F12.2). Records relating to President Theodore Roosevelt's communication to Congress of February 25, 1909, concerning the needs of the Navy are included in this series (60A-F16.1).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office (1816-1927)

11.36 The earliest records of this committee date from the 17th Congress (1821-1823).

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the Post Office, 14th-69th Congresses (1816-1927)

11.37 The minutes of the meetings held during the 1911-13 period, document the committee's efforts to review economy and efficiency of the Post Office Department's operations, conflicts of interest by postmasters, and the political involvement of postal employees (62A-F11.2).

11.38 Only a few petitions and memorials exist for this committee. Most are from various groups calling for an investigation of the Post Office Department's actions against a socialist weekly, The Appeal to Reason (62A-H8.1), or protesting the Post Office Department's actions against certain publications, including the Woman's National Daily (62A-H8.2).

11.39 Over 90 percent of the committee papers consists of listings of bidders for contracts for mail delivery routes during the years 1891-95 (52A-F15.1, 53A-F13.1). Most of the remaining records relate to reports of and examinations of Post Office Department contingent expenses. Among the most interesting of the committee papers are those of a subcommittee appointed during the 59th Congress to determine whether the Post Office Department was harassing E. G. Lewis, publisher of The Woman's Magazine and Woman's Farm Journal (59A-F13.1, 59A-F13.2, 62A-F11.1).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Treasury Department (1816-1927)

11.40 The earliest records available for this committee are from the 21st Congress (1829-1831).

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the Treasury Department, 14th-69th Congresses (1816-1927)

11.41 Petitions and memorials for this committee are sparse. Most of them either oppose closing certain customs offices in 1894 (53A-H10.1) or support legislation in 1908 relating to the appointment of pharmacists in the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service (60A-H10.1).

11.42 The committee papers contain records relating to numerous investigations. They include inquiries into the way the fund for the relief of sick and disabled seamen was expended (36A-D8.1); the sale of captured and abandoned cotton and other property from 1865 to 1867 (44A-F14.1); the water-proofing process employed in the manufacture of fractional currency (44A-F14.2); the effectiveness of the Secret Service and fraud in the Customs Service in New York City (61A-F18.1); and the management of St. Elizabeths Hospital (68A-F14.1) and the War Risk Insurance Bureau (66A-F14.1, 66A-F14.2). Also included are records created when the committee attempted from 1909 to 1912 to make the Treasury Department more efficient (61A-F18.1, 62A-F13.2, 62A-F13.3).

11.43 Additional information about efforts in 1908 to regulate the appointment of pharmacists in the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service (60A-D7) is found in the bill files. Also included are records concerning efforts in 1918 to determine money due the Government from the States (65A-D5); and attempts in 1924 to determine Government indebtedness and to review income tax returns of Harry F. Sinclair and other associates of his oil company (68A-D9). There are also records relating to hearings held in 1916 to determine how effectively income taxes were being collected (64A-D5).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the State Department (1816-1927)

11.44 The earliest records for this committee date from the 17th Congress (1821-1823).

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the State Department, 14th-69th Congresses (1816-1927)

11.45 The committee papers include one volume of committee reports covering the period April 5, 1828 to May 26, 1838.

11.46 The committee infrequently conducted investigations of financial irregularities by Department personnel. Among the committee papers are records concerning several investigations undertaken during the 1876-79 period on financial dealings of American diplomatic personnel and fiscal operations in American diplomatic and consular offices (44A-F13.1, 44A-F13.2, 46A-F12.1, 46A-F12.2, 46A-F12.3, 46A-F12.4).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department (1816-1927)

11.47 The earliest records are from the 16th Congress (1819-1821).

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the War Department, 14th-69th Congresses (1816-1927)

11.48 In addition to the minute book some unbound minutes are among the committee papers. These cover committee meetings held during January and February 1840 (26A-D8.1), February through June 1882 (47A-F11.3) and, on May 10, 1926 (69A-F17.2).

