text:
Congressional oversight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Congressional oversight is oversight by the United States Congress over the Executive Branch, including the numerous U.S. federal agencies. Congressional oversight includes the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation.[1] Congress exercises this power largely through its congressional committee system. However, oversight, which dates to the earliest days of the Republic, also occurs in a wide variety of congressional activities and contexts. These include authorization, appropriations, investigative, and legislative hearings by standing committees; specialized investigations by select committees; and reviews and studies by congressional support agencies and staff.
Congress’s oversight authority derives from its “implied” powers in the Constitution, public laws, and House and Senate rules. It is an integral part of the American system of checks and balances.
Contents
[hide]
1 Report on the Organization of Congress
2 Congressional control of agencies
3 Principles
4 Purposes
5 Powers and prerogatives
5.1 U.S. Constitution
5.2 Statutes
6 Activities and avenues
7 Congressional Oversight Training
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Report on the Organization of Congress[edit]
Oversight is an implied rather than an enumerated power under the U.S. Constitution.[2] The government's charter does not explicitly grant Congress the authority to conduct inquiries or investigations of the executive, to have access to records or materials held by the executive, or to issue subpoenas for documents or testimony from the executive.
There was little discussion of the power to oversee, review, or investigate executive activity at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 or later in The Federalist Papers, which argued in favor of ratification of the Constitution. The lack of debate was because oversight and its attendant authority were seen as an inherent power of representative assemblies which enacted public law.[3]
Oversight also derives from the many and varied express powers of the Congress in the Constitution. It is implied in the legislature's authority, among other powers and duties, to appropriate funds, enact laws, raise and support armies, provide for a Navy, declare war, and impeach and remove from office the President, Vice President, and other civil officers. Congress could not reasonably or responsibly exercise these powers without knowing what the executive was doing; how programs were being administered, by whom, and at what cost; and whether officials were obeying the law and complying with legislative intent.
The Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed the oversight powers of Congress, subject to constitutional safeguards for civil liberties, on several occasions. In 1927, for instance, the Court found that in investigating the administration of the Justice Department, Congress was considering a subject "on which legislation could be had or would be materially aided by the information which the investigation was calculated to elicit".[4]
Congressional control of agencies[edit]
If Congress believes that an agency has drifted from its original mandate, Congress can respond in a number of ways. Congress can pass a law to overrule agency decisions, or to narrow the agency's jurisdiction. Congress can use its appropriations power to restrict the agency's funding. Congress can also narrow the agency's regulatory authority. For example, in the 1980s Congress narrowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory discretion using detailed substantive criteria to limit EPA rulemaking.[5]
Principles[edit]
Underlying the legislature's ability to oversee the executive are democratic principles as well as practical purposes. John Stuart Mill, the British Utilitarian philosopher, insisted that oversight was the key feature of a meaningful representative body: “The proper office of a representative assembly is to watch and control the government”.[6] As a young scholar, Woodrow Wilson equated oversight with lawmaking, which was usually seen as the supreme function of a legislature. He wrote, “Quite as important as legislation is vigilant oversight of administration”.[7]
The philosophical underpinning for oversight is the Constitution’s system of checks and balances among the legislature, executive, and judiciary. James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution”, described the system in Federalist No. 51 as establishing “subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner that each may be a check on the other”.
Purposes[edit]
Oversight, as an outgrowth of this principle, ideally serves a number of overlapping objectives and purposes:
improve the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of governmental operations;
evaluate programs and performance;
detect and prevent poor administration, waste, abuse, arbitrary and capricious behavior, or illegal and unconstitutional conduct;
protect civil liberties and constitutional rights;
inform the general public and ensure that executive policies reflect the public interest;
gather information to develop new legislative proposals or to amend existing statutes;
ensure administrative compliance with legislative intent; and
prevent executive encroachment on legislative authority and prerogatives.
In sum, oversight is a way for Congress to check on, and check, the executived directors
Powers and prerogatives[edit]
U.S. Constitution[edit]
Although the U.S. Constitution grants no formal, express authority to oversee or investigate the executive or program administration, oversight is implied in Congress’s array of enumerated powers.[8] The legislature is authorized to appropriate funds; raise and support armies; provide for and maintain a navy; declare war; provide for organizing and calling forth the national guard; regulate interstate and foreign commerce; establish post offices and post roads; advise and consent on treaties and presidential nominations (Senate); and impeach (House) and try (Senate) the President, Vice President, and civil officers for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Reinforcing these powers is Congress’s broad authority “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof”.
The authority to oversee derives from these constitutional powers. Congress could not carry them out reasonably or responsibly without knowing what the executive is doing; how programs are being administered, by whom, and at what cost; and whether officials are obeying the law and complying with legislative intent. The Supreme Court has legitimated Congress’s investigative power, subject to constitutional safeguards for civil liberties. In 1927, the Court found that, in investigating the administration of the Department of Justice, Congress was considering a subject “on which legislation could be had or would be materially aided by the information which the investigation was calculated to elicit”.[9]
Statutes[edit]
The “necessary and proper” clause of the Constitution also allows Congress to enact laws that mandate oversight by its committees, grant relevant authority to itself and its support agencies, and impose specific obligations on the executive to report to or consult with Congress, and even seek its approval for specific actions.
Broad oversight mandates exist for the legislature in several significant statutes.
