The Dual Oversight of Power: Executive and Legislative Control in U.S. Administration
By Jean Richard Franck, M.A., Doctoral Student in Public Administration
In the landscape of American democracy, power does not reside in a single person, branch, or institution. It is checked, balanced, and most importantly—shared. Nowhere is this more evident than in the oversight of administrative agencies, where both the executive and legislative branches exercise authority. This shared control is not a tug-of-war. It is a dynamic process—a choreography of law, leadership, and legitimacy.
Many people imagine that the President alone controls the agencies of government. After all, the President appoints agency heads, signs executive orders, and shapes the national agenda. But in truth, Congress is the architect. It creates these agencies, defines their scope, and holds the purse strings. One branch steers the ship, the other builds and funds it. Together, they guide the course of governance.
Consider the President's tools: executive orders, budget proposals, memoranda, and the authority to nominate (and in some cases, remove) key officials. These powers are formidable. They allow the President to implement change without waiting for legislation. Through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), the President can even delay or revise agency regulations that don't align with White House priorities.
Yet this power, though wide, is not absolute. It is rooted in constitutional and statutory law. Article II of the Constitution vests executive power in the President, and charges him with the faithful execution of the law. That duty sets boundaries. The President cannot legislate, only implement. And while the courts can challenge executive overreach, it is Congress that provides the long-term counterbalance.
Congress shapes the administrative state through structural design, delegation, funding, and oversight. It decides which agencies exist, what they do, and how their decisions must be made. The Administrative Procedure Act (APA), a cornerstone of modern governance, is a legislative act that mandates transparency, fairness, and public participation in agency rulemaking. Congress doesn't merely create law—it ensures the law is applied as intended.
The difference in how these two branches exercise power is profound. The executive acts swiftly. The legislative acts deliberately. The President commands from the center. Congress deliberates through committees and coalitions. One responds to crises with urgency; the other reflects the consensus of a nation.
This tension is not dysfunction—it's design.
We've seen this interplay throughout history. Presidents have issued bold executive orders to drive environmental policy, economic reform, and public health action. Meanwhile, Congress has investigated those same agencies, reined in budgets, and rewritten authorizing statutes. Sometimes they clash. Sometimes they collaborate. But the system endures, because the balance itself is a form of accountability.
As a student of public administration, I see this dual oversight as more than a procedural function. It is a reminder that no one governs alone. Our institutions are complex by intention, not by accident. They are layered, not to confuse, but to protect. Governance in a democracy must be resilient—not only against inefficiency, but against unchecked power.
So the next time we read about a regulatory agency drafting a rule, pausing a program, or changing a standard, we should remember: that action is not the product of one decision, but of many. It is the result of oversight, vision, and law—shaped by both executive leadership and legislative design.
In that duality, we find the essence of American public administration: governance that is powerful, but never singular. Accountable, but never isolated. Structured, but never static.
Jean Richard Franck, M.A. Doctoral Student in Public Administration Writer | Policy Analyst | Advocate for Ethical and Accountable Government
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Here's How Much Kristi Noem Is Worth
Kristi Noem testified before a House committee in May about the Department of Homeland Security's budget Noem made headlines last month when a thief snatched her purse inside a Washington, D.C., restaurant and made off with $3,000 in cash, prompting a question: Exactly how much money does the homeland security secretary have? About $5 million, Forbes estimates, after analyzing property records and financial filings. The root of the fortune begins 1,200 miles away from the nation's capital, in eastern South Dakota, where waves of grain fill the landscape and houses pop up every once in a while. The family farm where Noem grew up sits outside of Hazel (population: 132), surrounded by cropland. Her current home lies in Castlewood (population: 698) on a 200-acre plot of ranchland. And in the tiny town of Bryant (population: 471) lies an unassuming, single-story office building that serves as the key to the Noem family's finances, housing her husband's Noem Insurance, which has generated $1.1 million in salary and profits for him over the past two years selling insurance policies on homes, cars, farms and lives. Bryon Noem, Kristi's husband, purchased the agency from a South Dakota bank in 2010. The cash flow seems to have taken off starting around 2015, when, on Noem's disclosures filed while she served in Congress, she reported that the income jumped from a range of $50,000-$100,000 in 2014 to $100,000-$1 million the following year, never falling back again. Today, Forbes estimates that, if Bryon were to sell his agency, he might get $2 million for it after debt. That makes it the single biggest chunk of the Trump Cabinet member's personal portfolio. Other major assets include a car wash co-owned by Bryon, their home and land, and an eclectic mix of Noem's pensions, multiple cash and investment accounts, livestock and farming equipment and a loan to their 28-year-old daughter's yoga studio. It all adds up to an estimated $5 million in wealth. The Department of Homeland Security did not return requests for comment. Reached by phone, Bryon disputed Forbes' valuation of Noem Insurance, but declined to answer further questions or elaborate. Born in 1971 to farmer-ranchers Ron and Corrine Arnold in Watertown, South Dakota, Kristi Noem raised animals during her childhood—including, as she recounted in an autobiography, raccoons, parakeets, a goat, a sheep, a miniature horse and 'a small herd' of between 20 and 30 cats. She married Bryon, whom she met in high school, in 1992. Tragedy struck in 1994 when, while Noem was in college and eight months pregnant, her father died in a farming accident. She stopped her classes to help keep the farm running. Meanwhile, she built a family with Bryon, adding three kids in a decade. They ran a hunting lodge attached to the farm, until Bryon began managing Bryant State Bank's insurance business in 2003. Three years later, the pair bought a 31-acre plot in Castlewood, South Dakota for $7,500, according to assessor records. There, they constructed the home they still live in today and, in 2008 and 2010, also purchased roughly 170 acres of neighboring plots to use as pastureland for grazing animals. Forbes estimates that the home and land together are worth about $1.1 million, before factoring in a roughly $200,000 mortgage against the house. The same year Noem moved to Castlewood, she won a seat in the South Dakota statehouse. 