11.49 Only a few petitions and memorials exist for this committee. Among them is a 1864 petition from a Washington, DC, resident complaining about mismanagement of the Military Storekeeping Department in the District (38A-G6.1) and several 1888 petitions regarding the establishment of a National Bureau of Harbors and Water Works under the War Department (50A-H9.1).

11.50 Forms used to certify the inspection of money accounts of Army disbursing officers, for 1877-1914 (with a few gaps) and 1921-1924 constitute the majority of the committee papers; they provide detailed accountings of Army expenses. However, a sizable portion of the committee papers concerns examinations of specific and contingent War Department expenditures, and a substantial quantity of the material documents various financial activities of the War Department. Included are records concerning outstanding checks issued by Army disbursing officers during the years 1892 to 1899; abstracts of articles and services purchased for the Army, 1886-1894; and lists of contracts made by the War Department and its bureaus, 1886-1894.

11.51 Records relating to investigations are also contained in the committee papers. Typical are documents concerning an 1860 investigation to determine why an 1852 contract for marble columns for the Capitol extension had not been completed (36A-D9.1), an 1876 inquiry into the payments for publishing The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. (44A-F15.1), and an 1878 investigation into the financial activities of the chief inspector of clothing at the quartermaster's depot in Philadelphia (45A-F14.1). Also included in the committee papers are records relating to efforts in 1878 to reduce the clerical force in the War Department (46A-F14.1) and an 1842 printed report on extra pay to compensate Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott for services rendered in the 1838 Cherokee removal (27A-D7.1).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings (1816-1927)

11.52 Records for this committee are sparse, particularly after the 44th Congress (1875-1877).

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the Public Buildings, 14th-69th Congresses (1816-1927)

11.53 Petitions and memorials are virtually non-existent for this committee. The one petition in the records was submitted in 1826 by William J. Chaffee regarding his design for "ornamenting the pediment of the Capitol" (19A-G6.1).

11.54 About half of the committee papers are reports of the Commissioner of Public Buildings regarding expenditures between 1816 and 1846 on public buildings, primarily in Washington, DC. Included are reports relating to an 1817 plan for "warming" the public buildings (14A-C12.2) and the status of fire fighting equipment in Washington, DC in 1826 (19A-D7.3). A number of detailed reports and other records concern the White House and its furnishings between 1816 and 1840 (14A-C12.1, 15A-D13.1, 19A-D7.2, 26A-D7.1) and work done on the Capitol between 1816 and 1827 (14A-C12.1, 15A-D13.1, 17A-C8.1, 19A-D7.1).

11.55 A few committee papers relate to public buildings outside Washington, DC. Among these are an 1840 report on the branch mint at Charlotte, NC (26A-D7.2) and records from 1876 relating to the contract for the construction of the New York Post Office (44A-F12.1).

11.56 A bound volume of committee reports covers the period from February 18, 1817 to July 21, 1840.

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department (1860-1927)

11.57 The Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department was created on March 16, 1860. The earliest records for this committee are from the 44th Congress (1875-1877).

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the Interior Department, 36th-69th Congresses (1860-1927)

11.58 The minute book for the 44th Congress contains information about the committee's actions in investigating alleged abuses and irregularities at the Government Hospital for the Insane (St. Elizabeths Hospital); and alleged frauds involving the issuance of Chippewa and Sioux "Half-Breed" script, land surveys in Washington Territory, the patent of the "Flag-Staff" Mining Company of Utah, and the employees of the Patent Office.

11.59 Most of the petitions and memorials relate to efforts in 1910 and 1911 to establish a national health bureau (61A-H8.2, 62A-H7.1) and to efforts in 1909 and 1910 to establish a children's bureau in the Interior Department (60A-H9.1, 61A-H8.1).

