The heart and soul of the House and Senate have always been the standing committees that are reconstituted and reelected in the House every two years. Senate committees, on the other hand, are blessed with eternal life, since the Senate is a “continuing body.” What about today? Is the question, “Whither the standing committees?” And is the obvious answer, “Wither the standing committees?"

Over the last two weeks, we have seen various Senate committees flex their muscles in the confirmation process for high-level executive branch positions. On the whole, senators acquitted themselves well. Most were well-prepared, having vetted many of the nominees privately before the public hearings. They asked well-informed questions, pressing nominees repeatedly for more specific responses.

Overall, the confirmation process is an important eye-opener for senators and the public to assess the quality of Cabinet secretary nominees who will be overseeing major departments and issues for the next four years. The process can be viewed as an early notice system for what directions, attitudes and policy proclivities the new administration will be embracing during its time in office.

But the confirmation process is just a small part of the job committees have to do........

© The Hill