Oversight and Government Reform

Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a retired Lt. Col who served 21 years in the Army, issued the following statement condemning the latest release of four detainees from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay by an executive order: “I am severely disappointed that the President would once again jeopardize the safety of the American people by releasing four more terrorist detainees who were held at Guantanamo by executive action. The best way t... Read more

Del City, OK – Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5) spoke with C-SPAN’s Bill Scanlan to talk about the importance of checks and balances, bipartisanship in Congress, and his biggest accomplishments in his first term in office. On Checks and Balances in Government: Congressman Russell: “Our republic has seen the pendulum swing to government and the some rare occasions, all the legislative branches being held by the same political party. We saw long stretches of a time in the 1930's and 1940's period.... Read more

(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Steve Russell (R- Okla.) released the sixth installment of his ongoing Waste Watch series on Monday, showing 10 instances of government waste totaling around $139 billion in taxpayer money. Some of the spending items detailed in the report include a Pentagon Task Force that spent $150 million on lavish, rented villas in Afghanistan with flat-screen TVs in each room; $356 million on a computer system that does not work; $34 million spent by the U.S. Department of Agriculture ... Read more

Del City, OK – Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5), a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has released the next installment of his ongoing Waste Watch series. The Christmas Edition for 2016 highlights 10 items of government waste, totaling almost $140 billion dollars in taxpayer funds. Some of the items include how the Department of Defense spent $1.5 million dollars on a slaughterhouse in Afghanistan while only completing 10 percent of the project; $150 million on lavish rente... Read more

Del City, OK – Congressman Steve Russell’s (OK-5) bill, H.R. 5785 – a measure that eliminated the annuity cap for retired Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) who work as ATC instructors, was signed into law by President Barack Obama. U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and James Lankford (R-Okla) championed this bill through the Senate and Congressman Tom Cole (OK-4) co-sponsored the bill in the House. This annuity income cap disincentivized retired air traffic controllers from working full-time as instru... Read more

Washington DC, - Congressman Steve Russell’s (OK-5) H.R. 5384 The Federal Register Printing Savings Act of 2016, passed the House without objection Wednesday. Congressman Russell, author of Waste Watch, wrote this legislation to save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year by prohibiting the mandatory printing and distribution of the Federal Register. The Federal Register is available online and is searchable in this format. Yet, the Federal Register is printed and distributed daily to Congre... Read more

U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and James Lankford (R-Okla) and Congressmen Steve Russell (R-Okla.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.), today praised the passage of H.R. 5785, a bill which would ensure the continued safety of our nation’s airways by eliminating an unintended barrier to the hiring and retention of full-time Air Traffic Controller (ATC) Instructors. The bill removes a financial penalty for instructors willing to work full time in training our next generation of air traffic controllers. “Toda... Read more

Washington DC, - Congressman Steve Russell’s (OK-5) Federal Register Printing Savings Act of 2016, passed by unanimous consent out of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In his continuing effort to cut federal spending, Congressman Russell authored legislation to prohibit the mandatory printing and distribution of the Federal Register, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. The register is provided digitally and is also printed each day whether members want it or not. Unde... Read more

Congressman Russell’s (OK-5) bill, H.R. 5785, to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for an annuity supplement for certain Air Traffic Controller Instructors, like those at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, passed a vital first step out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by unanimous vote. This bipartisan bill prevents full-time air traffic control instructors, under contract with the Federal Aviation Administration, from being forced into early retirement due... Read more

Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5), a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has released Waste Watch No. 5. Waste Watch is Congressman Russell’s ongoing investigation and periodic publication that highlights agencies, programs, and cost overruns that are a drain on the American taxpayer. To date, Waste Watch has highlighted roughly $90 billion in wasteful government spending. Congressman Russell has been able to affect change including being the lead Republican co-sponsor... Read more