This “Portraits in Oversight” video explores one of the most impactful and effective congressional investigations in U.S. history: the Truman Committee. During World War II, Senator Harry Truman led a bipartisan Senate committee to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse in wartime spending. His fact-driven, nonpartisan approach saved billions of taxpayer dollars, protected American soldiers, and set a powerful precedent for congressional oversight.

Students will learn how principled oversight can improve government efficiency, foster bipartisan cooperation, and inspire confidence in democratic institutions—even in times of national crisis.

For more, visit the Truman Committee and Wartime Oversight and the Learning by Hearing Resources collection.

The “Portraits in Oversight” video series is a product of The Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy. The Center was established in 2015 to carry on the legislative oversight legacy and public vision of U.S. Senator Carl Levin. Our civic education program, Learning by Hearings, provides U.S. History and Civics teachers with materials for inquiry lessons and in-class simulations, using noteworthy congressional investigations and hearings to bring to life principles of accountable governance and historic figures central to the development of our democracy. These FREE resources are made available through the support of the State of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Education and the work of Detroit PBS.