Congressional Oversight Training Resources

Below you will find primers, tip sheets, recorded seminars, books and other materials to help oversight professionals in the Legislative Branch.

Questions? Reach out to Aisha Shafi, [email protected].

The Basics

Nuts and Bolts

Resources and Handouts

Oversight in 16 Steps, a one-page, high-level overview of the various steps that are part of an oversight investigation.

Checklist of Places to Turn to During an Investigation, Getting answers can be hard. This checklist offers different avenues you can take to get the information you need.

Theory and Practice: Why Oversight is Important, with Best Practices and Tips.

Questions and Answers on Conducting Oversight, an oversight basics FAQ developed by Ruth Fleischer, a 20-year veteran of Capitol Hill and now a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law.

Congressional Oversight: What It Means and How to Make It Work, a one-page backgrounder on the types of, and legal basis for, Congressional oversight. Developed by Elise Bean, former Staff Director for the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Understanding Your Rights in Response to a Congressional Subpoena, a private sector white paper on the authority, scope, and limitations of a congressional investigation of a private entity. 

Additional Links:

• When Congress Comes Calling, The Constitution Project
• Congressional Investigations Research Guide, Georgetown University
• Oversight Training Videos, Levin Center at Wayne Law
• Congressional Oversight Manual, Congressional Research Service
• Congressional Oversight: An Overview, Congressional Research Service

Recorded Trainings:

CRS/GAO/IGs

Resources and Handouts:

GAO Overview, a PowerPoint that gives an overview of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) authority, organization, work, and how it works with Congress.

3 GAO Handouts, consisting of an Intro to GAO; Request Processing and Timing; Areas of Expertise

Additional Links:

• Watchdog.gao.gov, the GAO's Congress-only website
  
• IGNet.gov, a list of contact info for all IGs
• Oversight.org, a new website consolidating IG reports
• Where Are All the Watchdogs, POGO’s list of IG vacancies

Recorded Trainings:

Holding a Hearing

Resources and Handouts:

Do's and Don'ts of an Oversight Hearing, some helpful ways of thinking about investigations.

Framing Questions for a Hearing, some tips on how to make the most of your questions.

Recorded Trainings:

Intermediate Skills

Confirmations

Resources and Handouts:

Suggested Confirmation Questions, a list of ethics and conflicts-of-interest questions that could be asked of nominees.

Office of Government Ethics Resources, a list of the various confirmation and presidential transition resources provided by the Office of Government Ethics.

Recorded Trainings:

Oversight from Personal Offices or the Minority

Resources and Handouts:

Finding Partners, a brainstorming guide for building coalitions

Getting Answers, a tipsheet of unorthodox opportunities to get your questions answered or gain access to documents.

Additional Links:

• When Congress Comes Calling: Ch. 8, The Constitution

Recorded Trainings:

Working with Whistleblowers

Resources and Handouts:

Working with Insiders and Whistleblowers, a tip sheet with some general rules of thumb about how congressional investigations can work with whistleblowers.

Whistleblower Protections Informational Handout, a primer on whistleblower protections and the patchwork of agencies that are involved.

Hands off the Whistleblower letter from Grassley, an example of a letter directing an agency head (in this case, the acting head) not to stifle whistleblowers or attempts by Congress to investigate wrongdoing.

House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds, an overview of the House Whistleblower Ombuds office and its services.

Intake Case Management Workflow Infographic, a guide on how to manage whistleblowers when they contact a congressional office. 

Whistleblower Survival Tips, lessons and advice for whistleblowers to succeed; a resource that congressional offices can share with whistleblowers.

Additional Links:

• BOOK: Caught Between Conscience and Career, POGO, GAP, and PEER
• The Lloyd La Follette Act (5 U.S.C. § 7211), which prohibits agencies from blocking employee access to Congress

Recorded Trainings:

Working with the Media

Resources and Handouts:

10 Media Tips from Roberta Baskin, a tip sheet of things staffers should consider in order to maximize the media impact of an investigation.

Recorded Trainings:

Law and Process

Resources and Handouts:

Handling Agency Objections, an extensive tipsheet created by the Levin Center at Wayne Law, describing Congress's rights in response to common agency objections.

Additional Links:

• Congressional Oversight of Judges and Justices, Congressional Research Service

Recorded Trainings:

Subject-Specific

Contracting/Federal Spending

Resources and Handouts

Federal Contracting Investigative Tips, a list of questions you should get answered for each stage of a contract.

Index of Useful Databases, a wide-ranging index of links to helpful databases, search engines, and other resources that may prove useful while conducting oversight.

Recorded Trainings:

Defense/Intel Oversight

Resources and Handouts:

Tip Sheet on Congressional Access to Restricted Information, a tip sheet focused specifically on overcoming obstacles to accessing classified and other restricted information, including a list of resources with additional information.

Legal Framework for Congressional Rights to Classified, Sensitive, or Privileged Information, a description of the applicable laws and the best practices for seeking and handling sensitive information, including: classified and controlled unclassified information; executive privileges; tax, health, and privacy act information; and trade secrets.

Summary of Intelligence Community Whistleblowing, a short excerpt from the book Caught Between Conscience and Career, by POGO, GAP, and PEER. 

Additional Links:

• BOOK: The Pentagon Labyrinth, POGO's Center for Defense Information
• Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protections: In Brief, Congressional Research Service
• Congressional Oversight of Intelligence: Current Structure and Alternatives, Congressional Research Service
• Congressional Oversight of Intelligence: Background and Selected Options for Further Reform, Congressional Research Service

Recorded Trainings:

Investigating Public and Private Companies

Resources and Handouts:

Piercing the Corporate Veil: Investigating Public and Private Companies, a tipsheet focused on getting information and records during private-sector investigations.

Overseeing Nuclear Weapons

Recorded Trainings:

Improper Payments

Resources and Handouts:

REPORT: Improper Payments: Federal Improper Payments Are Significant, Costing Taxpayers Billions

Recorded Trainings: