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THE ART OF CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT
The folks at the Project on Government Oversight knew something was wrong when they would ge questions like the one from a congressional staffer wanting to know how to file a freedom of information request with the executive branch. You are Congress, POGO explained, an equal branch of government. You don't need to file a request.
Part of the problem was congressional turnover; when the majority changes party a lot of senior staffers now in the minority bail out, taking with them much experience. It was such gaps that Pogo decided to fill.
WFED - For the past three years, the Project on Government Oversight has been holding monthly training sessions entitled "The Congressional Oversight Training Series", a free lunchtime skill-building seminar designed to educate Hill staffers about their rights, responsibilities and powers working in the realm of Congressional oversight.
Ingrid Drake is an investigator at POGO, and Director of COTS:
"What we're trying to do is expose them to some of the very seasoned oversight staffers on the Hill, or who may have recently left the Hill, as well as to journalists, as to how to make oversight investigations really hard-hitting, and really meaningful, and help resolve the problems that they've identified. The seminars are strictly non-partisan. We always talk about how important it is to reach across the aisle as part of a successful investigation. We talk about how important it is to involve the media in various stages of the investigation, and not just at the end.". . .
Recently POGO has published "The Art of Congressional Oversight: A Users Guide to Doing it Right". The 83-page, spiral bound volume contains insights into how to be a successful congressional committee investigator.
In one case, an attorney for a company under investigation tried to intimidate a then-young investigator, Franklin Sibley, formerly a Democratic House and Senate oversight Staff Director, saying "I find you very laughable". Sibley shot back, "three months from now, I want to see how funny you think I am." He went on to say, "three months later, he wasn't that amused".
POGO is sending a copy to every congressman and senator on Capitol Hill, and is also providing copies to Hill staffers who attend the seminars, or who write in requesting a copy.
POGO is also making "The Art of Congressional Oversight" available for purchase by interested members of the public from its website.
The folks at the Project on Government Oversight knew something was wrong when they would ge questions like the one from a congressional staffer wanting to know how to file a freedom of information request with the executive branch. You are Congress, POGO explained, an equal branch of government. You don't need to file a request.
Part of the problem was congressional turnover; when the majority changes party a lot of senior staffers now in the minority bail out, taking with them much experience. It was such gaps that Pogo decided to fill.
WFED - For the past three years, the Project on Government Oversight has been holding monthly training sessions entitled "The Congressional Oversight Training Series", a free lunchtime skill-building seminar designed to educate Hill staffers about their rights, responsibilities and powers working in the realm of Congressional oversight.
Ingrid Drake is an investigator at POGO, and Director of COTS:
"What we're trying to do is expose them to some of the very seasoned oversight staffers on the Hill, or who may have recently left the Hill, as well as to journalists, as to how to make oversight investigations really hard-hitting, and really meaningful, and help resolve the problems that they've identified. The seminars are strictly non-partisan. We always talk about how important it is to reach across the aisle as part of a successful investigation. We talk about how important it is to involve the media in various stages of the investigation, and not just at the end.". . .
Recently POGO has published "The Art of Congressional Oversight: A Users Guide to Doing it Right". The 83-page, spiral bound volume contains insights into how to be a successful congressional committee investigator.
In one case, an attorney for a company under investigation tried to intimidate a then-young investigator, Franklin Sibley, formerly a Democratic House and Senate oversight Staff Director, saying "I find you very laughable". Sibley shot back, "three months from now, I want to see how funny you think I am." He went on to say, "three months later, he wasn't that amused".
POGO is sending a copy to every congressman and senator on Capitol Hill, and is also providing copies to Hill staffers who attend the seminars, or who write in requesting a copy.
POGO is also making "The Art of Congressional Oversight" available for purchase by interested members of the public from its website.
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