Oversight in your inbox
Weekly newsletter and updates
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.
-
Analysis
In Defense of National Security Whistleblowers
In a recent Harvard Law & Policy Review article, Yochai Benkler, law professor and co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, introduced the idea of a “public accountability defense,” especially for national security whistleblowers.
-
Analysis
Settlement Finally Brings Justice to Marine Corps Whistleblower
More than seven years after he first raised concerns about a lack of safe military vehicles in Iraq—truth telling that got him reprimanded and suspended—Marine science advisor Franz Gayl can finally get back to work.
-
Analysis
Hill Encourages DoD IG to Protect Contractor Whistleblowers
A bipartisan group of Members of Congress sent a letter chastising the DoD Office of Inspector General for having an “extremely limited definition of Department of Defense personnel to whom contractor and subcontractor employees may make protected disclosures.”
-
Analysis
Social Security’s Perilous Plan for Its Future
As the Social Security Administration readies its strategic plan for the next decade, there is growing concern over the agency's shift toward Web-based customer service and its contract with credit reporting giant Experian.
-
Analysis
Energy Labs Feel the Heat as Their Effectiveness Is Examined
A commission established to review the effectiveness of the United States' national lab system has met for the second time, a day before a group of Senators announced the creation of a National Labs Caucus to push back against potential consolidation.
-
Analysis
Report Finds Pentagon’s Real Estate Inventory Incomplete, Incorrect and Inconsistent
The Department of Defense has no idea what’s going on in more than half the properties it owns and it has no plans to figure that information out, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
-
Analysis
Millions Wasted on Communication Towers in Afghanistan
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reports wasteful spending by the Department of State on underused communication towers across Afghanistan.
-
Analysis
SIGAR Tells Fellow Watchdogs to Shout from the Rooftops
All too often, federal watchdogs find alarming evidence of government malfeasance, only to bury their findings in reports that are dense, hidden, or redacted. Thankfully, at least one Inspector General recognizes the value of publicity, and is urging other watchdogs to change ...
-
Analysis
Federal Spending Watchdog Pulls the Plug on DUNS
As of October 1, you will no longer be able to track the billions of dollars spent on the economic stimulus and the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort.
-
AnalysisWatchdogs Publish More Information on Whistleblower Rights
Last week, POGO raised concerns that some federal watchdogs were not posting enough information online for agency employees who have questions about blowing the whistle. We’re happy to report that a few watchdog offices are now taking steps to remedy the situation.
-
Analysis
POGO Joins in Asking FCC to Reform Radio Political Ad Info
POGO joins 10 other groups asking the FCC to require radio stations to post political ad spending information to an online database.
-
AnalysisWatchdogs and Whistleblowers: A Progress Report
Many federal watchdogs have posted clear and comprehensive information about whistleblower protection ombudsmen on their websites, according to a review by the Project On Government Oversight. However, several watchdogs—most notably the Inspectors General at the Department of ...