<P> The House Government Reform Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which have oversight jurisdiction over virtually the entire federal government, furthermore, are authorized to review and study the operation of government activities to determine their economy and efficiency and to submit recommendations based on GAO reports . In addition, House rules require that the findings and recommendations from the Government Reform Committee be considered by authorizing panels, if presented to them in a timely fashion . </P> <P> Oversight occurs through a wide variety of congressional activities and avenues . Some of the most publicized are the comparatively rare investigations by select committees into major scandals or into executive branch operations gone awry . </P> <P> Cases in point are temporary select committee inquiries into: China's acquisition of U.S. nuclear weapons information, in 1999; the Iran - Contra affair, in 1987; intelligence agency abuses, in 1975--1976, and the Watergate scandal in 1973--1974 . The precedent for this kind of oversight goes back two centuries: in 1792, a special House committee investigated the defeat of an Army force by confederated Indian tribes . </P> <P> By comparison to these select panel investigations, other congressional inquiries in recent Congresses--into the Whitewater controversy, access to Federal Bureau of Investigation files, White House Travel Office firings, and campaign financing--have relied upon standing committees . </P>

How effective is congress' oversight of the executive branch