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (P.L. 79-601), for the first time, explicitly called for “legislative oversight” in public law. It directed House and Senate standing committees “to exercise continuous watchfulness” over programs and agencies under their jurisdiction; authorized professional staff for them; and enhanced the powers of the Comptroller General, the head of Congress’s investigative and audit arm, the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-510) authorized each standing committee to “review and study, on a continuing basis, the application, administration and execution” of laws under its jurisdiction; increased the professional staff of committees; expanded the assistance provided by the Congressional Research Service; and strengthened the program evaluation responsibilities of GAO.
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-344) allowed committees to conduct program evaluation themselves or contract out for it; strengthened GAO’s role in acquiring fiscal, budgetary, and program-related information; and upgraded GAO’s review capabilities.
Besides these general powers, numerous statutes direct the executive to furnish information to or consult with Congress. For example, the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-62) requires agencies to consult with Congress on their strategic plans and report annually on performance plans, goals, and results. In fact, more than 2,000 reports are submitted each year to Congress by federal departments, agencies, commissions, bureaus, and offices. Inspectors General (IGs), for instance, report their findings about waste, fraud, and abuse, and their recommendations for corrective action, periodically to the agency head and Congress. The IGs are also instructed to issue special reports concerning particularly serious problems immediately to the agency head, who transmits them unaltered to Congress within seven days. The Reports Consolidation Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-531), moreover, instructs the IGs to identify and describe their agencies’ most serious management and performance challenges and briefly assess progress in addressing them. This new requirement is to be part of a larger effort by individual agencies to consolidate their numerous reports on financial and performance management matters into a single annual report. The aim is to enhance coordination and efficiency within the agencies; improve the quality of relevant information; and provide it in a more meaningful and useful format for Congress, the President, and the public.
In addition, Congress creates commissions and establishes task forces to study and make recommendations for select policy areas that can also involve examination of executive operations and organizations.
There is a long history behind executive reports to Congress. Indeed, one of the first laws of the First Congress—the 1789 Act to establish the Treasury Department (1 Stat. 66)—called upon the Secretary and the Treasurer to report directly to Congress on public expenditures and all accounts. The Secretary was also required “to make report, and give information to either branch of the legislature...respecting all matters referred to him by the Senate or House of Representatives, or which shall appertain to his office.” Separate from such reporting obligations, public employees may provide information to Congress on their own. In the early part of the 20th century, Congress enacted legislation to overturn a “gag” rule, issued by the President, that prohibited employees from communicating directly with Congress (5 U.S.C. 7211 (1994)). Other “whistleblower” statutes, which have been extended specifically to cover personnel in the intelligence community (P.L. 105-272), guarantee the right of government employees to petition or furnish information to Congress or a Member.
House and Senate Rules Chamber rules also reinforce the oversight function. House and Senate rules, for instance, provide for “special oversight” or “comprehensive policy oversight”, respectively, for specified committees over matters that relate to their authorizing jurisdiction. In addition, House rules direct each standing committee to require its subcommittees to conduct oversight or to establish an oversight subcommittee for this purpose. House rules also call for each committee to submit an oversight agenda, listing its prospective oversight topics for the ensuing Congress, to the House Committee on Government Reform, which compiles and prints the agendas.
The House Government Reform Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which have oversight jurisdiction over virtually the entire federal government, furthermore, are authorized to review and study the operation of government activities to determine their economy and efficiency and to submit recommendations based on GAO reports. In addition, House rules require that the findings and recommendations from the Government Reform Committee be considered by authorizing panels, if presented to them in a timely fashion.
Activities and avenues[edit]
Oversight occurs through a wide variety of congressional activities and avenues. Some of the most publicized are the comparatively rare investigations by select committees into major scandals or into executive branch operations gone awry.
Cases in point are temporary select committee inquiries into: China’s acquisition of U.S. nuclear weapons information, in 1999; the Iran-Contra affair, in 1987; intelligence agency abuses, in 1975–1976, and the Watergate scandal in 1973–1974. The precedent for this kind of oversight goes back two centuries: in 1792, a special House committee investigated the defeat of an Army force by confederated Indian tribes.
By comparison to these select panel investigations, other congressional inquiries in recent Congresses—into the Whitewater controversy, access to Federal Bureau of Investigation files, White House Travel Office firings, and campaign financing—have relied upon standing committees.
The impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton in 1998 in the House and in 1999 in the Senate also generated considerable oversight. The oversight not only encompassed the President and the White House staff, but also extended to the office of independent counsel, specifically its authority, jurisdiction, and expenditures. Although such highly visible endeavors are significant, they usually reflect only a small portion of Congress’s total oversight effort. More routine and regular review, monitoring, and supervision occur in other congressional activities and contexts. Especially important are appropriations hearings on agency budgets as well as authorization hearings for existing programs. Separately, examinations of executive operations and the implementation of programs—by congressional staff, support agencies, and specially created commissions and task forces—provide additional oversight.
Another avenue of oversight is a resolution of inquiry, which is a simple resolution making a direct request or demand of the President or the head of an executive department to furnish the House of Representatives with specific factual information in the Administration’s possession.[10]
Congressional Oversight Training[edit]
The CRS and the Project On Government Oversight, an independent nonprofit watchdog, train Congressional staff how to conduct effective oversight.
See also[edit]
Government Accountability Office (GAO) - assists Congressional oversight by monitoring the executive branch and reporting to Congress.
Congressional oversight hearings
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Kaiser FM. (2001). Congressional Oversight. CRS Report for Congress 97-936, 2001 Updated 2012 version: Halchin LE. (2012). Congressional Oversight.
