Making laws
oversight
Congress's review of how the executive branch carries out the laws it passed: hearings, document demands, investigations, and the spending power behind them.
In full
The Constitution never uses the word, but the power to legislate and to fund has always been read to carry the power to inquire. Oversight runs through committee hearings, letters and document requests, subpoenas, inspector general and GAO reports, and ultimately the appropriations process. Its practical strength rises and falls with whether the same party controls Congress and the White House.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.