'I figured we needed someone in the legislature who was still active in agriculture and business,' Noem wrote in her first book. The part-time gig came with a salary of $12,000. Pierre, the state capital, was three hours away, but Noem lived with a family friend while in town for her first forty-day session. She befriended other Republicans in leadership, and, after winning another term in 2008, became assistant majority leader. In 2010, both Kristi and Bryon got promotions. He bought the insurance agency he managed, spinning it into Noem Insurance. She won South Dakota's only seat in the House of Representatives, beating back a speeding ticket scandal—she'd reportedly racked up almost two dozen over the years and hadn't paid all of them on time, leading to two arrest warrants—and ousting a Blue Dog Democrat in the Tea Party wave. Noem's brothers bought her out of her share of the farm and she headed off to Washington, where her new job came with a salary of $174,000. She served as a liaison between House Republican leadership and the sizable class of new GOP members, carved out a reputation for trying to protect federal farm subsidies and ultimately spent four terms in Congress, gaining a pension Forbes estimates is worth about $140,000 today. She also finally finished college while in office thanks to online classes, earning a political science degree from South Dakota State University in 2011. Noem, whose family had been impacted by the estate tax after her father's death, sought to repeal it while in Congress and supported the 2017 GOP tax bill that lowered it. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Noem's political ascent continued in 2018, when she won South Dakota's gubernatorial race, reducing her annual pay to $113,000. But the office helped build her national brand, and Noem soon began traveling widely to conservative events. A recent investigation by the Associated Press found that, while governor, taxpayers covered over $150,000 in travel expenses, mostly security costs, unrelated to her work as South Dakota's chief executive. While in office, Noem wrote two memoirs. 'Not My First Rodeo' came out in 2022 and flopped, selling around 700 print copies, according to Circana Bookscan, an industry data service. The second, 'No Going Back,' hit shelves in 2024 and attracted controversy for a now-infamous anecdote in which she describes killing a rambunctious 14-month-old dog after a pheasant hunting trip. With Noem reportedly under consideration for the VP slot on Trump's 2024 ticket at the time, she sold over 36,000 copies. Bryon also launched a new venture of his own during this time, buying a plot of land next to a Pierre Walmart in 2021 with a partner and building a car-wash on it; Forbes estimates that his share of the business is worth around $300,000 after debt. Though he passed her over for vice president, Trump—no stranger to scandal—brought Noem on board in his administration. As Homeland Security secretary, she draws a salary of $235,100. She also has a higher profile and a bigger budget than ever. DHS spent $140 billion last year, roughly 20 times South Dakota's state budget. On top of that, the Republican tax-and-spending bill moving through Congress now would, per a New York Times analysis, give the department an additional $138 billion over 10 years for immigration enforcement and border security measures, partially offset by $67 billion in revenue from higher immigration fees. But she hasn't forgotten where she came from. In her first speech to DHS employees after being sworn in, Noem remembered building a fence with her father at age 10, noting that he would expect her to have tools ready for him before he needed them so he could work quickly. 'That is what our job is here, as well, at the Department of Homeland Security,' she told assembled staff. 'We prepare ahead, and think three steps ahead, so that people have what they need before they need it.'
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Gabbard considering ways to revamp Trump's intelligence briefing
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Gabbard has also discussed tailoring some of the content in the PDB to Trump's interests, such as including more information on economic and trade issues and less routine focus on the war in Ukraine, according to three of the people with direct knowledge of the PDB discussions. Including intelligence on issues the president particularly cares about is not unusual. The PDB for Biden included gender and climate change issues, one of those three people said. "You shift with the priorities of the administration," that person said, adding that because of Trump's distrust of the intelligence community, getting him to embrace the PDB "is a very uphill fight." As director of national intelligence, Gabbard oversees and approves the PDB. A large staff of analysts and other employees at the CIA compiles the PDB, creating detailed text, graphics and videos based on the latest intelligence gathered by America's spy agencies. 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It's common for intelligence leaders to put their own staffs in place, but the move concerned congressional Democrats who already questioned some of Gabbard's efforts to have tighter control over what intelligence reaches Trump. "Absent evidence to justify the firings, the workforce can only conclude that their jobs are contingent on producing analysis that is aligned with the president's political agenda, rather than truthful and apolitical," Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. An administration official previously told NBC News that the two officials were fired "because they were unable to provide unbiased intelligence."