11.60 The committee papers provide information on a 1910 investigation of misuse of funds in the General Land Office (61A-F15.1); efforts in 1908-09 to establish a children's bureau (60A-F14.1, 61A-F15.2); and reviews of the contingent and other expenditures in the Department, including those for St. Elizabeths Hospital and the Freedman's Hospital, conducted between 1896 and 1926. A 91-page volume contains a detailed listing of contingent expenses in the Patent Office during the 1875-78 period (46A-F11.1).

11.61 The bill files contain information on efforts in 1908 to establish a children's bureau in the Interior Department (60A-D5) and in 1919 to create a department of public works (66A-D7).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Justice Department (1874-1927)

11.62 The Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice was created on January 16, 1874. The earliest records for this committee date from the 44th Congress (1875-1876).

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the Justice Department, 43rd-69th Congresses (1874-1927)

11.63 One of the docket books contains a memorandum listing correspondence for the period February-April 1876 for B. G. Caulfield, a member of both the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Expenditures in the Justice Department. Most of the letters involve requests to the Attorney General for information and records.

11.64 Most of the committee papers date from the years 1884-86 and concern investigations into financial and political irregularities by U.S. Marshals, U.S. District Attorneys, and other officers appointed by or connected with the Department of Justice (48A-F11.1, 48A-F11.2, 48A-F11.3, 49A-F12.1) and into alleged fraud in the "Star Route" mail service (48A-F11.4). They also contain information about irregularities in accounts of the Pension Office (49A-F12.1) and the Department of Justice (48-F.11.2).

11.65 The bill files consist only of copies of 1908 bills relating to the collection of fees associated with naturalization laws (60A-D6).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Agriculture Department (1889-1927)

11.66 The Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture was created on December 20, 1889. The earliest records are from the 52d Congress.

Records of the Committee on Public Expenditures in the Agriculture Department, 51st-69th Congresses (1874-1927)

11.67 Statements of expenditures of the Department of Agriculture for the years 1891-92 and 1907-10 constitute most of the committee papers papers. There are also records related to a 1909 North American Conservation Conference (60A-F13.3).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Commerce and Labor Departments (1905-1913)

11.68 The Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce and Labor was created on December 11, 1905. It was terminated in 1913 and was succeeded by the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce and the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Labor. There are virtually no records for this committee.

Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Commerce and Labor Department, 59th-63rd Congresses (1905-1913)

11.69 Two printed House documents relating to efforts in 1910 to establish a children's bureau in the Department of Commerce and Labor and two pamphlets published by the National Child Labor Committee constitute the committee papers (61A-F14.1).

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Commerce Department (1913-1927)

11.70 The Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce was created on May 27, 1913. The few records that exist for this committee are from the 67th Congress.

Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Commerce Department, 63rd-69th Congresses (1913-1927)

11.71 Statements of disbursements, including individual pay and allowances, made within the Department of Commerce, comprise most of the committee papers.

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Labor Department (1913-1927)

11.72 The Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Labor was created on May 27, 1913. The National Archives holds no records for this committee.

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Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Department (1927-1952)

11.73 This committee was created on December 5, 1927, to replace the 11 expenditures committees that were terminated at that time.

Records of the Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Department, 70th-82nd Congresses (1927-1952)

11.74 Most of the petitions and memorials are calls for additional benefits for disabled veterans (72A-H3.1) and the implementation of various recommendations of the Hoover Commission (81A-H4.1).

11.75 War Department accountability forms for 1931-38 and ledger-type reports for 1939-42, constitute most of the committee papers before the 80th Congress. Similar forms for earlier periods are found in the records of the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department (see para. 11.45). Most of the committee papers for the full committee for the 1927-52 period consist of mandatory agency reports, legislative recommendations and reports submitted by the Comptroller General, and original messages and executive orders from the President.

11.76 The committee papers also include unbound minutes of committee meetings held in 1941-42 (77A-F12.3), 1943 (78A-F14.4) 1945-46 (79A-F13.3), and 1947 (80A-F6.4).