Jump up ^ Final Report of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress - Congressional Oversight Archived 2006-11-30 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress (December 1993). "Organization of the Congress – Congressional Oversight". house.gov.
Jump up ^ "McGrain v. Daugherty". Oyez.org. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
Jump up ^ Congress, The Supreme Court, and the quiet revolution in administrative law, 1988 Duke Law Journal 819.
Jump up ^ John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government (London: Parker, Son, and Bourn, 1861), p. 104.
Jump up ^ Woodrow Wilson, Congressional Government (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1885), p. 297.
Jump up ^ Article I, Sec. 8 and Article II, Secs. 2 and 4.
Jump up ^ McGrain v. Daugherty, 273 U.S. 135, 177 (1927); see also Watkins v. United States, 354 U.S. 178, 187 (1957), and Barenblatt v. United States, 360 U.S. 109, 111 (1959).
Jump up ^ Davis, Christopher M. (November 9, 2017). Resolutions of Inquiry: An Analysis of Their Use in the House, 1947-2017 (PDF). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
Much of the content in this article was excerpted from CRS Report for Congress 97-936, 2001.
External links[edit]
CRS Congressional Oversight Manual (PDF)
CRS Report for Congress 97-936, 2001 (PDF)
Updated January 3, 2006
Final Report of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress, 1993
Congressional Oversight
The General Principles of Congressional Oversight, House Committee on Rules
Project On Government Oversight Congressional Oversight Training Series
[show]
v
t
e
United States Congress
House of Representatives
Senate
(114th←115th→116th)
Lists of congressional lists
[show]
Members and leaders
Members
Current
By length of service
Freshmen
Youngest members
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
Delegates
Senate
Current
by seniority
Dean of the Senate
Former U.S. Senators
living
Earliest serving
Earliest living
Expelled or censured
Classes
Born outside the U.S.
House
Current
by seniority
Dean of the House
Former U.S. Representatives
living
Oldest living
Earliest serving
Expelled, censured, and reprimanded
Leaders
Senate
President (list)
President pro tempore (list)
Majority and minority leaders
Assistant party leaders
Democratic Caucus (Chair
Secretary
Policy Committee Chair)
Republican Conference (Chair
Vice-Chair
Policy Committee Chair)
House
Speaker
Leaders
Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group
Democratic Caucus
Republican Conference
Districts
List
Apportionment
Caucuses,
women and
minorities
Congressional caucus
African Americans in the House
Congressional Black Caucus
African Americans in the Senate
Arab and Middle-Eastern members
Asian Pacific American members
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Hispanic and Latino members
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Congressional Hispanic Conference
Jewish members
LGBT members
LGBT Equality Caucus
Native American members
Women in the House
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues
Women in the Senate
Related
By length of service historically
[show]
Powers, privileges, procedure, committees, history, and media
Powers
Article I
Copyright
Commerce (Dormant)
Contempt of Congress
Declaration of war
Impeachment
Naturalization
"Necessary and Proper"
Power of enforcement
Taxing/spending
Privileges and
benefits
Salaries
Franking
Immunity
Procedure
Act of Congress (list)
Appropriation bill
Blue slip
Budget resolution
Censure
Closed sessions
House
Senate
Cloture
Concurrent resolution
Continuing resolution
Dear colleague letter
Discharge petition
Engrossed bill
Enrolled bill
Expulsion
Joint resolution
Joint session (list)
Lame-duck session
Majority of the majority (Hastert Rule)
Multiple referral
Procedures (House)
Quorum call
Reconciliation
Rider
Saxbe fix
Sponsorship
Suspension of the rules
Unanimous consent
Veto
Line-item veto
Pocket veto
Veto override
Senate-specific
Advice and consent
Classes
Executive communication
Executive session
Filibuster
Jefferson's Manual
Senate Journal
Morning business
Nuclear option
Presiding Officer
Recess appointment
Reconciliation
Riddick's Senate Procedure
Senate hold
Senatorial courtesy
Seniority
Standing Rules
Tie-breaking votes
Traditions
Treaty Clause
Committees
Chairman and ranking member
Of the Whole
Conference
Discharge petition
Hearings
Markup
Oversight
List (Joint)
List (House)
List (Senate)
Select and special
Standing
Subcommittees
Items
Gavels
Mace of the House
Seal of the Senate
History
Biographical Directory
Divided government
House
Gerrymandering
Party control
Senate
Senate election disputes
Senatorial memoirs
Representative memoirs
Media
C-SPAN
Congressional Quarterly
The Hill
Politico
Roll Call
[show]
Offices, employees, services, and the Capitol Complex
Legislative
offices
Congressional staff
Government Accountability Office (Comptroller General)
Architect of the Capitol
Capitol Police (Capitol Police Board)
Capitol Guide Service (Capitol Guide Board)
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Compliance
Library of Congress
Government Publishing Office (GPO)
Technology Assessment
Offices
Senate
Curator
Historical
Library
House
Congressional Ethics
Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations
Interparliamentary Affairs
Legislative Counsel
Law Revision Counsel
Library
Employees
Senate
Secretary
Chaplain
Curator
Inspector General
Historian
Librarian
Pages
Parliamentarian
Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper
House
Chaplain
Chief Administrative Officer
Clerk
Doorkeeper
Floor Operations
Floor Services Chief
Historian
Pages (Page Board)
Parliamentarian
Postmaster
Reading Clerk
Sergeant at Arms
Library of
Congress
Congressional Research Service (reports)
Copyright Office (Register of Copyrights)
Law Library
Poet Laureate
THOMAS
Adams Building
Jefferson Building
Madison Building
Government
Publishing Office
Public Printer
Congressional Pictorial Directory
Congressional Record
Official Congressional Directory
United States Government Manual
Serial Set
Statutes at Large
United States Code
Capitol
Brumidi Corridors
Congressional Prayer Room
Crypt
Dome
Statue of Freedom
Rotunda
Hall of Columns
Statuary Hall
Visitor Center
The Apotheosis of Washington
Statue of Freedom
Declaration of Independence painting
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
Apotheosis of Democracy
First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln
Surrender of General Burgoyne
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
Revolutionary War Door
Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
Vice President's Room
Vice Presidential Bust Collection
Office
buildings
Senate
Dirksen
Hart
Mountains and Clouds
Russell
House
Building Commission
Cannon
Ford
Longworth
O'Neill
Rayburn
Other
facilities
Botanic Garden
Health and Fitness Facility
House Recording Studio
Senate chamber
Old Senate Chamber
Old Supreme Court Chamber
Power Plant
Webster Page Residence
Subway
Websites
House of Representatives
Senate
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Congressional_oversight&oldid=818889949"
Categories:
Legislative branch of the United States government
Hidden categories:
Webarchive template wayback links
Articles lacking in-text citations from October 2017
All articles lacking in-text citations
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Add links
This page was last edited on 6 January 2018, at 05:38.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: jump-to-nav mw-jump

