Boosting Oversight: The 23rd Congressional Oversight Boot Camp

In October 2026, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, and the Lugar Center co-hosted the 23rd Congressional Oversight Boot Camp on Capitol Hill. The two-day training brought together 32 congressional staffers from both parties and both chambers of Congress, representing 25 committees and personal offices, to strengthen their investigative skills and build relationships across party lines. The program was designed to provide participants with key tools and strategies for helping Congress fulfill its constitutional responsibility to conduct strong, effective, fact-based oversight.

The biannual Oversight Boot Camp provides congressional staffers with an opportunity to learn from experienced investigators while building relationships with colleagues across party and chamber lines. The program helps build trust and encourages cooperation toward investigative efforts. Participants spend time refining critical oversight skills that support Congress’s constitutional authority and bolster the effectiveness of the legislative branch. After attending the 23rd Oversight Boot Camp, one participant said, “I really took to heart the message that bipartisan investigations strengthen the immediate work product and the credibility of the institution. It’s so hard right now but I will be holding this thought in mind and looking for ways to act on it.”

As part of the training, participants attended a lecture series led by guest instructors and were later divided into teams and assigned to represent one of four congressional committees: the House Committee on Homeland Security, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Each team was tasked with conducting a fictional bipartisan investigation into a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster vulnerability report prepared by Strategic Risk Associates under a hypothetical $14.8 million contract. Despite the report in this simulated scenario having significant factual errors and questionable research, FEMA used it to guide $750 million in resilience grants and awarded Strategic Risk Associates a $1.2 million performance bonus.

Working within their assigned “committees,” each group created an investigative plan, crafted a hearing strategy, outlined a report, and developed a follow-up plan. Participants examined the report’s reliability, Strategic Risk Associates’ contractual performance, FEMA’s oversight, and the potential effects this scenario could have on federal funding decisions, in addition to proposing measures that could be implemented to strengthen contractor accountability. This allowed participants to apply lessons from the lecture series to their fictional investigation. Collectively, the boot camp attendees came up with dozens of potential legislative and administrative reforms to prevent similar problems from happening in the future.

Throughout the process, participants engaged in roleplaying exercises that simulated real-world challenges faced by congressional investigators. Boot camp instructors provided ongoing, constructive feedback.

The boot camp also featured presentations from the House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds and former Department of Homeland Security Inspector General John Roth. Both presentations provided in-depth guidance on the resources and support available to congressional offices and committees when working with whistleblowers or inspectors general.

The Hosts

• Tim Stretton, director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative at POGO
• Dave Rapallo, senior advisor and congressional scholar at the Levin Center; associate professor of law at Georgetown University; former staff director of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Guest Instructors

• Lauren Holmes, chief counsel of the United States Secret Service
• Zack Schram, national security and investigations attorney; senior congressional oversight fellow at the Levin Center

Testimonials from Boot Camp Attendees

• “As a personal office staffer, it was valuable for me to hear about how committees run investigations. I can use these tools to inform how to staff my boss for future hearings and to do oversight from the member office.” — House Democratic staffer
• “Want to become an effective oversight staffer? Attend a Boot Camp!” — House Republican staffer
• “Whether we are in the majority or minority next Congress, I feel like I have new tools in my toolkit.” — Senate Democratic staffer
• “The 23rd Congressional Oversight Boot Camp was a highly valuable experience that every oversight staff member of both chambers should attend.” — Senate Republican staffer