11.77 Hearings and investigations are documented in the committee papers as well. There are records pertaining to hearings on St. Elizabeths Hospital in 1928 (70A-F12.1); hearings on the National Archives in 1936 (74A-F13.2); hearings on the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Board in 1943 (78A-F13.2); a 1937 investigation of executive agency expenditures on publicity, travel, and reproduction work (75A-F14.1); and an investigation in 1948 of the effectiveness of Civil Service Commission investigations (80A-F6.4).

11.78 The committee papers also contain information on efforts in 1937-38 to reorganize the government (75A-F14.4), the work of the Hoover Commission and reorganization plans for 1946-50 (79A-F13.2, 80A-F6.7, 81A-F6.3, 81A-F6.6), and reorganization of the Armed Forces under the National Security Act of 1947 (80A-F6.4).

11.79 Much of the work of the Committee was accomplished by its subcommittees. In most instances the subcommittee records (104 ft.) include correspondence, memoranda, transcripts of hearings, minutes of meetings, reports, bills and resolutions with accompanying papers and exhibits, general administrative records and reference materials, investigative files, and questionnaires and exhibits.

11.80 While most of the subcommittee records are filed separately, the committee papers contain records related to a 1935-36 effort by a subcommittee to investigate the organization of all agencies with a view to reducing expenditures and increasing efficiency through consolidation and coordination of governmental activities (74A-F13.4).

11.81 Information about various reorganization plans are provided in the records of the Subcommittee on Executive and Legislative Reorganization (81A-F6.7, 82A-F6.5, 6 in.).

11.82 The records of the Subcommittee on Extra Legal Activities (2 in.) provide information on investigations of irregularities in the National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Reserve Board, and other organizations (80A-F6.13).

11.83 The records of the Subcommittee on Federal Relations with International Organizations (3 ft.) relate to studies of international organizations and the cost of American participation in related programs, international narcotics control, inter-American cooperation, and efforts to create a department of peace (81A-F6.3, 81A-F6.7, 82A-F6.6).

11.84 The records of the Subcommittee on Government Operations (13 ft.) pertain to a wide range of investigations and studies, including those relating to the operations of the General Accounting Office, Government use of consultants and advisory committees, activities of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the War Housing Disposal Program (81A-F6.3, 81A-F6.7). Housing construction at Andrews Air Force Base, procurement practices, and the operations of various governmental housing programs and agencies were also monitored by the subcommittee (82A-F6.7).

11.85 The records of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations (13 ft.) involve several studies and investigations, including those related to military procurement, disposition of war surplus property, and the operations of the Bunker Hill School of Aeronautics. (81A-F6.3, 81A-F6.7, 82A-F6.1, 82A-F6.8)

11.86 The records of the Subcommittee on Paroles (1 ft.) were created in the course of a 1947 investigation to determine why four of Al Capone's friends received early paroles (80A-F6.12).

11.87 The records of the Subcommittee on Procurement and Public Buildings (20 ft.) document its investigations into waste and fraud, and its attempts to improve efficiency and economy in government procurement and building construction and related operations (80A-F6.5, 80A-F6.14).

11.88 The records of the Subcommittee on Surplus Property (28 ft.) concern efforts by the War Assets Administration and other agencies to dispose of surplus property during the 1946-48 period (80A-F6.9, 80A-F6.11). Some of the records were created during the 79th Congress as part of the Select Committee to Investigate Disposition of Surplus Property. For additional information on the Select Committee see Chapter 22, paras. 22.127-22.130.

11.89 The records of the Subcommittee on Public Accounts (1 in.) are primarily administrative and are part of a series of records on subcommittees kept by the committee chairman (81A-F6.7).

11.90 The records of the Subcommittee on Publicity and Propaganda (12 ft.) document investigations held to determine the degree to which civil servants, particularly those in the Agricultural Adjustment Agency, Bureau of Reclamation, and Federal Security Agency, were attempting to shape public opinion (80A-F6.6, 80A-F6.15).

