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Fighting for a government that serves the people.

We investigate corruption and abuse of power in the federal government. And we promote commonsense reforms that strengthen our democracy and build a more equitable, accountable government.

Learn about who we are

Latest from POGO

Exposing problems.

POGO Investigates, our independent news reporting division, uncovers problems that prevent our government from working for all the people, exposing systemic waste, corruption, and abuse of power.

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Developing solutions and advocating for change.

Our experts push policymakers to tackle systemic waste, corruption, and abuse of power, to protect constitutional rights, and to enact commonsense reforms that build an effective, accountable federal government.

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Building a healthy democracy.

We focus on five core issue areas to ensure our government operates free from corruption and abuse of power, protects our constitutional rights, and addresses injustices.

Accountability

The federal government must answer to the people it serves.

A healthy democracy relies on a strong accountability system to ensure the government is working for everyone. We’re pushing to make it easier and safer to expose wrongdoing in the federal government.

Read more about Accountability
Collage of the U.S. Capitol building, the Constitution, and people going about their day-to-day lives

Checks & Balances

Balance of power in our government must be restored.

Our democratic system was designed to ensure no single branch becomes too powerful. We’re working for reforms to rebalance power, so each branch can act as an effective check on the others.

Read more about Checks & Balances
Collage of the Supreme Court, White House, and Capitol building

Civil & Human Rights

The government must do a better job protecting our constitutional rights.

Federal law enforcement can too easily violate our civil and human rights without consequence. We’re advocating for systemic changes that would better protect us from law enforcement abuses.

Read more about Civil & Human Rights
Collage of U.S. Capitol Police, Customs and Border Protection officials, and the Constitution

Corruption & Abuse of Power

Federal law must better ensure officials are serving the public.

It should be harder for government officials to abuse their power and to act corruptly. We’re working to ensure our leaders are held to the highest standards and can earn the people’s trust.

Read more about Corruption & Abuse of Power
Collage of a man with his fingers crossed behind his back and a man making a speech at a podium

National Security

The Pentagon must start putting people over profit.

Too often, Pentagon strategy is influenced by corporations looking to profit from defense contracts. We’re working toward a Pentagon budget that prioritizes what will truly keep us safe.

Read more about National Security
Collage of soldiers in formation, the Pentagon building, and crowds in front of the U.S. Capitol building

Making an impact.

At POGO, we work strategically to engage policymakers on efforts to reduce corruption and abuses of power in our government and to ensure leaders are protecting our rights.

  1. Exposed problems in military family housing.
  2. Successfully pushed DOJ to enact measures to report on deaths in custody.
  3. Trained nearly 400 congressional staff to improve oversight last year.

Amplifying your voice.

Become a member of POGO’s watchdog community and make your voice heard. Demand that policymakers enact change now on key government corruption issues.

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Join our fight for a more effective and accountable government. Sign up for our Weekly Spotlight newsletter and occasional updates on POGO's work.

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Oversight in your inbox

Join our fight for a more effective and accountable government. Sign up for our Weekly Spotlight newsletter and occasional updates on POGO's work.

See our privacy policy