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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
DOJ Documents Shed Light on Deferred Prosecution Agreements and Corporate Monitors
Deferred prosecution agreements, non-prosecution agreements and corporate monitors are three legal terms that, until quite recently, meant nothing to non-lawyers.
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Analysis
Taxpayers Could Lose $53 Billion from Oil Leases
A new draft report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that the federal government could stand to lose $53 billion in royalties from deepwater drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Politico printed a story on the GAO's findings after reviewing the draft, w...
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Analysis
Parsons Corp. Goes Back to School in the Big Easy
Parsons Corporation is a worldwide construction and engineering firm. Over the past few years, Parsons has been heavily criticized for its reconstruction work in Iraq, where it has undertaken hundreds of projects worth a total of $1-2 billion.
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Analysis
A Taxing Time on the Hill for Contractors
Attention federal contractors: Be prepared to open your wallets a little wider when the IRS comes calling in the future. Two bills pending in Congress aim to tighten the screws on the finances of those doing business with Uncle Sam.
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Analysis
Less Alphabet Soup, Maybe, but Less Transparency
Back in January we wrote about the pending new rules for federal agencies for control of information considered sensitive but not classified. We were told that the purpose of the new policy was to ease information-sharing between agencies, most particularly information relate...
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Analysis
When Public Information Goes Private
As companies like Google and Microsoft forge ahead with ambitious projects to scan the collections of many prominent research libraries, some have raised concerns about giving private entities so much control over content that is typically open and free to the public.
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Analysis
Important Victory for Inspector General Oversight & Accountability
Late Wednesday night, the Senate passed its version of legislation to amend the law governing federal Inspectors General, after an amendment offered by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) finally broke through the logjam that had blocked the bill's passage since last November.
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Analysis
Seven Years Later: The Jury Is Still Out on Outsourcing
POGO has written previously about the ongoing debate over the federal government's growing reliance on the private sector to perform public functions (see, for example, here and here). A recent article in the Washington Post about the current state of President Bush's competit...
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Analysis
An “A” for Contracting Accountability
April has been a busy month for improving contracting accountability in the federal government.
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Analysis
Flawed Thunderbirds Contract Tainted with Improper Influence
Back in May 2006, POGO posted a blog entry about the Air Force improperly steering a $50 million contract to produce large-scale video shows during Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron performances to a company connected to senior Air Force officers. POGO noted that the Dep...
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Analysis
Bush Legal Eagles Soar To Prestigious Private Roosts
Last week, Legal Times reported that Bush administration lawyers are finding lucrative jobs with private law firms and corporations, where salaries can reach "all the way to comfortably within seven figures," which is far higher than their government salaries. In the...