values: Wikipedia:WikiProject Fact and Reference Check

value: span

value: i

value: small

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-style ambox-More_footnotes

values:
/wiki/Executive_Branch
mw-redirect
Executive Branch

values:
/wiki/Congressional_committee
mw-redirect
Congressional committee

values:
/wiki/Checks_and_balances
mw-redirect
Checks and balances

values: Edit section: Report on the Organization of Congress

values:
/wiki/U.S._Constitution
mw-redirect
U.S. Constitution

values:
/wiki/Philadelphia_Convention
mw-redirect
Philadelphia Convention

values: Edit section: Congressional control of agencies

values:
/wiki/Congressional_Budget_Act_of_1974
mw-redirect
Congressional Budget Act of 1974

values:
/wiki/Inspectors_General
mw-redirect
Inspectors General

values:
/wiki/U.S._Treasury_Department
mw-redirect
U.S. Treasury Department

values: United States federal executive departments

values: Edit section: Congressional Oversight Training

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.pogo.org

values: United States Congress Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress

values: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.pogo.org/p/x/cots.html

values: List of United States congressional lists

values: List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service

values: List of freshman class members of the 115th United States Congress

values: List of youngest members of the United States Congress

values:
/wiki/Delegate_(United_States_Congress)
mw-redirect
Delegate (United States Congress)

values: List of living former United States Senators

values: List of longest-living United States Senators

values: List of United States Senators expelled or censured

values: List of United States Senators born outside the United States

values: Current members of the United States House of Representatives

values: Seniority in the United States House of Representatives

values: Dean of the United States House of Representatives

values: List of former members of the United States House of Representatives

values: List of living former members of the United States House of Representatives