11.91 Information pertaining to various studies and investigations of the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations of the State Department is found in the records of the Subcommittee on the State Department (80A-F6.8, 80A-F6.16, 7 in.).

11.92 There are records of several special subcommittees for the 82d Congress (1951-52). They include those of the Special Subcommittee Investigating the Home Loan Board (82A-F6.2, 10 ft.), the Special Subcommittee Investigating House Construction in Alaska (82A-F6.3, 10 in.), and the Special Subcommittee Investigating the Veterans Administration (82A-F6.4, 5 in.).

11.93 The bill files of the 1930's contain information about efforts to create a department of national defense (72A-D6, 73A-D8, 74A-D12, 75A-D11), the Public Works Administration (72A-D6), the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (72A-D6), and several other agencies. There is also information about a public works function in Government (70A-D8, 74A-D12), the organizational placement and coordination of veterans affairs (70A-D8, 71A-D8, 74A-D12), and the 1932 and 1945-46 governmental reorganization plans (72A-D6, 79A-D12).

11.94 For the 1930's the bill files contain information about the committee's efforts to get contractors to name their subcontractors on Government-sponsored projects (72A-D6, 74A-D12, 75A-D11); to provide military pensions and disability compensation for World War I veterans (74A-D12); and to require Government agencies to purchase American manufactured goods (72A-D6), to give preference to American citizens in hiring (75A-D11), and to provide night differential pay (75A-D11).

11.95 The committee's effort to improve the economy, efficiency, and the integrity of the Government is also documented in the bill files. Included is information about attempts to regulate government-related travel (71A-D8, 75A-D11), improve records disposition (76A-D12), reduce Federal and congressional wages (72A-D6), provide for uniform cost accounting and reporting systems for executive agencies (73A-D8, 74A-D12, 75A-D11), improve Government statistics (74A-D12, 75A-D11), reduce the number of reports the public is required to submit to the Government (77A-D11), restrict nepotism in governmental appointments (74A-D12), limit the employment of more than one family member in the Government (74A-D12), and improve the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (78A-D9).

11.96 One of the largest collections of bill files is that dating from 1938 concerning H.R. 9848, which provided for the disposition of Army horses and mules. The legislation prompted a substantial number of letters from a wide variety of sources, including school children and Dale Carnegie (75A-D11).

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Records of the Committee on Government Operations (1952-1968)

11.97 The name of the Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments was changed to the Committee on Government Operations on July 3, 1952. The new name more clearly indicated the functions and duties of the committee.

Records of the Committee on Government Operations, 83rd-90th Congress (1952-1968)

11.98 Most of the petitions and memorials relate to the creation and termination of Federal agencies.

11.99 Included in the committee papers are calendars; committee prints of house reports and documents; transcripts of executive sessions; prints and transcripts of hearings; reference materials; administrative records; and minutes of meetings. There are also reports of negotiated sales and disposals of governmental property (5 ft.) and inventory reports from agencies providing information on their properties and assets (2 ft.). The committee papers also contain a series of chronological and alphabetical "reading" files for the 88th-90th Congresses (4 ft.); records kept by William L. Dawson on the work of the subcommittees; and, for most Congresses, General Accounting Office audit reports, often arranged by the subcommittee to which they were referred.

11.100 The committee papers include 47 feet of executive communications, including reports, from agencies and a small quantity of records on reorganization plans submitted annually by the President and subsequent action, such as hearings held on the creation of a "Department of Urban Affairs and Housing" (87A-F6.2).

11.101 The committee papers for each Congress generally contain a distinct subject file providing information on the agencies and topics with which the committee dealt. There are also separate subject files on topics of interest, such as one on the implementation of the recommendations of the second Hoover Commission between 1955 and 1963 (88 GO.4).

