Office of Congressional Ethics OCE

The House created the Office of Congressional Ethics in March 2008, after lobbying scandals in the mid-2000s convinced many members that the House Ethics Committee, made up of members judging their colleagues, rarely acted on its own. The office is governed by a board of private citizens, who cannot be current members, lobbyists, or federal employees, appointed jointly by the Speaker and the minority leader. It exists only in the House, and the Senate has no equivalent.

The office can open a preliminary review on its own initiative or based on outside information, then a second-phase review if its board finds reason to continue. It has no subpoena power and no authority to punish anyone. Instead it sends a report and recommendation to the House Ethics Committee, which must generally make the office's findings public within a set period even if the committee takes no action. That publication requirement is the main source of its influence.

Because it can embarrass members of both parties, the office has faced repeated pressure. In January 2017 the House Republican conference voted to place it under the Ethics Committee's control, then reversed course the next day after public criticism. Delays in appointing its board at the start of recent Congresses have left it unable to open new reviews for months. Under the House rules adopted in 2025, it was renamed the Office of Congressional Conduct.