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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
Inspectors General Receive Much-Needed Attention in Senate
The investigative role of Inspectors General (IGs) would be strengthened in the Senate's new budget proposal.
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AnalysisF-35 Wars: The Empire Strikes Back--with GAO’s Help
DOD is circling the wagons to keep the F-35 propped up in the declining Pentagon budget. Importantly, as noted by a prime Lockheed mouthpiece offering his thankfulness for it, GAO's newest report on the F-35 offers a conclusion that the F-35 is on track for improvement--the d...
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Analysis
Retire Today, Do the Same Job for More Pay Tomorrow
The Department of Energy (DOE) Inspector General (IG) released an inspection report detailing prime contractor employees who retire and then go to work as a subcontractor doing the same work in the same office but at a higher salary, which might not be good for taxpayers.
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Analysis
IRS Threatens to Weaken Whistleblower Program
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has proposed regulations that would “hamstring” its whistleblower program, according to Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), a longtime champion of whistleblowers.
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Analysis
Watchdogs Not Immune from Sequestration Cuts
Inspectors General face budget cuts as a result of sequestration, raising questions about how the abilities of IGs to conduct investigations and audits to uncover waste, fraud, and abuse in their agencies will be impacted.
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Analysis
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Inspectors General
Matthew Harris, University of Maryland University College, explores the experiences, challenges, and recommendations of 18 Inspectors General in his doctorate dissertation.
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Analysis
Lessons of Watergate Scandal Still Resonate
Over the last 40 years, the Watergate scandal has been dissected every which way, but the lessons learned continue to shape our politics and legislation to this day.
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Analysis
Public Deserves Access to Contractor Workforce Size and Cost Data
Access to federal government data on the size and cost of the contractor workforce needs improvement. Agencies still don't collect the data needed to understand the financial burden of millions of government and contractor workers.
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Analysis
FOIAonline: Measuring Performance and Looking Ahead
FOIAonline may revolutionize the way the public accesses government information, but first, more agencies need to buy into the system.
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Analysis
As Veterans Wait for Care, VA Allegedly Papers Over Delays
By altering dates logged, Department of Veterans Affairs employees minimize reported wait times for veterans' medical appointments, the GAO says.
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Analysis
POGO Celebrates Sunshine Week with Expanded Misconduct Database
POGO updates its Federal Contractor Misconduct Database with 12 new contractors and a new top 100 federal contractor ranking.
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Testimony
Testimony of POGO’s Angela Canterbury on Transparency and Accountability
It is particularly a pleasure to be here again during “Sunshine Week” when we promote open government and celebrate “sunshine laws” such as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Unfortunately, I cannot say that there has been tremendous progress on government openness since I...