Project On Government Oversight
Abbreviation | POGO |
---|---|
Formation | February 1981 |
Founder | Dina Rasor |
Type | 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization |
Purpose | Government Watchdog |
Location | |
Director
|
Danielle Brian |
Website | http://www.pogo.org |
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO), founded in 1981, is an independent non-profit organization in the United States which investigates and seeks to expose corruption and other misconduct. POGO assists whistleblowers and investigates federal agencies, Congress, and government contractors. POGO is currently led by executive director Danielle Brian.
Contents
- 1 Scope and methods
- 2 History
- 3 Program areas and impact
- 3.1 Contract oversight
- 3.2 Financial oversight
- 3.3 Good government
- 3.4 Government corruption
- 3.5 Government oversight
- 3.6 Government secrecy
- 3.7 Homeland security
- 3.8 Housing
- 3.9 National security
- 3.10 Natural resources
- 3.11 Nuclear security & safety
- 3.12 Public health
- 3.13 Transportation
- 3.14 Whistleblower issues
- 4 Reports
- 5 See also
- 6 References
- 7 External links
Scope and methods
POGO’s range of investigations includes national defense and homeland security, nuclear security issues, abuse in government contracting, excessive secrecy that fails to consider the public interest, and the revolving door phenomenon in Congress and across government agencies. POGO uses investigative journalism techniques to shed light on the government's activities, including working with whistleblowers and anonymous sources and accessing information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). POGO’s Federal Contractor Misconduct Database[1] is often used by investigative journalists and others who are interested in contractor misconduct.
Corporate whistleblowers and government insiders bring POGO many of its investigative topics. POGO informs the public of its findings, mainly through reports that contain extensive documentation and recommendations for how to solve the problems identified. Once a report has been released, more insiders usually approach POGO to provide further documentation and information.
In 2006, POGO launched its Congressional Oversight Training Series (COTS), which consists of monthly seminars on Capitol Hill for Congressional staffers and employees of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and Government Accountability Office (GAO). The seminars focus on how to conduct oversight of government contractors and various federal agencies.
History
While working for the National Taxpayers Legal Fund, Dina Rasor led its investigation into the C-5A transport aircraft. In February 1981 Rasor started "Project on Military Procurement", as an arm of the Fund.[2] The organization was intended as a watchdog group to perform oversight of the military. Early interests included the M1 Abrams tank.[3] The Project first gained wide attention in the mid-1980s uncovering Pentagon waste and fraud by publishing reports,[when?] provided by whistleblowers, exposing $640 toilet seats, $7,600 coffee makers, $436 hammers and other overpriced spare parts used by the military.[4] The group was renamed Project on Government Oversight in the late 1990s.
POGO currently has a staff of around 25 people, including investigators, journalists, and administrative and communications personnel, and is located in downtown Washington, D.C. It is funded through grants from foundations, as well as private donations. In order to maintain its independence, POGO does not accept government grants.[5][citation needed]
Whistleblower award incident
In the 1990s POGO investigated the Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service's collection of oil royalties. POGO and other plaintiffs sued the 14 largest oil and gas companies for defrauding the government by underpaying royalties owed for drilling on Federal lands, under the False Claims Act.[6] In 1998 POGO shared proceeds of the settlement of that lawsuit with two whistleblowers, federal employees, in the amount of $383,600 each for their assistance leading up to the lawsuit. This resulted in a preliminary investigation and report in 2000[7] which alleged that POGO's payments were for influence on Department of the Interior actions and policies. While calling the payments "a mistake", committee member U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman disputed any claims of influence, citing the timeline of events.[8] POGO did not hand over phone records relating to the incident, and was threatened by Rep. Don Young with Contempt of Congress,[9] which he withdrew, lacking the votes for passage.[10] The report, hearings, and contempt threat were described by Martin Lobel, an attorney involved in the dispute, as being driven by "oil company congressional lapdogs" bent on hounding oil industry enemies and derailing regulatory reform.[11]
In 2003 the United States Department of Justice, under George W. Bush, filed a civil action against POGO and one of the employees, and moved for summary judgment for violation of 18 U.S.C. § 209(a) (Restriction on Supplementation of Salary).[12][13] This was granted in 2004, appealed, reversed in 2006,[12] and went to trial in 2008, where the jury found that a violation had occurred. The court imposed penalties of the original dollar amount on the employee and $120,000 on POGO, which submitted a sworn declaration that the organization will not issue any future settlement payments to Government employees.[14]
On August 3, 2010, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the District Court judge’s jury instructions which had prevented POGO from defending itself in the civil suit. The Court struck down the DOJ’s position that POGO’s intent was not relevant – a position that had prevented POGO from using the word “whistleblower” in its defense. Accordingly, the jury verdict was vacated by the Court.[15]
The Art of Anonymous Activism
