Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, today began his hearing schedule for the 112th Congress by holding the first of a series of oversight hearings on the agencies funded through the subcommittee’s bill. This morning’s hearing focused on management challenges at the Department of the Interior.

“Oversight is not one of the most exciting things that Congress does, but it is one of the most important,” said Simpson.  “At a time of record budget deficits, we have a responsibility to carefully scrutinize how every taxpayer dollar is spent. Hearings like the one held today provide subcommittee members with the information we need to write a subcommittee budget for fiscal year 2012 that reduces government spending and forces agencies to become more efficient.”

Simpson has scheduled over 20 budget oversight hearings over the next two months.  Tomorrow the subcommittee will hold a hearing on management challenges at the Environmental Protection Agency, at which representatives of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the EPA’s Inspector General will testify.  A similar hearing regarding challenges facing the U.S. Forest Service is scheduled for next week.