values: List of the oldest living members of the United States House of Representatives

values: Earliest serving United States Representative

values: List of United States Representatives expelled, censured, or reprimanded

values: List of Vice Presidents of the United States

values: President pro tempore of the United States Senate

values: List of presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate

values: Party leaders of the United States Senate

values: Assistant party leaders of the United States Senate

values: Democratic Caucus of the United States Senate

values: Democratic Conference Chairman of the United States Senate

values: United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary

values: Republican Conference of the United States Senate

values: Republican Conference Chairman of the United States Senate

values: Republican Conference Vice-Chair of the United States Senate

values: Republican Policy Committee Chairman of the United States Senate

values: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

values: Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives

values: Democratic Caucus of the United States House of Representatives

values: Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives

values: List of United States congressional districts

values: United States congressional apportionment

values: List of African-American United States Representatives

values: List of African-American United States Senators

values: List of Arab and Middle-Eastern Americans in the United States Congress

values: List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress

values: Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

values: List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress

values: List of Jewish members of the United States Congress

values: List of LGBT Americans in the United States Congress

values:
/wiki/LGBT_Equality_Caucus
mw-redirect
LGBT Equality Caucus

values: List of Native Americans in the United States Congress

values: Women in the United States House of Representatives

values: List of historical longest-serving members of the United States Congress

values: nowraplinks collapsible collapsed navbox-subgroup

values: Article One of the United States Constitution

values: Salaries of members of the United States Congress

values: List of United States federal legislation

values: Closed session of the United States Congress

values: Closed sessions of the United States House of Representatives

values: Closed sessions of the United States Senate

values:
/wiki/Engrossed_bill
mw-redirect
Engrossed bill

values: Expulsion from the United States Congress

values: Joint session of the United States Congress

values: List of joint sessions of the United States Congress

values:
/wiki/Lame_duck_session_(United_States)
mw-redirect
Lame duck session (United States)

values: Procedures of the United States House of Representatives

values: Suspension of the rules in the United States Congress

values:
/wiki/Veto_override
mw-redirect
Veto override

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_option_(U.S._politics)
mw-redirect
Nuclear option (U.S. politics)

values: Presiding Officer of the United States Senate

values: Standing Rules of the United States Senate

values: List of tie-breaking votes cast by Vice Presidents of the United States

values: Committee of the Whole (United States House of Representatives)

values: United States congressional conference committee

values: List of current United States congressional joint committees

values: List of current United States House of Representatives committees

values: List of current United States Senate committees

values: Standing committee (United States Congress)

values: United States congressional subcommittee

values: Mace of the United States House of Representatives

values: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

values: History of the United States House of Representatives

values: Party divisions of United States Congresses

values: List of United States Senate election disputes

values: U.S. senator bibliography (congressional memoirs)

values: U.S. representative bibliography (congressional memoirs)

values: Comptroller General of the United States

values: United States Congress Office of Compliance

values: United States Government Publishing Office

values: United States House of Representatives Office of Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations

values: United States House of Representatives Office of Interparliamentary Affairs

values: Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives (page does not exist)

values: United States House of Representatives Library

values: Inspector General of the House (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/United_States_Senate_Page
mw-redirect
United States Senate Page

values: Parliamentarian of the United States Senate

values: Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate

values: Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives

values: Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives

values: Clerk of the United States House of Representatives

values: Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives

values: Historian of the United States House of Representatives

values: United States House of Representatives Page

values: Parliamentarian of the United States House of Representatives

values: Postmaster of the United States House of Representatives

values: Reading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives

values: Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives

values: Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way

values: United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection

values: Senate Staff Health and Fitness Facility

values: Recording Studio of the United States House of Representatives

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.house.gov

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner

values: Category:Legislative branch of the United States government

values: Category:Webarchive template wayback links

values: Category:Articles lacking in-text citations from October 2017

values: Category:All articles lacking in-text citations

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Congressional_oversight
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values:
uls-settings-trigger
Language settings
0
button
true

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Congressional_oversight rootpage-Congressional_oversight skin-vector action-view


