Weekly Spotlight: Time to celebrate

Delivered to our subscribers on Saturdays, the Weekly Spotlight is a roundup of POGO's latest work and announcements. Sign up to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox.

September 15 marked the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month. This month, we’re celebrating the Hispanic and Latino communities, uplifting their achievements and impacts, and recognizing their central role in the foundation and shaping of American history and culture.

If you’re looking for ways to celebrate Hispanic and Latino history and culture this National Hispanic Heritage Month, we encourage you to visit the website of the National Museum of the American Latino.

We also want to acknowledge that while nearly one in five Americans is of Hispanic or Latino origin, those numbers are not reflected in our government. Hispanic and Latino Americans are the most underrepresented group in our federal workforce. This needs to change. Representation is key to a true, healthy, and thriving democracy.

POGO EVENTS

Webinar: Dollars and Demographics

An inaccurate census count can send billions of dollars to the wrong locations. Join POGO and Census Counts for a webinar on Tuesday, September 26 at 2pm ET to understand which programs are guided by census data, where the money goes, why an undercount (or overcount) is so harmful, and why this is a critical equity issue. RSVP now.

INVESTIGATION

Top Commerce Watchdog Exposed a Whistleblower’s Identity

The Commerce Department’s top watchdog official has been accused by lawmakers of compromising the identity of a whistleblower who had previously reported her for mismanagement and retaliation.

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REPORT

Dollars and Demographics: How Census Data Shapes Federal Funding Distribution

POGO identified 338 federal assistance programs that relied on census data to direct more than $2.1 trillion in federal funds to states and communities in fiscal year 2020. Proper distribution of those funds depends on the reliability of census data.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We knew the (DHS) complaint process was broken, but seeing the specific failure points is extremely helpful.”

Katherine Hawkins, Senior Legal Analyst, in Arizona Daily Star

OVERHEARD