Now that much of the organizational work of the new Congress is behind lawmakers, Republicans are beginning to focus their eye on the Obama Administration and the new health reform law.

For example, two key lawmakers on Thursday notified officials at the Health and Human Services Department that they want all kinds of information about why waivers to one provision of the new health law were handed out in recent months.

In a letter from Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Republicans asked for a "list of every individual, organization, business, state or any other entity" that has asked for, obtained or been denied a "waiver or exemption" from a provision of the new health law.

Back in December when I broke the story that the number of waivers to one particular provision had quietly doubled in just a few weeks, officials at HHS refused to release information on groups that were denied waivers.

Maybe members of Congress will be able to find some of that information in coming weeks.

The Upton/Stearns letter not only asks for a list of names, but also "all documents relating to the granting of waivers or exemptions" including emails and internal communications from the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight.

"The inquiry into the operations and activities of the CCIIO is part of a broader effort being undertaken by the Committee to scrutinize the massive bureaucracy created by the health care law and its consequences for consumers, employers, and health care quality and access," said a statement issued by the Energy and Commerce Committee.

While the start to such investigations is a reminder of the change in power in the U.S. House, it's also a reminder of how pitiful Congress has been in recent decades on the issue of oversight, especially with regards to the operations of the Executive Branch.

Too often, the only time that Congress holds serious oversight hearings is when one party runs the Congress and the other party runs the White House.

Seemingly, it's always more fun to hold high profile hearings when there is some political blood in the water from the other side of the fence and not your own party.

If you do an internet search for "lack of Congressional oversight" you can find all kinds of examples from recent years - Intelligence on Iraq, Blackwater, offshore oil and gas drilling, Homeland Security and much more.

Back in 2006, Democrats cried foul about a lack of oversight by Republicans on the Bush Administration.

In 2010, Republicans criticized a lack of oversight by Democrats on the Obama Administration.

The best solution might be to just treat the Executive Branch - no matter which party is running it - as the bad guy, and then do your Legislative Branch work from there.

Just a thought.