text:
Response to the State of the Union address
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The response to the State of the Union address is a rebuttal speech, often brief, delivered by a representative (or representatives) of the opposition party following a presidential State of the Union address. When the president is a Democrat, the rebuttal is given by a Republican, and vice versa.
The practice began in 1966 when Republican U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen (Illinois) and U.S. Representative Gerald Ford (Michigan) appeared on TV to offer a response to the address by Democratic President Lyndon Johnson.[1] The opposition party's response has varied in format, ranging from a prerecorded 45-minute TV program in 1970[2] to a call-in show in 1972 where a panel of congressmen answered unrehearsed questions from callers.[1] Since the late 1980s, it usually has been a televised speech given soon after the State of the Union address.[1]
Three people have given both a response and a State of the Union address: Democrat Bill Clinton and Republicans Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush.
List of responses[edit]
Date
President
Response given by[1]
January 12, 1966 Lyndon Johnson U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen (Illinois)
U.S. Representative Gerald Ford (Michigan)1
January 10, 1967 U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen (Illinois)
U.S. Representative Gerald Ford (Michigan)
January 17, 1968 U.S. Senators Howard Baker (Tennessee), Peter Dominick (Colorado), Robert Griffin (Michigan), Thomas Kuchel (California), George Murphy (California), Chuck Percy (Illinois), Hugh Scott (Pennsylvania), and John Tower (Texas)
U.S. Representatives George Bush (Texas), Gerald Ford (Michigan), Mel Laird (Wisconsin), Bob Mathias (California), Dick Poff (Virginia), Al Quie (Minnesota), Charlotte Reid (Illinois), and Bill Steiger (Wisconsin)
January 22, 1970 Richard Nixon U.S. Senators Scoop Jackson (Washington), Mike Mansfield (Montana), Ed Muskie (Maine), and Bill Proxmire (Wisconsin)
U.S. Representatives Donald Fraser (Minnesota), John McCormack (Massachusetts), and Patsy Mink (Hawaii)2
January 22, 1971 U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield (Montana)
January 20, 1972 U.S. Senators Lloyd Bentsen (Texas), Frank Church (Idaho), Tom Eagleton (Missouri), and Bill Proxmire (Wisconsin)
U.S. Representatives Carl Albert (Oklahoma), Hale Boggs (Louisiana), John Brademas (Indiana), Martha Griffiths (Michigan), John Melcher (Montana), Ralph Metcalfe (Illinois), and Leonor Sullivan (Missouri)
January 20, 1974 U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield (Montana)
January 15, 1975 Gerald Ford U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey (Minnesota)
U.S. Representative Carl Albert (Oklahoma)
January 19, 1976 U.S. Senator Ed Muskie (Maine)
January 19, 1978 Jimmy Carter U.S. Senator Howard Baker (Tennessee)
U.S. Representative John Rhodes (Arizona)
January 23, 1979 U.S. Senator Howard Baker (Tennessee)
U.S. Representative John Rhodes (Arizona)
January 23, 1980 U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (Alaska)
U.S. Representative John Rhodes (Arizona)
January 26, 1982 Ronald Reagan U.S. Senators Robert Byrd (West Virginia), Alan Cranston (California), Gary Hart (Colorado), Bennett Johnston (Louisiana), Ted Kennedy (Massachusetts), Don Riegle (Michigan), Paul Sarbanes (Maryland), and Jim Sasser (Tennessee)
U.S. Representatives Al Gore (Tennessee), Tip O'Neill (Massachusetts)2
January 25, 1983 U.S. Senators Joe Biden (Delaware), Bill Bradley (New Jersey), Robert Byrd (West Virginia), and Paul Tsongas (Massachusetts)
U.S. Representatives Les AuCoin (Oregon), Tom Daschle (South Dakota), Bill Hefner (North Carolina), Barbara Kennelly (Connecticut), George Miller (California), Tip O'Neill (Massachusetts), Paul Simon (Illinois), and Tim Wirth (Colorado)2
January 25, 1984 U.S. Senators Max Baucus (Montana), Joe Biden (Delaware), David Boren (Oklahoma), Robert Byrd (West Virginia), Dee Huddleston (Kentucky), Carl Levin (Michigan), and Claiborne Pell (Rhode Island)
U.S. Representatives Barbara Boxer (California), Dante Fascell (Florida), Bill Gray (Pennsylvania), Tom Harkin (Iowa), and Tip O’Neill (Massachusetts)
February 6, 1985 Governor Bill Clinton (Arkansas), Governor Bob Graham (Florida)
U.S. Representative Tip O’Neill (Massachusetts)3
February 4, 1986 U.S. Senator George Mitchell (Maine)
Governor Chuck Robb (Virginia)
U.S. Representatives Tom Daschle (South Dakota) and Bill Gray (Pennsylvania)
Lieutenant Governor Harriett Woods (Missouri)
January 27, 1987 U.S. Senator Robert Byrd (West Virginia)
U.S. Representative Jim Wright (Texas)
January 25, 1988 U.S. Senator Robert Byrd (West Virginia)
U.S. Representative Jim Wright (Texas)
January 31, 1990 George H. W. Bush U.S. Representative Tom Foley (Washington)
January 29, 1991 U.S. Senator George Mitchell (Maine)
January 28, 1992 U.S. Representative Tom Foley (Washington)
January 25, 1994 Bill Clinton U.S. Senator Bob Dole (Kansas)
