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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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AnalysisWhat to Look For Next: Leak Investigations and More Attacks on the Press
The administration has signaled it wants to aggressively go after the press and its sources. Congress should push back on attacks on the First Amendment.
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AnalysisNew Public Accountability on Ethics Agreements
The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) established a new certification that tracks presidential appointees’ ethics compliance, which will be posted online. The move should create greater accountability when it comes to appointees’ ethics commitments.
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AnalysisWatchdog Finds DoD Must Improve Contractor Performance Monitoring
According to the Department of Defense Inspector General, Department agencies are not consistently tracking the performance of contractors, putting billions of taxpayer dollars at increased risk of fraud, waste, and other misconduct.
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AnalysisIn Push for FBI Director James Comey’s Trump Memos, Congress Must Protect Whistleblowers
News reports that FBI Director James Comey documented President Trump's attempt to improperly influence FBI investigations raise serious concerns about the President and the rule of law.
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Analysis
Fact Sheet: Foreign Lobbying Reform
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires American lobbyists representing foreign governments or political parties to register their activities with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and submit regular documentation describing their activities. A
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AnalysisHealth and Human Services Illegally Gags Its Employees from Communicating With Congress
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a memorandum to its employees on May 3, 2017, that gags them from speaking with Congress and thus violates the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. The memorandum was made public today by Senator Charles Gra...
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AnalysisWaste Deep in the Big Afghaniquicksand
A U.S. recruit who joined in the invasion of the country in 2001 would be looking forward to retirement now
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AnalysisICE’s Private Detention Centers Keep Data Under Lock and Key
Hundreds of thousands of people are held for varying amounts of time in America’s privately run detention centers every year. But good luck trying to piece together the sparse data that the federal government makes public about these private detention centers.
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AnalysisPay Gap Report Misses Big Picture, Fails to Resolve Whether Outsourcing Saves Money
The latest comparison of federal government and private sector compensation touched off another debate between pro-contractor and pro-federal employee interest group, but it doesn’t resolve whether the government is getting the most bang for its workforce buck.
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AnalysisTrump’s First 100 Days: Fibs, Fudges—and a Slur
His comment that the U.S. military is now proud only because of him reeks of strongmanitis
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AnalysisWatchdog Tells Congress to Slow Down New “Frigate” Program
The latest Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) urges Congress not to blindly approve a new frigate program based on the LCS without knowing the design, cost, and capabilities.