In 2002 the watchdog groups POGO, Government Accountability Project, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, co-published the book The Art of Anonymous Activism: Serving the Public while Surviving Public Service. It is described as a "how-to guide" for government employees who wish to expose corruption or misconduct in their organization without endangering their careers.[16][17]
Sunshine Award
In 2009, POGO received the Society of Professional Journalists' Sunshine Award for its work uncovering wasteful spending in the Air Force, investigating the Minerals Management Service (MMS) at the Department of the Interior, and compiling the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database.[18][citation needed]
Program areas and impact
Contract oversight
Program areas include: Arm's Length Negotiations, Competition in Federal Contracting, Contract Auditing, Contractor Accountability, Cost Accounting Standards, Earmarks, Federal Contracting Resources, Federal Contractor Misconduct, Federal Grants, Government Privatization, Human Trafficking, Hurricane Katrina Contracting, Iraq & Afghanistan Reconstruction Contracts, Lead System Integrators, Risky Contract Vehicles, Small Business Contractors, Third-Party Financing, Transparency in Contracting[19]
Much of POGO's work is devoted to tracking the actions of government contractors, particularly in regards to wasteful spending. In September 2011, POGO released a report on the costs of using service contractors, which, it says, are almost twice that of having federal employees doing the same work.[20] The organization also maintains the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, an aggregation of data on the U.S. government's 100 largest contractors, how much is spent on them per year, their instances of misconduct since 1995, and the total cost of that misconduct, according to POGO.[21] Eventually, the federal government adopted a similar database through the 1009 National Defense Authorization Act. This provision was spearheaded by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and other senators and representatives.[22]
In September 2009, POGO conducted an investigation into Armorgroup, a private security contractor in charge of protecting the U.S. embassy in Kabul, and uncovered and released documents, photos, and videos depicting drunken behavior, nudity, and hazing among the guards.[23] This led to the dismissal of several managers and eight guards, the resignation of an additional two guards,[24] and ultimately the cancellation of the United States military's contract with Armorgroup.[25]
Financial oversight
Program Areas include: Bailout, Financial Regulatory Agencies, Stimulus, State Stimulus Oversight[26]
POGO has pushed for stronger oversight of the financial bailout and stimulus package. In 2009, POGO helped uncover payments totaling approximately $1.2 billion paid to at least 30 companies that had violated the law through the stimulus package.[27][28] POGO also wrote a letter to Congress calling for strong oversight of financial industry representatives that give the government advice on the bailout and stimulus packages, citing this as a potential conflict of interest that could lead to pro-industry policies that do not help the taxpayer.[29]
POGO has also worked to expose former employees of the Securities and Exchange Commission who have gone through the revolving door—in other words, who have ended up working for private sector companies overseen by the SEC. In a May 2011 report on this issue, POGO argued that the presence of a "revolver" at a client company creates a conflict of interest and can lead to bias in SEC oversight.[30] Concurrently with the release of the report, POGO launched its SEC Revolving Door Database, which lists "revolvers" and where they are currently working.[31]
In 2009, POGO sent a letter to Congress criticizing the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to implement more than half of the recommendations made to it by its Inspector General[32] According to POGO, in the past 2 years, the SEC had taken no action on 27 out of 52 recommended reforms suggested in Inspector General reports, and still had a "pending" status on 197 of the 312 recommendations made in audit reports. Some of these recommendations included imposing disciplinary action on SEC employees who receive improper gifts or other favors from financial companies and investigating and reporting the causes of the failures to detect the Madoff ponzi scheme.[33]
POGO made several recommendations that were ultimately included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, including promoting stronger whistleblower protections and rewards for financial industry employees, giving the Government Accountability Office the power to audit the Federal Reserve, creating a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and giving inspector generals more independence.[34]
Good government
Program areas include: Presidential Priorities, Reform Agenda, State Project On Government Oversight (SPOGO)[35]
POGO regularly releases recommendations for good government reforms to both Congress and, in 2008, to the presidential transition teams. Recommendations have ranged from strengthening federal whistleblower protections to disclosing conflicts of interest in federally funded scientific research to released unclassified version of inspector general reports to the public.[36]
Government corruption
Program areas include: Conflicts of Interest, Improper Influence, Politicization, Revolving Door[37]
In late 2011 and early 2012, POGO conducted an investigation into conflicts of interest on an advisory committee at the Food and Drug Administration that was reviewing the Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills. Four members of the committee had ties to either the maker of the pills or the maker of a generic version but did not announce them before endorsing the drugs, leading to questions of whether or not the pills are actually safe.[38] (Both Yaz and Yasmin have been linked to fatal blood clots in some users.)[39] Investigations into further conflicts of interest at the FDA are ongoing.
