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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
Ten Questions That USASpending.Gov Can’t Answer
USASpending.gov is supposed to be a hub for citizens to find information about government spending, but it comes up short when trying to answer some key questions.
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Analysis
The Whistleblower Who Wouldn’t Go Away
Seven years after publicly blasting the TSA, a former air marshal might finally be getting his job back
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Analysis
Taxpayers Could Foot Bill For Fannie Mae Fraud Settlement
Years after the government accused Fannie Mae of accounting fraud, are taxpayers being forced to pay the price?
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Analysis
Company Hit By Chinese Hackers Still a Trusted Fed Supplier
U.S. defense contractor QinetiQ North America got picked clean by Chinese hackers, but the government still awards the company contracts.
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Analysis
Y-12 Protestors Exposed Security Failures, Found Guilty
Three protestors responsible for breaking into the Y-12 nuclear facility face up to 30 years in prison despite shining a spotlight on several security failures.
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Analysis
Cell Phone Services Show Broken Buying System
OMB's Norman Dong provided details about a federal agency with 13 comparable phone service plans that appear to be wasting taxpayer dollars.
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Analysis
VA Medical Construction Over Budget, Behind Schedule
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ largest construction projects are, on average, $366 million over budget and almost three years behind schedule, the Government Accountability Office told Congress.
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Analysis
Transparency on Oil, Gas, Coal Revenues Moving Forward
The U.S. Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative decided that it will include oil, gas, and coal royalties on federal lands in it scope. Other revenues, resources, and lands are still up for discussion among members of industry, government, and civil society.
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Analysis
For Whistleblowers, Fraying Protection
Ten years ago, advocates, funders, journalists and citizens gathered in an effort to champion the rights of whistleblowers. We saw a brighter future for truth-tellers, but sadly, ten years later, we fear that we may have, in fact, lost ground.
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Analysis
Illegal Foreclosures Are Corporate Trade Secrets?
Federal agencies are withholding information about the illegal foreclosure practices of mortgage companies from Members of Congress, relying on justifications that closely track those used to withhold documents from the general public under the Freedom of Information Act.
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AnalysisChuck Spinney Introduces an Essay by Mike Lofgren on Military Spending
In the attached essay, my very good friend Mike Lofgren raises the question of whether defense spending is good for the economy. This is a current issue because the threat of defense budget reduction is being countered by arguments asserting that these reductions will push th...
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Analysis
Afghanistan Incinerators Burn Money, Not Trash
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that the government wasted $5 million on an unused solid waste incineration system on Forward Operating Base Salerno. The base continues to dispose of its solid waste in dangerous open-air burn pits.