11.102 While most of the investigatory material is contained in the records of the standing and special committees, the committee papers contain 10 feet of such files, including records relating to the Government's public information activities (83A-F7.1), ideological bias in the work of the Library of Congress (83A-F7.1), activities of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (84A-F7.3), and the effectiveness of agencies in publicizing and enforcing conflict of interest statutes (87A-F6.4).

11.103 The Committee utilized subcommittees and special subcommittees to accomplish much of its work.

11.104 Records of the subcommittees (244 ft.) include minutes, reports, correspondence, memoranda, General Accounting Office audit reports, bills and resolutions referred to subcommittee and accompanying papers, printed copies and transcripts of hearings, prints of committee and House reports, transcripts of executive sessions, and subject files on agencies. Not every type of record is available for each subcommittee.

11.105 The Subcommittee on Anti-Racketeering records (11 in.) were created during a 1954 investigation of racketeering in and around the Cleveland area and in the Washington, DC-Baltimore metropolitan area (83A-F7.14).

11.106 Most of the records of the Subcommittee on Executive and Legislative Reorganization (38 ft.) relate to reorganizations, including the establishment of departments, agencies, commissions, and assignments of governmental functions to agencies and departments (84A-D7, 84A-F7.17, 85A-D7, 85A-F7.5, 86A-F7, 86A-D5, 86A-F7.12, 87A-F6.9, 88 GO.13, 89 GO.5, 89 GO.7, 89 GO.17-19, 89 GO.25, 90 GO.11). The largest quantity of records (8 ft.) pertains to an 1960-66 investigation of the Foreign Agricultural Service (88 GO.13, 89 GO.16). Ten inches of subcommittee records from the 89th Congress relating to the creation of the Department of Transportation were retired with records of the Legislative and National Security Subcommittee of the Government Operations Committee for 92d Congress.

11.107 The records of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations and Government Information (3 ft.) concern a variety of investigations and studies conducted during the mid-1960's, including the use of polygraphs as "lie detectors" by the Federal Government; U.S. economic aid and military assistance programs in Vietnam; U.S. aid operations in Latin America under the Alliance for Progress program, and issues related to access to governmental information (88 GO.15, 89 GO.5, 89 GO.7, 89 GO.25, 90 GO.11, 90 GO.12). Approximately 5 inches of records from this subcommittee for the 89th Congress are in the records of the Legislative and National Security Subcommittee for the 92th Congress. They provide information about trips to Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, to inspect various aid programs in 1966, 1967, and 1968, and trips to Brazil to inspect U.S. aid operations under the Alliance for Progress program.

11.108 The records of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations and Monetary Affairs (8 ft.) were created during investigations of the administration of overseas personnel, U.S. technical assistance in Latin America, administrative management of the Department of State, and aid to Iran (84A-F7.4); U.S. aid operations in Laos, executive branch practices in withholding information from congressional committees, and the management of the Federal Reserve and the Export-Import Bank (86A-F7.13); U.S. aid operations in Peru and Cambodia (87A-F6.10) and contracting activities of the Agency for Intentional Development and International Cooperation Administration (87A-F6.10).

11.109 The records of the Subcommittee on Government Activities (24 ft.) provide information about the Government-owned nickel plant at Nicaro, Cuba (85A-F7.6, 87A-F6.11); the purchase and use of automated data processing equipment by the Federal Government (89 GO.5); data processing management in the Federal Government (90 GO.14); and the various agencies the committee had oversight responsibility for, including the General Services Administration.