POGO has also spoken out strongly against conflicts of interest on federal advisory and Congressional committees. In 2010, the organization advocated prohibiting federally registered lobbyists from sitting on advisory committees, boards, or commissions; the next year, a new federal policy was put in place to this effect.[40][41]
Government oversight
Program areas include: Bailout Oversight, Congressional Oversight, Election Integrity, Executive Privilege, Inspector General Investigations, Intelligence Agency Oversight, Stimulus Oversight[42]
POGO has traditionally been critical of policies at intelligence agencies directed at potential leaks that, it says, could negatively affect whistleblowers. In April 2011, POGO sent a letter to the U.S. Senate opposing a section in the Intelligence Authorization Bill that would have allowed intelligence agency heads to deprive employees suspected of violating non-disclosure agreements of their pensions; partially due to POGO's work, this language was scrapped from the final version of the bill.[43] POGO has also spoken out against the increased use of polygraphs at intelligence agencies.[44] Using polygraphs to attempt to catch leaks, it claims, could lead to whistleblower intimidation and the possible loss of jobs by innocent people due to faulty tests.[45]
POGO has encouraged more oversight of the federal government from Congress itself. Its Congressional Oversight Training Series consists of monthly sessions for Congressional staffers and others in the government on tips and resources for conducting oversight.[46] In 2009, POGO published The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right, which details Congress' oversight powers and includes anecdotes from current and former staffers on oversight investigations.[47]
Government secrecy
Program areas include: Freedom of Information Act, Information Access, Open Government, Overclassification, Pseudo-classification, Retroactive Classification and State Secrets Privilege[48]
POGO frequently uses the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to conduct investigations and has pushed to strengthen it. In 2011, POGO worked with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to amend a defense budget bill that would have applied more secrecy to FOIA requests at the Department of Defense.[49] The bill was amended to require that information withheld under a FOIA exemption to pass a "public interest balancing test."[50]
In 2004, POGO filed a lawsuit against then-Attorney General John Ashcroft for illegally retroactively classifying documents critical of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The classification came to light after Sibel Edmonds, an FBI translator, discovered that intercepted memos relevant to the September 11 terrorist attacks had been ignored due to poor translation.[51] POGO ultimately won the lawsuit.[52]
Homeland security
Program areas include: Aviation Security, Biodefense, Border Protection, Chemical Security, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security Spending, Electromagnetic Pulse[53]
POGO has advocated for increased transparency at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In 2006, the organization worked with other open government advocates to pass a law making DHS more accountable with regard to how it applies secrecy classification to documents. Previously, DHS had designated many documents "sensitive" that, POGO alleged, were not crucial to national security and exposed instances of inefficiency and negligence.[54] The year prior, DHS had abandoned its policy of making employees sign oaths not to disclose information labeled as "sensitive" but unclassified.[55]
Housing
Program areas include: Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, Housing & Urban Development[56]
In July 2012, a POGO investigation into mortgage enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac revealed that they had refused to turn over documents to Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General Steve Linick, claiming that he was exceeding his authority. In POGO's view, the fact that Fannie and Freddie are now government sponsored enterprises central to the U.S. housing market increases the need for oversight.[57][citation needed]
National security
Program areas include: A-10 Warthog Aircraft, B-1 and B-2 Bombers, Ballistic Missile Defense, Black Hawk Helicopter, Boeing Tanker Lease Deal, C-130J Transport Aircraft, C-17 Airlifter, Comanche Helicopter, Crusader Howitzer, CSAR-X, Defense Contractor Mergers, Defense and the National Interest Blog, FA-22 Fighter Aircraft, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, Future Combat Systems, Growler ITV, Intelligence, Littoral Combat Ship, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles(MRAPs), Patriot Missile, Predator UAV, Spare Parts, Stryker Armored Vehicle, V-22 Osprey Aircraft, Wasteful Defense Spending[58]
