Also in the News: Republicans beef up House oversight panel

As a Democratic president prepares to take charge in the White House, and larger Democratic majorities are poised to exert their influence in Congress, House Republicans are moving to strengthen their ability to investigate cases of waste, fraud and abuse in the executive branch, according to a Government Executive article.

Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the newly elected ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has removed more than one-third of the panel’s GOP staffers with the intention of replacing them with people who have investigative backgrounds.

The move is seen as a repeat of the model employed by Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California, who successfully used his investigative staff to highlight Bush administration failures during the years of strong Republican House majorities, Government Executive said.