January 24, 1995 Governor Christine Todd Whitman (New Jersey)
January 23, 1996 U.S. Senator Bob Dole (Kansas)
February 4, 1997 U.S. Representative J. C. Watts (Oklahoma)
January 27, 1998 U.S. Senator Trent Lott (Mississippi)
January 19, 1999 U.S. Representatives Jennifer Dunn (Washington) and Steve Largent (Oklahoma)
January 27, 2000 U.S. Senators Susan Collins (Maine) and Bill Frist (Tennessee)
January 29, 2002 George W. Bush U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt (Missouri)
January 28, 2003 Governor Gary Locke (Washington)
January 23, 2004 U.S. Senator Tom Daschle (South Dakota)
U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (California)
February 2, 2005 U.S. Senator Harry Reid (Nevada)
U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (California)
January 31, 2006 Governor Tim Kaine (Virginia)
January 23, 2007 U.S. Senator Jim Webb (Virginia)
January 28, 2008 Governor Kathleen Sebelius (Kansas)
January 27, 2010 Barack Obama Governor Bob McDonnell (Virginia)
January 25, 2011 English: U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (Wisconsin)
Spanish: U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida)
January 24, 2012 Governor Mitch Daniels (Indiana)
February 12, 2013 U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (Florida) – English and Spanish
January 28, 2014 English: U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Washington)
Spanish: U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida)
January 20, 2015 English: U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa)
Spanish: U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo (Florida)
January 12, 2016 Governor Nikki Haley (South Carolina)
January 30, 2018 Donald Trump English: U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III (Massachusetts)
Spanish: State Delegate Elizabeth Guzmán (Virginia)
1First organized, televised response to a presidential State of the Union message
2Denotes prerecorded program
3Randomly selected Democratic voters participated in this televised discussion
Non–State of the Union responses[edit]
In addition to responses to official State of the Union addresses, there have been five official responses to non–State of the Union speeches which were delivered soon after presidential inaugurations.
Date
President
Address type
Response given by
February 9, 1989 George H. W. Bush First address to joint session of Congress U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen (Texas)
U.S. Representative Jim Wright (Texas)[1]
February 17, 1993 Bill Clinton First address to joint session of Congress U.S. Representative Bob Michel (Illinois)[1]
February 27, 2001 George W. Bush First address to joint session of Congress U.S. Senator Tom Daschle (South Dakota)
U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt (Missouri)[3]
February 24, 2009 Barack Obama First address to joint session of Congress Governor Bobby Jindal (Louisiana)[4]
February 28, 2017 Donald Trump First address to joint session of Congress English: Former Governor Steve Beshear (Kentucky)
Spanish: Activist Astrid Silva (Nevada)[5]
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Opposition Responses to the State of the Union Messages" (PDF). Senate.gov. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
Jump up ^ Frum, David (2000). How We Got Here: The '70s. New York: Basic Books. p. 47. ISBN 0-465-04195-7.
Jump up ^ "The Democratic Response". PBS.org. February 27, 2001. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Transcript of Gov. Jindal's GOP response to Obama speech". CNN. February 24, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Democrats Pick Ex-Kentucky Governor To Respond To Trump Speech To Congress". NPR. February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
General reference
"Televised Opposition Responses to State of the Union Messages (1966-Present)". Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
[hide]
v
t
e
State of the Union addresses
Addresses
Delivered
as a speech
1790
1790
1791
1792
1793
1794
1795
1796
1797
1798
1799
1800
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1975
1976
1977
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1990
1991
1992
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2018
Delivered as a
written message
1801
1802
1803
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1946
1953
1961
1981
Delivered as
both
1972
1974
1978
1979
1980
Delivered as a
written message
to Congress,
summary
delivered to
public
1945
1956
1973
Unofficial
addresses
1989
1993
2001
2009
2017
Related
Opposition party's response
Designated survivor
Notable invited guests
United States presidential address
Joint Session of Congress (List)
Monroe Doctrine
Regional
speeches
State of the State address
State of the City address
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Response_to_the_State_of_the_Union_address&oldid=834366846"
Categories:
State of the Union addresses
Reactions
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Add links
This page was last edited on 5 April 2018, at 10:30.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

