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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
DoD Identifies 14 “Should-Cost” and “Will-Cost” Demonstration Programs
The Air Force, Army, and Navy have identified fourteen weapons programs where they will employ two management techniques to prevent massive cost overruns, according to an April 22 Department of Defense (DoD) memo obtained by Inside Defense.com.
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Analysis
FCMD Contractors in the News
The Department of the Interior announced on Thursday that BP Exploration and Production, Inc., will provide $1 billion for early oil spill restoration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico as part of an agreement with the federal government and the five states bordering the Gulf. The ...
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Analysis
Suggestions for How to Make the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a Prototype for a More Open, Effective, and Accountable Government
In April 2011, POGO and other open government advocates met with Professor Elizabeth Warren, Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to discuss how the brand new CFPB can meet her call ...
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Analysis
FAPIIS First Impressions
Friday, April 15, 2011 marked the public debut of the government’s contractor and grantee responsibility database, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, or FAPIIS. POGO gave it a test drive and has a few things to say about it.
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Analysis
Tax Tidbits
Well, not quite. The filing deadline this year was moved to Monday, April 18 because today marks the observance of Emancipation Day. Enjoy your weekend, procrastinating taxpayers.
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Analysis
Two Pitfalls
There are two pitfalls that could ultimately harm the media’s access to government information. First, although the Obama Administration has certainly emphasized the open government agenda, some of the most significant accomplishments in open government have been piloted by ou...
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Analysis
OMB’s Confusing Reply to Concerns that Post-WikiLeaks Directives Could Lead to Rights Infringement
What are agencies supposed to do about WikiLeaks? We had some concerns about the directives for agencies issued in the wake of the November WikiLeaks disclosures and wrote to the administration on January 28, along with some of our allies, seeking clarification. On March 29, J...
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Analysis
Open Government Advocates Meet with POTUS: A Firsthand Account
Yesterday afternoon, POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian—along with OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass, OpenTheGovernment.org Director Patrice McDermott, National Security Archive Executive Director Tom Blanton, and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Executive...
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Analysis
What’s Bothering Stan Soloway Now?
According to Stan Soloway, president and CEO of contractor trade association the Professional Services Council, due process and fairness are becoming “increasingly quaint notions” for federal contractors.
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Analysis
Solution: How the Government Can Stop Doing Business With Risky Contractors
It is very hard for the federal government to have a successful criminal or civil prosecution of their contractors and it is the hardest to do with the Department of Defense (DoD). In January, the DoD created a stir when it released its Report to Congress on Contracting Fraud...
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Analysis
Senator Pushes DCAA To Complete More Incurred Cost Audits
Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) prodded the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) to finish more incurred cost audits and decrease its backlog at the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Contract Oversight hearing on Tuesday.
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Analysis
Don’t Let Review of Classified Information Safeguards Infringe on Rights
POGO and other good government advocates are urging the Office of Management and Budget to be careful about infringing upon the constitutional rights of employees as it moves forward with a review of procedures to safeguard classified information.