POGO investigates military weapons to "expose" what it sees as improper influence by some defense contractors on Pentagon decision making. For example, POGO has claimed that members of the United States Congress ardently support weapons systems built or maintained in their districts, regardless of effectiveness or even Pentagon requests for these weapons. POGO believes that this behavior leads to misspending on military weapons programs, placing tax dollars and national defense at risk.[59]
However, the OpenSecrets' website's listing of top organizations contributing donations to politicians indicates that defense companies are well down the list. Lockheed Martin, the country's largest defense contractor, is 33rd, at $22,398,020 in total contributions to politicians from 1989 to 2012. General Electric is 35th at $21,947,727. Other defense contractors are even further down the list: Boeing is 51st, with total political contributions at barely $17,884,942. Northrop Grumman is 58th, at $15,598,484. General Dynamics is 70th, at $13,894,518. The 10 top contributors are: ActBlue at $69,829,402; the American Fdn of State, County, and Municipal Employees at $61,440,473; AT&T at $49,435,290; the National Association of Realtors at $44,032,938; the NEA at $43,613,263; the SEIU at $41,809,666; Goldman Sachs at $39,830,663; the American Association for Justice at $36,480,728; the Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers" at $35,994,170; and the American Federation of Teachers at $34,698,466. From 1989 to 2012, ActBlue, a pro-Democrat group, contributed almost as much to politicians as the top 4 defense contractors combined.[60]
POGO has a history of investigating and actively opposing the production of weapons that it believes to be wasteful or inefficient, even if the DOD's top military and civilian leadership deems them needed and crucial, or if these weapon systems are necessary to fill a requirement. Some of the most prominent weapons systems that POGO has investigated and opposed include the ''Freedom'' Class Littoral Combat Ship,[61] FA-22 Fighter Aircraft,[62] F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, and the Black Hawk Helicopter. On the other hand, POGO has supported the production of the A-10 Warthog Aircraft for its relative effectiveness and inexpensiveness compared to what POGO considers more wasteful weapons.[63]
In 2012 the Center for Defense Information's Straus Military Reform Project moved to POGO, along with its director, veteran defense analyst Winslow T. Wheeler.[64]
Natural resources
Program areas include: Department of the Interior Oversight, Environmental Protection Agency Oversight, Moab, Oil & Gas Royalties, Oil & Gas Royalty In-Kind, Oil & Gas Royalty Litigation, Prudhoe Bay[65]
In 1994, POGO released a report criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to require the aerosol industry to warn the public about their use of "bug bombs," or insecticide foggers, which are highly flammable and potentially dangerous to its users.[66] By 1999, the EPA had passed a rule stating that insecticide foggers must be properly labeled to alert consumers to their dangers.[67]
POGO investigated the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service, which manages natural resources on the nation's outer continental shelf. Their 2008 report documented corruption and mismanagement in the MMS's royalty-in-kind program, including inadequate royalty accounting and provision of sex, drugs, and other favors to MMS officials by oil company representatives in exchange for favorable business deals.[68] Following this report and others by oversight groups including the Government Accountability Office, the royalty in-kind program was terminated and MMS was split into three different bureaus.[69][70][71]
Nuclear security & safety
Program areas include: Department of Defense Nuclear Weapons, Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nevada Test Site, Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear Weapons Complex, Pantex, Sandia National Laboratories, Y-12/Oak Ridge National Laboratory[72]
In 2006, POGO published a report detailing its investigation of the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory security complexes. The report claimed that the complexes were "at high risk, and [could] not meet the government's security standards." It also claimed that a terrorist with an improvised nuclear device at either site could kill more than 60,000 people in the area.[73]
POGO has conducted numerous investigations into the Los Alamos National Laboratory.[74] LANL has been the subject of several controversies in the past, including employees charging personal expenses to government accounts,[75] lost equipment or documents (including hundreds of computers containing classified information),[76][77][78] and a memorandum to employees to "be careful what they say" to safety and security inspectors.[79] In 2009, 69 computers disappeared, although plant officials insisted that the computers did not contain the most highly classified information.[80] 2009 also saw a scare in which 2.2 pounds of missing plutonium prompted a Department of Energy investigation into the plant. The investigation found that the "missing plutonium" was a result of miscalculation by LANL's statisticians and did not actually exist, but the investigation did lead to heavy criticism of the plant by the DOE for security flaws and weaknesses that the DOE claimed to have found.[81][82]
