FTC defends responsiveness to Congressional inquiries
Last week, Jeanne Bumpus, director of the office of Congressional relations at the Federal Trade Commission, testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Responsiveness and Accountability to Oversight.
Bumpus told lawmakers the FTC “has established its clear responsiveness” to House Judiciary Committee’s “wide range and unprecedented number of oversight requests.” Since last appearing on Capitol Hill, Bumpus said the FTC has received 15 letters with 76 specific requests from the Judiciary Committee.
In response, she said the FTC provided:
—29 letters
—20 productions
—5 transcribed interviews
—A non-public briefing
—Hearing testimony
—More than 8,500 pages of documents
“These are just some of the House oversight requests that the commission is currently responding to,” Bumpus told lawmakers, adding that in this calendar year, the FTC has received a total of of 25 letters with 133 specific requests from House committees.
Bumpus indicated that the FTC has responded with 46 letters, 33 productions and more than 12,000 pages of documents.
“These responses are in addition to providing information to Congress as a regular part of what we do each day,” Bumpus said. “The FTC works with members and committees to provide them with expert, thoughtful, and timely information, irrespective of party or position.
“The FTC devotes significant time and resources to supporting Congress’s needs for information, working with bureaus and offices across the agency to respond to requests,” she continued.
Bumpus made a couple of other assertions before responding to more questions during the hearing.
“I emphasize again that the FTC recognizes that congressional oversight is an important part of our system of government. The commission remains committed to working with Congress in good faith, consistent with longstanding commission policy,” Bumpus said.
“We look forward to engaging with your staff to continue to produce responsive materials to meet the committee’s oversight requests while ensuring the FTC can continue to protect the independence, integrity, and effectiveness of the commission’s law enforcement efforts and core agency processes. The FTC stands ready to continue its longstanding efforts to work with Congress,” she went on to say.