House and Senate committees held fewer and fewer hearings between the 96th and 109th Congresses, according to data Coburn’s staff collected from the University of Texas at Austin and the Brookings Institution.
There has also been a decline in the number of amendments considered on the Senate floor as well as in the number of roll-call votes taken, the report states — both are ways that the public can keep tabs on what their lawmakers are doing.
The report also contends that while the Congressional budget has increased by nearly 50 percent in the past decade, the GAO’s budget has seen little increase over that period. All the while, Congressional requests for GAO reports are on the rise.
Though Coburn’s spokesman did not say specifically what he would be willing to accept from appropriators, the strong tone of the report suggests that Coburn would be unhappy with any reduction.
If the legislative branch spending bill comes to the floor, Coburn could offer an amendment to restore funding to fiscal 2011 levels.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
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