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Latest Policy Publications
POGO’s experts push policymakers to enact commonsense reforms that tackle waste, corruption, and abuse of power; hold those who’ve violated the public trust accountable; protect our constitutional rights; and make the government work for all people.
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Analysis
Busting the Myth of Whistleblower Protections for IC Contractors
There is one undeniable fact surrounding Snowden’s circumstances that has been misreported by Congress and the Executive Branch far too many times: the Intelligence Community (IC) contractor would have had almost no protections had he come forward through proper channels.
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AnalysisNext Steps for Military Personnel Reform
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s new initiative, “Force of the Future,” attempted to modernize our military forces. In an interview, our Military Advisory Board Member Don Vandergriff assesses why the Pentagon’s initiative failed, what to make of Carter’s attempts to woo Sili...
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Analysis
Government Watchdog Identifies Lessons from Afghanistan Reconstruction
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has some important lessons about the systemic corruption that has hindered the 15-year effort to rebuild the war-torn country.
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Policy Letter
POGO Asks the House to Strengthen Congressional Oversight of the Intelligence Community
We believe Congress must renew its commitment to provide a meaningful check on the executive branch and reform how it conducts oversight over intelligence matters. The time for modernization is now.
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Analysis
LISTEN: The Case against Unlimited Pentagon Spending
POGO’s Dan Grazier explains the problems with the current bloated Pentagon budget on the Steele & Ungar show following the comments of presidential candidate Donald Trump about ending the sequester on defense spending.
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Analysis
Independence of Inspectors General is Essential
POGO discusses the Partnership for Public Service’s “Walking the Line” report and highlights the importance of Inspector General independence.
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Analysis
Justice Dept. Watchdog Confirms “Unacceptable” FARA Compliance
The Department of Justice Inspector General released an audit on enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) yesterday which echoed findings of lax compliance and enforcement of the law detailed in a 2014 POGO report.
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Analysis
POGO Critical of Pentagon Watchdog’s Handling of Whistleblowers
The director of POGO’s military reform project testified about the inadequate protections for whistleblowers who come forward to report misconduct at the Pentagon. Mandy Smithberger’s testimony called on the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General to restore the in...
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Testimony
Oversight of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Military Whistleblower Reprisal Investigations
For years, independent evaluations of the Department of Defense Inspector General have raised serious concerns about the office’s capacity and willingness to provide independent oversight of the Department’s treatment of whistleblowers.
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Analysis
Halt DHS Procurement while Private Detention Centers Evaluated
The Project On Government Oversight asks that the Department of Homeland Security immediately halt long-term contract renewals and solicitations for detention centers while the Homeland Security Advisory Board evaluates whether the immigration detention operations conducted by...
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Policy Letter
POGO Asks DHS to Pause Procurement of Private Detention Centers
Earlier today, POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian sent a letter to DHS Secretary Johnson commending him for opening a review of DHS's use of private immigration detention centers and urging him to freeze the contracting process on new private centers pending the findings o...
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Policy Letter
Transparency Improvements within Existing Rulemakings
POGO and Taxpayers for Common Sense urge that the new rules for extracting on federal lands include robust transparency provisions to improve the existing system of disclosure.