11.110 The records of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations (20 ft.) pertain to a variety of investigations and studies, including those related to commercial and industrial-type activities in the Federal Government, such as box manufacturing, printing, commissaries, and the postal savings system (83A-F715); the donable surplus property program (83A-F715); the business operations of Billie Sol Estes with the Government (87A F6.12, 88 GO.16, 89 GO.7); export transactions and price support and storage activities; favoritism and conflicts of interest in the Commodity Credit Corporation (86A F7.20); Federal grants-in-aid to State and local governmental programs (87A-F6.12); safety of new drugs (88 GO.16, 89 GO.5, 89 GO.7, 90 GO.12); and the control of marijuana (90 GO.12)

11.111 The records of the Subcommittee on International Operations (29 ft.) provide information on the Mutual Security Acts of 1951 and 1953; American activities in Korea, Japan, and Germany; and the operations of the Foreign Operations Administration, Technical Cooperation Agency, International Cooperative Administration, United States Information Agency, and the Voice of America program: Other subjects covered are foreign aid construction programs, international education programs, and the personnel practices of the State Department (83A-F7.16, 85A-F7.18-22).

11.112 The records of the Subcommittee on Legal and Monetary Affairs (18 ft.) provide information about a variety of subjects the committee studied or investigated. During the 84th and 85th Congresses the subcommittee undertook extensive investigations into several areas, including tax amortization, labor racketeering, charitable frauds, immigration and naturalization, and false and misleading advertising of health products. It also reviewed various activities of the Department of Commerce, the Post Office Department, Treasury Department, and the Federal Trade Commission. (84A-F17-19, 85A-F7.9-12). During the 88th-90th Congresses the subcommittee reviewed crime against banking institutions, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation activities, and the Department of Justice procedures for collecting fines (88 GO.17); the activities of the Federal Reserve Board (89 GO.5, 89 GO.27); and the Federal effort against organized crime (90 GO.11, 90 GO.12).

11.113 The records of the Subcommittee on Military Operations (30 ft.) provide information about a wide variety of topics, including the military property accounting systems; procurement policies and practices; organization and operation of the military supply management program; disposition of military surplus property; defense contracts; civil defense management; organization and management of the military missile programs; management of nuclear submarine development; Government use of satellite communication; use of computers in information retrieval; and unnecessary costs in various programs (83A-F7.17, 87A-F6.13, 86A-F7.21, 88 GO.18, 89 GO.5, 89 GO.28, 89 GO.7, 90 GO.11, 90 GO.17). There are 2 feet of subcommittee records for the 86th-90th Congresses that were retired by the Legislative and National Security Subcommittee of the Government Operations Committee. Included in these records is information about flight pay, chemical warfare, communication satellites, and military and civilian missile programs.

11.114 Information about problems with the Nation's water resources and water pollution control is found in the records of the Subcommittee on National Resources and Power (88 GO.19, 89 GO.5, 89 GO.29, 90 GO.11, 90 GO.12, 4 ft.).

11.115 Information about hearings on 1953 investigations of inefficiencies in the Post Office Department's delivery of the mail and of maritime mobilization capabilities are found in the records of the Subcommittee on Public Accounts (83A-F7.18, 2 in.).

11.116 The records of the Subcommittee on Public Works and Resources (16 ft.) consist primarily of investigations and studies of the Rural Electric Administration, rural electric cooperatives, powerline regulations, mining claims, Federal timber policy, utilities, and various government activities in the Virgin Islands and Alaska (84A-F7.5-11, 85A-F7.13-15).

11.117 The records of the Subcommittee on Research and Technical Programs (20 ft.) provide information on Federal research and development programs; the use of social research in Federal domestic programs; cuts in Federal expenditures for research and development activities abroad; utilization of Federal laboratory resources; management of research equipment procurement; management of Federal medical research on aging; Federal air pollution research and development activities; and the "brain drain" of developing countries, whose scientists, engineers, and physicians moved to the United States. Records relating to investigations of various labs and projects are also included (89 GO.5, 89 GO.20A, 89 GO.21, 89 GO.22, 89 GO.23, 89.GO.24, 90 GO.11, 90 GO.12, 90 GO.20-24).

