Oversight is one of the most important Congressional responsibilities—and overlooked advocacy tools.  

For nearly two years, laws that Congress enacted have been ignored or abandoned, agencies that Congress established have been gutted, and funding that Congress appropriated has been cut off or diverted for unauthorized—and therefore illegal and unconstitutional—purposes. The result is that millions are losing access to basic needs programs. Congressional oversight offers advocates and policymakers an opportunity to highlight how these policy decisions are connected to the hardships people are experiencing in communities across the country and thus lay the foundation for future change. 

This is why CHN is launching a new project to create and advance a Human Needs Oversight Agenda. 

Our comprehensive campaign will encourage the use of every tool in the oversight toolbox—from formal Congressional letters and investigations demanding information from agencies to hearings and reports that both examine executive action and underscore the real impacts on people. Our goal is not only to demonstrate the negative impacts of recent policies, or even to reverse them—it is to shine a light so bright that we can start to build a mandate for new policies that will more durably and meaningfully advance human needs beyond the status quo two years ago. 

The policy priorities for our Human Needs Oversight Agenda will include the following categories: 

• Ensuring that Congressionally-approved funding gets to communities as intended, with enough federal workers to ensure that funding is disbursed in a timely manner and civil servants who will adhere to program standards;  

• Documenting the harms of H.R. 1 and building momentum to roll back historic cuts to basic needs programs and make transformative change;  

• Calling out fraud and wasteful spending at the Pentagon and for increased militarization while making the case for investing in human needs instead; and 

• Protecting data integrity and privacy, including emphasizing the importance of understanding hardships in local communities nationwide. 

This is only the start of a very ambitious agenda, and we are excited to work with the advocates, experts, grassroots activists, and service providers from our more than 100 national member organizations as we leverage and maximize our collective power to improve the lives of people with low-incomes. 

Wherever you are in your oversight journey, CHN has a place for you. Meredith Dodson (MDodson@chn.org) is coordinating our efforts around this campaign— please reach out! For those new to oversight (or who want a refresher!), you can start with our Introduction to Congressional Oversight training webinar on Friday, October 16, at 12pm(et). Please register here.

An Introduction to Congressional Oversight: A Training for CHN Members and Partners 

The Coalition on Human Needs is holding a training webinar on Friday, October 16 @ 12pm(et), where experts will discuss what Congress can and should be doing to exercise its oversight powers under Article I of the Constitution to advance human needs — from safeguarding its authority and checking the executive branch to investigating abuses and assessing the impact of federal policy. Come learn what advocates can do to ensure Congress uses its oversight powers to meet human needs! 

At this training for CHN Members and prospective members, we’ll hear from: 

• David Rapallo, former Staff Director of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform under then-chairman Elijah Cummings, who will discuss the tools Congress has to conduct robust oversight and what strategic oversight can look like; 

• Roy L. Austin, Jr., a nationally recognized civil rights litigator and policy leader who was appointed by President Obama to serve as Deputy Assistant to the President and head of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity, who will discuss opportunities for, and different uses of, Congressional oversight; and  

• Laura W. Murphy, president of Laura Murphy & Associates, and a seasoned civil rights and civil liberties expert who previously led the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, who will discuss the role advocates can play in pushing for robust oversight. 

• Corrine Yu, Chief of Staff of the Coalition on Human Needs, will moderate this discussion and ensure you get the information you need to start using oversight as an effective advocacy tool.

This webinar is off the record, but it will be recorded, and all approved registrants will receive the recording and related materials. Please register even if you can’t join us live — but if you do join us, we’ll leave plenty of time for questions! 

Register here to discuss the tools Congress has to conduct robust oversight, organize its work in a proactive and coordinated way across the Hill, convey a compelling message to the American people, and work in partnership with all of you. 

This webinar is an example of the kind of programming that CHN will be providing exclusively to its members starting in 2027. So if your organization is not an official member (or you’re not sure!), please email Rebecca Vucic (rvucic@chn.org) for details!