论美国国会的调查权

The Investigative Power of the U. S. Congress

调查权是美国国会经常使用的工具性权力,它在实际政治生活中逐步确立其法律基础和程序规则。它是国会了解和查明国民经济、社会和政治等领域中发生的重大问题而进行相应的立法或补救性立法所不可缺少的工具和手段,也是国会揭露政府中违反宪法和法律的滥用职权行为、贪污腐败行为、以及重大工作失误的锐器,客观上有利于维护美国分权与制衡的宪政制度以及政府统治的稳定性和有效性。同时,国会调查形式上充当国会或选民的耳目,实质上是政党利益、集团利益和议员个人利益相互争斗和妥协的政治过程。美国国会曾滥用调查权而侵害了公民的自由权利,损害了美中关系。

Investigative power is an often-used instrumental power of the US congress. Its legal foundation and procedural rules were gradually established in the US political life. It's a necessary means or tool for the congress to legislate or to make a remedial legislation in finding facts or major problems in the fields of national economy, social life and government operations, etc. On the one hand, it has served as a tool to uncover the unconstitutional or illegal abuses of power in the government, to pry open the barriers that hide governmental corruption. On the other hand, although congressional inquires are formally the eyes and ears of the legislature or of the constituencies, they are actually the political processes which are full of struggles and compromises among the parties, interest groups and congressmen.