A Milestone: Inside the 20th Oversight Boot Camp

In February 2025, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, and the Lugar Center teamed up to host the 20th Oversight Boot Camp. The two-day event, held in person on Capitol Hill, brought together 26 congressional staff members from both parties and from both the House and Senate, across 22 different committees and personal offices. The training aimed to equip participants with essential skills for conducting effective oversight investigations. 

Held twice a year, the Oversight Boot Camp encourages bipartisan, evidence-based investigations while fostering stronger trust and collaboration among House and Senate staff across party lines. The event offers a unique opportunity for participants to build relationships that would support cooperative, bipartisan initiatives. Over the course of the program, attendees enhanced their ability to conduct thorough oversight, which will help strengthen congressional powers and enable a more effective legislative branch. 

The participants were divided into teams, each representing one of four congressional committees: Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Each team was tasked with investigating a fictional scandal involving unreliable electric vehicle (EV) chargers. It prompted them to look into the role of taxpayer funds, reliability of EV chargers, and contractor trustworthiness, and then to brainstorm potential reforms to improve EV infrastructure. 

Within their assigned “committees,” teams worked together to address the core issue and propose recommendations to prevent further misuse of funds and resources. Each group developed an investigative plan, a hearing strategy, a report outline, and a follow-up plan. This hands-on approach allowed participants to apply what they learned in the lecture series and to collaborate effectively. The boot camp also featured role-playing exercises, allowing participants to practice navigating real-world challenges faced by congressional investigators. 

Throughout the investigation process, participants were able to ask questions and receive valuable, constructive feedback from instructors, further enhancing their learning experience. One participant said, “I really appreciated the challenging situations that instructors put us in, and the clear structure of the oversight process.

The Host

• Tim Stretton, director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative at POGO   

The Guest Instructors 

• Brittany Havens, chief counsel for the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• Dave Rapallo, associate professor of law at Georgetown University; former staff director of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform
• Andy Wright, member of the Public Policy and Law practice group at K&L Gates; former staff director of the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

Testimonials from Boot Camp Attendees 

• “This training was really helpful in expanding my understanding of oversight, and what different levers, formal and informal, can be pulled to get to the bottom of issues. Oversight can really be anything from an investigation to a letter to an agency.“
• “I am so appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the POGO Boot Camp! The instruction was efficient, effective, and engaging, and as a newcomer to Congressional oversight, I feel well-prepared to begin taking the steps I need to help conduct effective oversight.”
• “This was a great first experience into oversight. I’m glad I did this early in my career to help inform future work. Role plays were very insightful and my favorite part. The investigative plan development was very insightful. Report [plan] was great to extract findings into a report. Hearing plan was fantastic! It was great to develop a hearing with all the through line! Follow up plan was very helpful since I have to do my own follow up so that tools were great.”
• “This training went beyond informative and was inspirational in terms of reveal Congress tools for reform.”