key: html

type: local

value: div

attrs: id class

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

value: a

attrs: id class lang

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: jump-to-nav mw-jump

value: b

attrs: href class title

values:
/wiki/State_of_the_Union_address
mw-redirect
State of the Union address

attrs: href title

value: p

values:
/wiki/U.S._Senate
mw-redirect
U.S. Senate

values:
/wiki/U.S._House_of_Representatives
mw-redirect
U.S. House of Representatives

values:
/wiki/Lyndon_Johnson
mw-redirect
Lyndon Johnson

value: sup

values:
/wiki/Donald_W._Riegle_Jr.
mw-redirect
Donald W. Riegle Jr.

values:
/wiki/David_L._Boren
mw-redirect
David L. Boren

values: William H. Gray (Pennsylvania politician)

values:
/wiki/2006_State_of_the_Union_address
mw-redirect
2006 State of the Union address

values:
/wiki/Carlos_Curbelo_(politician)
mw-redirect
Carlos Curbelo (politician)

values: Edit section: Non–State of the Union responses

values: Barack Obama speech to joint session of Congress, February 2009

values: Donald Trump speech to joint session of Congress, February 2017

values:
reflist mw-references-wrap
list-style-type: decimal;

values: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives

values: s:George Washington's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:George Washington's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:George Washington's Seventh State of the Union Address

values: s:Woodrow Wilson's Seventh State of the Union Address

values: s:Warren G. Harding's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Warren G. Harding's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Calvin Coolidge's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Ninth State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Tenth State of the Union Address

values: s:Harry S. Truman's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Harry S. Truman's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Harry S. Truman's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Harry S. Truman's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Dwight D. Eisenhower's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Dwight D. Eisenhower's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Dwight D. Eisenhower's Fifth State of the Union Address

values: s:Dwight D. Eisenhower's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Dwight D. Eisenhower's Seventh State of the Union Address

values: s:John F. Kennedy's First State of the Union Address

values: s:John F. Kennedy's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:John F. Kennedy's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Lyndon Baines Johnson's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Lyndon Baines Johnson's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Lyndon Baines Johnson's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Richard Nixon's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Gerald Ford's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Thomas Jefferson's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Thomas Jefferson's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Thomas Jefferson's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Thomas Jefferson's Seventh State of the Union Address

values: s:Thomas Jefferson's Eighth State of the Union Address

values: s:James Madison's First State of the Union Address

values: s:James Madison's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:James Madison's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:James Madison's Fifth State of the Union Address

values: s:James Monroe's First State of the Union Address

values: s:James Monroe's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:James Monroe's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:James Monroe's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:James Monroe's Fifth State of the Union Address

values: s:James Monroe's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:James Monroe's Seventh State of the Union Address

values: s:John Quincy Adams' Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Andrew Jackson's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Andrew Jackson's Fifth State of the Union Address

values: s:Andrew Jackson's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Andrew Jackson's Seventh State of the Union Address

values: s:Martin Van Buren's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Martin Van Buren's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Martin Van Buren's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:John Tyler's First State of the Union Address

values: s:John Tyler's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:John Tyler's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:James K. Polk's First State of the Union Address

values: s:James K. Polk's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:James K. Polk's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Zachary Taylor's State of the Union Address

values: s:Millard Fillmore's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Millard Fillmore's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Pierce's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Pierce's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Franklin Pierce's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:James Buchanan's First State of the Union Address

values: s:James Buchanan's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Abraham Lincoln's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Abraham Lincoln's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Andrew Johnson's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Andrew Johnson's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Ulysses S. Grant's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Ulysses S. Grant's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Ulysses S. Grant's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Ulysses S. Grant's Fifth State of the Union Address

values: s:Ulysses S. Grant's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Rutherford B. Hayes' Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Rutherford B. Hayes' Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Chester A. Arthur's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Chester A. Arthur's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Chester A. Arthur's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Chester A. Arthur's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Grover Cleveland's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Grover Cleveland's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Grover Cleveland's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Grover Cleveland's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Benjamin Harrison's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Benjamin Harrison's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Benjamin Harrison's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Grover Cleveland's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Grover Cleveland's Eighth State of the Union Address

values: s:William McKinley's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:William McKinley's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Theodore Roosevelt's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Theodore Roosevelt's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Theodore Roosevelt's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Theodore Roosevelt's Fifth State of the Union Address

values: s:Theodore Roosevelt's Seventh State of the Union Address

values: s:William Howard Taft's First State of the Union Address

values: s:William Howard Taft's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:William Howard Taft's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Calvin Coolidge's Second State of the Union Address

values: s:Calvin Coolidge's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Calvin Coolidge's Sixth State of the Union Address

values: s:Hubert Hoover's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:Hubert Hoover's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Harry S. Truman's Eighth State of the Union Address

values: s:Dwight D. Eisenhower's Ninth State of the Union Address

values: s:Jimmy Carter's Fourth State of the Union Address

values: s:Richard Nixon's Third State of the Union Address

values: s:George Herbert Walker Bush's First State of the Union Address

values: s:Bill Clinton's First State of the Union Address

values: s:George W. Bush's First State of the Union Address

attrs: alt src width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: Seal of the President of the United States.svg

values:
navbox-image
3
width:1px;padding:0px 0px 0px 2px

values: Weekly Radio Address of the President of the United States

values: Joint session of the United States Congress

values: List of joint sessions of the United States Congress

values: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner

values:
catlinks mw-normal-catlinks
catlinks mw-normal-catlinks
interface

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: /static/images/wikimedia-button-1.5x.png 1.5x, /static/images/wikimedia-button-2x.png 2x

values: /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x

values:
suggestions
display: none; font-size: 13px;

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Response_to_the_State_of_the_Union_address rootpage-Response_to_the_State_of_the_Union_address skin-vector action-view