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Gibbs Knotts, Professor of Political Science, Coastal Carolina University

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

U.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 and largely ignored outside the Beltway.

But their tone has shifted dramatically during the second Trump administration.

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