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Joe Biden's decency will always outshine Donald Trump's cruelty.
Joe Biden's decency will always outshine Donald Trump's cruelty. | Opinion 'I really don't feel sorry for him' is a generally crappy thing to say about anyone with cancer ‒ period. And calling the person dumb and 'vicious' isn't great, either. Show Caption Hide Caption Biden speaks in public for first time since cancer diagnosis Former president Joe Biden delivered his first public speech at a Memorial Day event in Delaware since his cancer diagnosis was announced. This past week showed Americans once again that President Donald Trump's callousness and casual cruelty will never escape the shadow of former President Joe Biden's decency. Let's look at each president's Memorial Day message. Biden posted on social media May 26: 'On Memorial Day, let us pause to remember and honor the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice so we could live our lives in peace and possibility. Today we also honor the families they left behind whose hearts still carry the weight of absence.' Trump, on that same day, shared a post that described Biden, recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, as 'a decrepit corpse.' Classy. Trump's Memorial Day post was the stuff of nightmares Trump's own message on Memorial Day, a day meant to honor and mourn military men and women who died serving their country, was this: 'HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS, WHO ALLOWED 21,000,000 MILLION PEOPLE TO ILLEGALLY ENTER OUR COUNTRY, MANY OF THEM BEING CRIMINALS AND THE MENTALLY INSANE,THROUGH AN OPEN BORDER THAT ONLY AN INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD APPROVE, AND THROUGH JUDGES WHO ARE ON A MISSION TO KEEP MURDERERS, DRUG DEALERS, RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS, AND RELEASED PRISONERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN OUR COUNTRY SO THEY CAN ROB, MURDER, AND RAPE AGAIN — ALL PROTECTED BY THESE USA HATING JUDGES WHO SUFFER FROM AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS SICK, AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR COUNTRY. HOPEFULLY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, AND OTHER GOOD AND COMPASSIONATE JUDGES THROUGHOUT THE LAND, WILL SAVE US FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL. BUT FEAR NOT, WE HAVE MADE GREAT PROGRESS OVER THE LAST 4 MONTHS, AND AMERICA WILL SOON BE SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! AGAIN, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!' OK. That's … a lot. That's a whole lot, in fact. None of it is good. Biden, unlike Trump, spoke of veterans with reverence And if that weren't enough, the disparity between the characters of the two men was made clearer later in the week. Biden spoke to veterans on May 30 at a Memorial Day service in Delaware, his first speech since the cancer diagnosis. 'Folks, you know, for generation after generation, that profound idea has been defended by ordinary citizens who stepped up and answered the call,' Biden said. 'Because of them, American democracy has endured for nearly 250 years. Every generation – every generation – every generation – has to fight to maintain that democracy. Every time, every generation. Because of them, our government is still of the people, by the people and for the people. They are we. And we are still free. And now, we must make sure that sacrifice has never been in vain.' 'I really don't feel sorry for him' That same day, Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office. He made false claims that the economy is now better under him than it was under Biden. And during a lengthy bit of rambling, he said this of his predecessor: 'Look, he's been a sort of a moderate person over his lifetime. Not a smart person. But a somewhat vicious person, I will say. If you feel sorry for him, don't feel so sorry, because he's vicious, what he did with his political opponent and all of the people that he hurt. He hurt a lot of people. And so, I really don't feel sorry for him.' Opinion: TACO Trump? President lashes out at 'Trump Always Chickens Out' talk. Hilarious. Because Trump rarely makes sense, it wasn't clear if he was saying not to feel sorry for Biden because of the cancer diagnosis or if Trump was making reference to his usual spurious claims about the former president's mental capacity. Regardless, 'I really don't feel sorry for him' is a generally crappy thing to say about anyone with cancer ‒ period. And calling the person dumb and 'vicious' isn't great, either. Character differences between Biden and Trump remain stark Biden, as president, was not perfect, and never claimed to be. But he continues, in the face of a serious health crisis, to speak with decency and patriotism. Trump, on the other hand, consistently claims he's perfect. Almost infallible. And he speaks like a callous jerk who wouldn't know decency if it stood in front of him. Opinion: Russia better start listening to big, tough Donald Trump. He is SERIOUS! With Biden having served the four years between Trump's two terms, the two will forever be bound in political history. But Biden's character will always ‒ always ‒ outshine Trump's. And the person who knows that better than anyone? The ever-spiteful Donald J. Trump. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
