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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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AnalysisCorruption is Public Enemy Number 1
New polling from Michigan and Ohio shows likely voters are deeply concerned about government corruption and largely in agreement about the right solutions.
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AnalysisClosely Held Contrivances
Secrecy enabled the Office of Legal Counsel’s worst abuses. But solutions need to go farther
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AnalysisCOVID and Contractor Misconduct
New Top 100 Ranking Shows the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on the Federal Contracting Landscape
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AnalysisNew Document Shows How the Air Force is Starving the A-10 Fleet
Air Force leaders defying Congress’s close air support mandates
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AnalysisState Secrets that Aren’t Secret
Twenty years after September 11, the government is still using national security secrecy to cover up torture — and the Supreme Court may soon make it easier for the government to hide evidence of other crimes.
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AnalysisSeven-Year Contractor Whistleblower Case Meets a Sad End
Michael Sandknop has two reports from two different inspectors general: one substantiating his whistleblowing, and a second substantiating subsequent reprisal against him. But seven years later, he hasn’t received a dime of remedy.
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AnalysisSecrets, Surveillance, and Scandals: The War on Terror’s Unending Impact on Americans’ Private Lives
Twenty years into the war on terror, we are still unraveling the mass surveillance enacted at its start. This deep dive shows how secret surveillance defied the rule of law and undermined democracy—and how civil rights advocates steadily fought back.
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AnalysisAxing Pentagon Cost Reports Threatens Acquisition Oversight
The already difficult task of understanding the true cost of weapons will be made much more difficult unless Congress acts to restore a key oversight report.
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AnalysisGeofence Warrants: The Last Piece of the Location Privacy Puzzle
A shocking new Google report reveals how frequently law enforcement uses an untargeted surveillance tool
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AnalysisKey Facts About Face Recognition for Policymaking
There are many myths and misconceptions in the debate about face recognition surveillance. When Congress considers safeguards for how law enforcement uses it, policymakers and the public need to keep some important facts in mind.
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AnalysisCongressional Oversight, the Executive, and the Legacy of INS v. Chadha
Congress should work within the bounds of the constitutional limits determined by the Supreme Court and reestablish their authority to weigh in on the use of emergency powers.
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AnalysisSecret Spending Decisions Undermine the Rule of Law: The Biden Cut
The Biden administration is trying to keep its spending decisions secret, just like previous administrations. The more things change, the more they stay the same.