2021-22 Congressional Training Program Schedule

While the Senate alone approves presidential nominees, all committees and members have an interest in ensuring the administration’s top officials can serve the public with credibility and expertise, and minimal financial or ethical conflicts of interest.

RECORDING

An introduction to oversight, this session covers the constitutional basis for congressional oversight, how oversight is an essential part of legislating, and how to get started.

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How to use the knowledge and resources of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Congress’s shared research and analysis division, to boost your oversight and accountability efforts.

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Correspondence from congressional offices asking for records or interviews are the building blocks of oversight. Learn how to write good request letters—and how to get them answered.

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How to improve your oversight by calling on the experts and expertise of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent, nonpartisan agency that supports Congress.

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Hearings can be dramatic, high-profile events that drive change—or frustrating and pointless wastes of time. Learn how to make oversight hearings sharper, more efficient, and more effective.

RECORDING

Given several committees' call for hearings on recent developments in Afghanistan, we are hosting a special training session with the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to help Congressional staff understand what went wrong and how to improve oversight investigations on Afghanistan.

RECORDING

Whistleblowers are vital information sources for congressional investigations, and they often risk major injury for coming forward: career implosion, retaliation, doxxing, online harassment, and worse. Learn how to work more safely and effectively with whistleblowers to advance your oversight efforts.

A data breach or hack can devastate an agency’s ability to succeed. Every agency grapples with cybersecurity—and few manage it well. Learn how to assess an agency’s cybersecurity and ask the right questions.

The media can bring attention and public outrage to your investigation. They can also ignore it. Learn how to work effectively with the news media during and after your investigation.

Trying to get answers when you don’t have a gavel—or even a committee seat—can be hard. Learn how to get creative with new partners and new approaches.

Inspectors general (IGs) are independent watchdogs within federal agencies and are essential to a well-functioning federal government. They’re also great allies for your oversight work. Find out more about IGs, what they do, and how to leverage their expertise and mission for your oversight work.

Many members think of oversight as a tool for answering questions. But it can also be a powerful tool for implementing reforms. Learn how to design your oversight for maximum impact—and how to follow through to deliver it.

Federal misspending costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year—it’s an issue nearly every member (and voter) can appreciate. Learn how to spot potentially wasteful spending, get the facts, and call it out.

The relationship between investigators and the subject of their scrutiny can be fraught and tense. But in some cases, they can help your effort. Learn how—and when—to work cooperatively with investigative subjects to achieve your goals.

Agencies can give many excuses for declining to cooperate with a congressional request. Which are valid and which aren’t? Learn when to listen and when to push back—and get the information your investigation needs.

A lot of attention is paid to Congress’s oversight of the executive branch. But Congress also oversees the judicial branch, with an entirely different set of rules, disclosures, and concerns.

Sometimes the information you need is just a few clicks away—if you only knew where to click. Learn about federal contracting databases and other tools to get the data you’re looking for quickly.