The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136) includes a variety of oversight provisions designed to increase the information available to Congress regarding the federal government’s implementation of the CARES Act and response to the COVID-19 pandemic more generally. Specifically, the CARES Act:
- establishes a Congressional Oversight Commission,
- establishes a Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery,
- establishes a Pandemic Response Accountability Committee made up of certain agencies’ inspectors general,
- provides additional financial resources for certain Offices of Inspectors General,
- creates additional reporting and oversight duties for the Government Accountability Office, and
- institutes new reporting requirements on a variety of agencies based on provisions in the CARES Act.
As agencies begin to implement the CARES Act and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, understanding the federal resources and information available can help Congress support both its own oversight activity and the consideration of potential future legislation to respond to COVID-19.
This report is a reference guide to the oversight mechanisms in the CARES Act and a launching pad for deeper consideration
of oversight-related issues.
“Congressional Oversight Provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136),” CRS Report R46315 (27-page PDF
)
Also see Congressional Procedure, Ch. 8.E., Congressional Oversight.
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