Over 100 People Attend Congressional Oversight Panel and Book Release

Yesterday, POGO joined with the Constitution Project to host a panel discussion on “Congress vs. the President: The Scope and Limits of Congressional Oversight Powers.” Held at the National Press Club, the panelists included Mickey Edwards, former Member of Congress (R-OK), 1977-1993; Morton Rosenberg, former Specialist in American Law at the Congressional Research Service and Constitution Project Fellow; Chris Shays, former Member of Congress (R-CT), 1987-2009; and Ronald Weich, Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs for President Barack Obama. The panel was moderated by Jeanne Cummings, an assistant managing editor at Politico. You can listen here to the panel discussion.

The event also featured the release of two books about congressional oversight. One, When Congress Comes Calling: A Primer on the Principles, Practices, and Pragmatics of Legislative Inquiry, was published by the Constitution Project and authored by Morton Rosenberg. The other, The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right, was published by POGO as a solution to widespread concerns about the quality and quantity of oversight activities on the Hill.

While POGO's handbook is designed to empower congressional staff to tap into the U.S. Congress's numerous oversight powers, it is also a treasure-trove of valuable information for students, political scientists, and the public about how Congress actually operates. The book is highly readable, fresh, and a bit humorous. Click here to see the Table of Contents. Click here to read Chapter One.

If you're a Hill staffer (including GAO and CRS), and want to learn more about the handbook or our Congressional Oversight Training Series (COTS), contact me at idrake@pogo.org or 202-347-1122.

If you're not a Hill staffer, you can order your copy here.

-- Ingrid Drake