Final answer:
Congress exercises oversight over executive agencies through hearings, investigations, and control over funding and appointments, with the GAO providing pivotal auditing and investigative functions. This oversight is essential for a system of checks and balances and for maintaining democratic accountability within the federal bureaucracy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The effort by Congress to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies is known as oversight. This process includes hearings, investigations, and utilizing various techniques to supervise and ensure that legislation passed by Congress is adequately enforced by the executive branch. Congress's oversight role is critical to the system of checks and balances that characterizes American democracy, aiming to prevent any single branch of government from gaining too much power.
Congress controls the federal bureaucracy through its power to approve funding and presidential appointments. This is evident through the necessity for bureaucratic agencies to submit annual reports and undergo congressional hearings. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a key tool in this process, providing nonpartisan auditing, evaluation, and investigative services to Congress. These measures are essential for maintaining government accountability and efficiency.
The effectiveness of this oversight can be debated, considering the complexity and size of the U.S. federal bureaucracy. Nevertheless, oversight is a fundamental aspect of the legislative branch's role in ensuring that the executive operates within the confines of the law and public policy expectations.