POGO has also opposed the construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement-Nuclear Facility at Los Alamos, citing that the project is unnecessary given its high price tag and already existing facilities' capabilities.[83] Moreover, the facility could be susceptible to an earthquake, which could lead to a release of radioactivity.[84]
Public health
Program areas include: Bug Bombers & Foggers, Food and Drug Administration, Health Care Fraud, Integrity in Science, Pandemic Flu Vaccine[85]
POGO has advocated for openness regarding toxic water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. From the late 1950s until at least 1985, U.S. Marines and their families had used tap water that contained carcinogens and other harmful chemicals leaking from a nearby dump site for radioactive material.[86] POGO, working with whistleblower retired Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger, has claimed that the Navy and Marine Corps have hidden information about the nature and extent of the contamination, citing a report released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry that was redacted by the Navy.[87] Recently, the U.S. Senate has approved healthcare for those who lived at Camp Lejeune and suffered health problems.[88]
In February 2009, POGO released a report on the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), which oversees the safety of medical devices. According to POGO, the CDRH decided in 2006 to ignore the Good Laboratory Practice Regulation, thereby allowing manufacturers to monitor their own compliance for safety regulations.[89] In compiling its letters to then-director of CDRH Daniel Schultz, POGO worked closely with several CDRH whistleblowers who were subjected to threatened or actual employment termination or inappropriate performance reviews for speaking out.[90] Schultz resigned in August 2009.[91]
Transportation
Program areas include: Big Dig, Faulty Aircraft Wiring, Federal Aviation Administration[92]
In 2007, POGO and 12 other nonprofits sent a letter to Congress calling on senators to oppose a provision in the FY 2008 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Bill, which would have limited oversight of the Department of Transportation's budgeting process. The provision was not passed.[93]
Whistleblower issues
Program areas include: False Claims Act, Office of Special Counsel, Whistleblower Protections[94]
POGO, along with several other public interest groups, has been involved in the investigation and trial of Scott Bloch, ex-head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). Bloch was accused by former OSC employees of ignoring and dismissing hundreds of whistleblower complaints, removing language guaranteeing protection against sexual orientation discrimination from OSC's website and official documents, and "relocating" several of his own employees who came forward with these allegations.[95] When these accusations led to a Congressional Investigation of Bloch, Bloch allegedly hired a technology company, Geeks On Call, to conduct a 7-layer memory wipe of his computer and several other OSC laptops in order to hide key evidence from the investigators; Bloch initially claimed that he ordered this as protection against a virus that had infected his computer, but he later admitted he was trying to withhold information.[96] Bloch ultimately resigned his position as head of the OSC and pled guilty to withholding information from Congress.[97]
Over the years, POGO has worked to protect the rights of several specific whistleblowers—including Franz Gayl, who criticized military leaders' decision to not deliver protective MRAPs to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, who challenged military leaders' depictions of the "rosy" situation on the ground in Afghanistan—by sending letters to Congress and the agencies involved expressing solidarity.[98][99][100][101]
Reports
2011-present
Jan. 18, 2012: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Energy Department Plans to Waste Billions of Dollars on Unneeded Los Alamos Lab Facility
Sept. 13, 2011: Bad Business: Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Wasted on Hiring Contractors
July 21, 2011: Spending Less, Spending Smarter: Recommendations for National Security Savings FY 2012 to FY 2021
May 24, 2011: Spent Nuclear Fuel Pools in the U.S.: Reducing the Deadly Risks of Storage
May 13, 2011: Revolving Regulators: SEC Faces Ethics Challenges with Revolving Door
2006–2010
Sept. 14, 2010: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: How the Country Can Profit and Become More Secure by Getting Rid of Its Surplus Weapons-Grade Uranium
