Weekly Spotlight: A Pay Day of Presidential Proportions
President Trump inadvertently made the case for transparency this week, and for that we thank him.
The Art of the Self-Deal
President Trump inadvertently made the case for transparency this week, and for that we thank him. His 2025 financial disclosure gave us stunning insight and proof of how his actions in the White House have impacted his personal wealth. The president made $1.4 billion from his family’s crypto business last year; all the while, he was deregulating the industry, enacting crypto-friendly policy, and aggressively promoting his businesses to the public. The sheer scale and blatant audacity of his self-dealing is unprecedented. This is happening while you’re living through an affordability crisis. The government should be working for you, not to make the president richer.
- You don’t have to be a policy expert to know this is wrong. And you don’t have to fight it alone. We’re executing an action plan to close the loopholes in federal ethics law that allow these conflicts of interest to go unchecked. Join us in imploring Congress to act.
- “Nothing wrong with it”: President Trump shrugs off questions about his profits.
In the news: POGO’s Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette gave our take to The New York Times.
Ghosting the government
(Illustration: Ren Velez / POGO; Photos: Getty Images; Tim Reckmann / Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0))
For all the havoc it wreaked last year, the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) end was uncharacteristically quiet. Purposefully quiet: The Office of Management and Budget said it has “no plans” to do any final report on DOGE’s tenure and impact. This is unacceptable. DOGE attempted a full-on reshaping of our government. It skirted scrutiny, disregarded the law, and operated with serious conflicts of interest. You deserve a full reckoning of the damage it wrought — and answers to the many glaring questions that still remain. How much (if any) money did DOGE actually save you? While we’re eager to see the back of DOGE, we can't let it fade into obscurity without accountability.
- “Although DOGE failed in its purported mission, it did have a tremendous impact by illegally firing federal workers, dismantling federal agencies, and creating toxic workplace environments.” Read a statement from the National Federation of Federal Employees.
- DOGE set out to cut $2 trillion in waste from the government. In the end, it claims to have saved $215 billion, falling far short of its goal. And experts are even doubtful about those numbers.
- POGO is actively suing President Trump and DOGE over access to the entity’s records. While we were denied a preliminary injunction in the case, we’re continuing to push for transparency so you can understand what DOGE did and why.
We’re still at war
(Illustration: Luna Velez / POGO)
As yet another fragile ceasefire fails amidst renewed strikes, we’re forced to confront what we already knew: The White House, which dragged our country into this illegal and unsanctioned war, simply cannot be trusted to end this conflict of its own volition. The status of the peace deal is uncertain. In this uncertainty, we have remained steadfast in urging congressional intervention. Only Congress can end this war at this point. The passage of a war powers resolution through both chambers was a powerful step forward. But it’s just a step. Your members need to actually hold the administration accountable to their directive.
- What could that look like? For starters, they could demand that the secretary of defense testify before them on the administration’s progress to end the war. They could issue a binding, veto-proof war power resolution as a more forceful measure. And they can of course use their power of the purse to block funding for the war.
- The White House asked for an additional $67.1 billion for the Pentagon, in large part to cover the rising war costs. Congress shouldn’t give them a penny.
- Dig deeper: The cost of the war (so far).
Your constitutional right to be furious
A New York man wrote an angry email to former ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons in the days following the shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. Months later, federal agents showed up at his house with a warning, accusing him of “criminal activities” and directing him to “discontinue” his behavior. It’s a chilling attempt to intimidate a concerned civilian into silence. In this country, we’re allowed to criticize our government — and they have to hear you when you do.
- The man is now suing the Department of Homeland Security. We hope to see the courts hold DHS accountable.
