Investigating President Obama's foreign policy - Dana Rohrabacher - Freelance Diplomat - Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Source: Foreign Policy

Rohrabacher put in charge of House foreign affairs investigations
Josh Rogin
Tuesday, December 21, 2010

As part of her drive to revamp the House Foreign Affairs Committee, incoming chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) has named Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) as her point man on oversight and investigations related to the Obama administration.

"I will be establishing mechanisms for Americans to blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse in State Department and Foreign Aid operations by welcoming anonymous tips," Ros-Lehtinen said, in announcing that Rohrabacher would chair the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Tuesday.

Ros-Lehtinen touted Rohrabacher's past work with the subcommittee in investigating corruption in the U.N. Oil for Food program. "He also participated in investigations into foreign-owned banks under U.S. contract which violated U.S. sanctions on Iran, Cuba, and Libya," she said.

Ros-Lehtinen has pledged to put cutting the State Department and foreign aid budgets at the top of her agenda next year. Her work will be especially significant at this time, as Congress starts to write new authorization and appropriations bills for the 2011 fiscal year following the passage on Tuesday of a continuing resolution that will fund the government at current levels until March.

She also said she will establish a mechanism for the American people to be directly involved in the committee's hearings.