This commentary was originally published in the Spring 2025 edition of PEEReview.
Across the Trump administration, the warning signs are flashing red. Every day brings new examples of blatant self-dealing, conflicts of interest, and the intentional destruction of our country’s ability to respond to basic environmental and public health threats.
People are fed up with this administration, and Congress is beginning to listen.
In a midterm election year, congressional oversight and investigations are an important way for lawmakers to influence policy directions and shine a light on important issues.
Through hearings, document requests, and independent investigations, congressional committees can examine presidential actions, investigate waste, fraud, and abuse, root out conflicts of interest, and review whether agencies are faithfully executing the law.
With national elections just around the corner, PEER is stepping up its efforts to engage in congressional oversight activities, including:
Corruption and Self-Dealing
Freedom 250: Freedom 250, a private entity, is selling access to President Trump, awarding contracts to allies of the administration, and using taxpayer funds and National Park Service resources to push partisan initiatives. Congressional committees must monitor the money, compel disclosures, and ensure that public office is not being used for private enrichment.
Federal Workforce Issues
Staffing Chaos: The administration continues to rapidly politicize our country’s merit-based civil service, arbitrarily slash the federal workforce, institute nonsensical agency reorganizations, and eliminate critical environmental and science programs. PEER is urging rigorous congressional oversight of personnel actions in the past year and future plans for the federal workforce, including the use of loyalty oaths to hire and purge public employees.
Attacks on Free Speech: Employees at numerous federal agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have been fired or punished for exercising their First Amendment rights. The intent is clear: the administration is imposing a political loyalty test on career civil servants and squashing dissent. Congressional committees should investigate this purge and retaliation campaign and hold those violating federal statutes accountable.
Artificial Intelligence: AI is being introduced into some of the most consequential decision-making processes in government. At the same time, traditional safeguards—such as inspectors general, whistleblower protections, and transparency requirements—are broken. Congressional committees must examine the government’s growing use of AI to make decisions, surveil government employees, and investigate questionable government AI contracts.
Appropriated Funds: Agencies are disregarding congressional spending requirements. Through delays, withholding of funds, and selective implementation, the administration is ignoring the constitutional provision making Congress the ultimate authority on government spending. Congressional committees must investigate these actions, demand transparency, and use all available tools to ensure that Congress reasserts the power of the purse.
Environmental Rollbacks
Public Lands: Our public lands are under attack. The workforce at the National Park Service has been decimated as leaders threaten to sell off national parks and privatize park functions. In addition, the administration is degrading our public lands by prioritizing fossil fuel development, extraction, and logging at the expense of conservation. The Department of the Interior and the Forest Service are limiting public input and environmental review of projects. Without robust oversight, irreversible damage to public lands and the erosion of environmental safeguards will continue.
Climate Change: Clean energy programs are being obliterated while giveaways to fossil fuel companies have become the norm. Meanwhile, EPA’s effort to repeal the scientific and legal determination that underpins federal authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions will have wide-ranging and devastating impacts. Through hearings, investigations, and public accountability, congressional committees must ensure that the administration’s war on climate programs is stopped and reversed.
Toxic Chemicals: EPA’s actions on toxic chemicals are endangering the health of all Americans. The Trump administration has approved numerous pesticides and chemicals previously banned or significantly restricted—with little transparency or accountability—raising questions about the role of industry influence. Congress must examine EPA’s efforts to ignore or alter scientific findings, root out conflicts of interest at EPA, and demand that EPA work to protect all Americans, not just those industries with money and power.
Wildlife Protection: As our country’s wildlife populations collapse, this administration shows no regard for wildlife or endangered species. Congress must also be part of the solution. Proper oversight will reveal the outsized influence of the fossil fuel industry and well-funded, non-traditional hunting and ranching interests in this escalating war on nature.
As President Trump builds a presidency based on his image alone, Congress must be part of ensuring we remain a nation of laws that values the environment and respects a merit-based civil service.
We are determined to help make that happen.
Tim Whitehouse is the Executive Director at PEER.