11.118 Most of the records of the Special Studies Subcommittee (12 ft.) relate to agency accounting systems, lab equipment procurement, recreational boating safety, consumer affairs related activities, and certain activities of the Geological Survey and the Foreign Agriculture Service (90 GO.11, 90 GO.12).

11.119 All of the records of the Subcommittee on Reorganization of the House and Senate Committees on Government Operations (2 in.) pertain to the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (83A-F7.19).

11.120 The records of the Special Subcommittee on Government Information (7 ft.) primarily relate to various issues concerning the creation, maintenance, and use of and access to Government information (85A-F7.23, 86A-F7.9, 87A-F6.7).

11.121 Information pertaining to computers, the activities of commercial credit bureaus, the National Data Bank Concept, and privacy concerns are found in the records of the Special Subcommittee on the Invasion of Privacy (89 GO.5, 89 GO32, 90 GO.11, 90 GO.12, 11 in.).

11.122 The records of the Special Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Education and Labor (7 in.) provide information on welfare funds and racketeering and Federal-State cooperation in the enforcement of anti-racketeering laws in the Detroit, MI and Kansas City, MO areas (83A-F7.13).

11.123 During the 83d Congress the committee appointed numerous special subcommittees, including those on Alaskan Housing (83A-F7.2, 1 in.); Amending the Corrupt Practices Act (83A-F7.3, 1 in.); Compliance [of agency personnel with laws, regulations, directives] (83A-F7.4, 2 in.); Disposal of Certain Industrial Properties (83A-F7.5, 1 in.); Fontana School of Aeronautics (83A-F7.6, 2 in.); German Consulate-American Housing Program (83A-F7.7, 2 in.); Government Contracts for Small Business (83A-F7.8, 1 in.); Housing Activities of the Government (83A-F7.9, 4 in.); Public Housing (83A-F7.10, 2 ft.); and several Special Subcommittees on Reorganization Plans (83A-F7.11; 83A-F7.12, 1 in.).

11.124 During 86th and 87th Congresses there were several special subcommittees, including those on Donable Property (86A-F7.8, 87A-F6.6, 5 ft.); Assigned Power and Land Problems (86A-F7.7, 87A-F6.5, 3 ft.); Home Loan Bank Board (86A-F7.10, 87A-F6.8, 2 ft.); and Reno Interstate Highway (86A-F7.11, 10 in.).

11.125 The bill files contain records relating to a wide variety of subjects, many of which concern economy and efficiency of governmental operations. The researchers should be aware that records relating to specific legislation may be found in full committee bill files or in bill files generated by the subcommittee that reported the legislation. Occasionally bill files on a bill or resolution were kept at both the full committee and subcommittee levels.

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Notes

1. Annals of the Congress of the United States, 7th Cong., 1st sess., Jan. 7, 1802, p. 412. [Back to text]

2. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 13th Cong., 2nd sess., Feb. 26, 1814, pp. 311, 314. [Back to text]

3. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 13th Cong., 2nd sess., Feb. 26, 1814, pp. 311, 314. [Back to text]

4. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 14th Cong., 1st sess., Mar. 30, 1816, p. 550. [Back to text]

5. Asher C. Hinds, Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1907) vol. 4, p. 830, para. 4315. [Back to text]

6. George B. Galloway, Congress at the Crossroads (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1946), p. 263, n. 46. [Back to text]

7. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 70th Cong., 1st sess., Dec. 5, 1927, p. 8. [Back to text]

8. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 82nd Cong., 2nd sess., July 3, 1952, pp. 720-721. [Back to text]

9. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 90th Cong., 2nd sess., Rule XI, "Powers and Duties of Committees," p. 1315. [Back to text]

Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to the Records of the United States House of Representatives at the National Archives, 1789-1989: Bicentennial Edition (Doct. No. 100-245). By Charles E. Schamel, Mary Rephlo, Rodney Ross, David Kepley, Robert W. Coren, and James Gregory Bradsher. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1989.

This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1989.

Return to the Table of Contents for the Guide to the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.