LETTER: Congress needs to exert oversight

Elections determine who governs. They do not eliminate the need for limits on executive power.

Recent news of fatal shootings involving federal agents has intensified public concern over enforcement practices and the lack of accountability. As Congress considers funding, including for the Department of Homeland Security, lawmakers have a responsibility to ensure that the money it authorizes is used lawfully and within statutory limits.

Congress cannot approve spending and then act surprised when funds are repurposed or used without accountability. Oversight without consequences is oversight in name only.

Avoiding shutdowns is important. So is preserving the separation of powers. Funding legislation should include guardrails so that Congress’s authority remains real after the money is spent. That is not partisan obstruction. It is how the system is supposed to work.