May 20, 2010: Contract Spending: Escaping the Dark Ages
April 8, 2009: Transforming the U.S. Strategic Posture and Weapons Complex for Transition to a Nuclear Weapons-Free World
March 20, 2009: Inspectors General: Accountability is a Balancing Act
February 27, 2009: Easy Money: Top Five Recommendations for Increasing Revenue and Cutting Costs
February 18, 2009: The FDA's Deadly Gamble with the Safety of Medical Devices
November 25, 2008: Breaking the Sound Barrier: Experiences of Air Marshals Confirm Need for Reform at the OSC
October 16, 2008: POGO's Recommended Good Government Reforms for Presidential Transition Teams
September 18, 2008: Drilling the Taxpayer: Department of Interior's Royalty-In-Kind Program
June 19, 2008: Getting Byrned by Justice: Favoritism in the Department of Justice Byrne Discretionary Grant Program
March 17, 2008: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Livermore Homes and Plutonium Make Bad Neighbors
March 6, 2008: Pandemic Flu: Lack of Leadership and Disclosure Plague Vaccine Program
February 26, 2008: Inspectors General: Many Lack Essential Tools for Independence
November 13, 2007: Rescue At Risk: Crucial Helicopter Requirement Weakened
October 16, 2006: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory at High Risk
August 28, 2006: Federal Contracting: Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina
July 25, 2006: Preying On The Taxpayer: The F-22A Raptor
March 31, 2006: The Politics of Contracting: Bajagua's No-Bid Deal
2001–2005
May 19, 2005: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Homeland Security Opportunities
April 28, 2005: Homeland and National Security Whistleblower Protections: The Unfinished Agenda
March 15, 2005: Taxpayers Carry The Load: The C-130J Cargo Plane Does Not
June 29, 2004: The Politics of Contracting
March 11, 2004: Federal Contracting and Iraq Reconstruction
February 10, 2003: Congressional Research Service Products: Taxpayers Should Have Easy Access
September 12, 2002: Nuclear Power Plant Security: Voices from Inside the Fences
July 16, 2002: Big Dreams Still Need Oversight: Missile Defense Testing and Accountability are Being Circumvented
May 10, 2002: Federal Contractor Misconduct: Failures of the Suspension and Debarment System
May 7, 2002: Fill 'Er Up: Back-Door Deal For Boeing Will Leave The Taxpayer on Empty
March 11, 2002: Pick Pocketing the Taxpayer: The Insidious Effects of Acquisition Reform
October 1, 2001: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Security At Risk
August 2, 2001: Is the Air Force Spending Itself Into Unilateral Disarmament?
March 28, 2001: At The Federal Election Commission Things Don't Add Up
March 19, 2001: Heavy Lifting for Boeing: Sweetheart Deal Helps Defense Contractor and Hurts Taxpayers
January 2, 2001: Will We Ever Fly Before We Buy? F-22: Doesn't Meet Basic Testing Criteria
1996–2000
August 10, 2000: F-22: Fact or Fiction?
September 1, 1999: Defense Waste & Fraud Camouflaged As Reinventing Government
March 23, 1999: NRC Sells Environment Down the River: Radiation Flows Unchecked into the Colorado River
May 11, 1998: Tripwired?: Document Trail of Faulty Airplane Wiring Demonstrates Need For Comprehensive Review
April 27, 1998: Addicted to Fraud? Health Care Industriy Forced to Return Nearly $2 Billion to Taxpayers Under the False Claims Act
March 5, 1998: Re-Establishing Institutional Integrity at the FEC: Ten Common Sense Campaign Finance Disclosure Reforms
March 1, 1998: More Brass, More Bucks, Officer Inflation in Today's Military
January 1, 1997: Defense and Health Care Industries: Rather Than Clean Up Their Act, They Attack the Act
January 1, 1997: Drilling For the Truth: More Information Surfaces On Unpaid Oil Royalties
September 1, 1996: Who the Hell is Regulating Who? The NRC's Abdication of Responsibility
January 1, 1996: Wait! There Is More Money to Collect...Unpaid Oil Royalties Across the Nation
1990–1995
February 1, 1995: No Light At the End Of This Tunnel: Boston's Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project
January 1, 1995: Department of Interior Looks the Other Way: The Government's Slick Deal for the Oil Industry
August 1, 1994: Children's Ears & Antibiotics: Gold Mine For Pharmaceutical Companies, Land Mine for Children
May 1, 1994: Aerosols Give Business and Public Big Boom: Where is the Protection in the EPA?
January 1, 1994: Survey of Defense Contractor Signatories of the "Position Paper: Reform of the Federal Civil False Claims Act
June 29, 1993: POGO letter to DOE Secretary Hazel O'Leary concerning recent visit by DOE IG
June 22, 1993: Released draft audit report by Department of Energy Inspector General on Superconducting Super Collider costs and management.[102]
June 7, 1993: POGO letter to President Clinton regarding cost over runs of Superconducting Super Collider
January 1, 1993: The Superconducting Super Collider's Super Excesses[dead link]
July 1, 1992: High Tech Weapons In Desert Storm: Hype or Reality?
November 1, 1991: Cleaning Up Nuclear Waste: Why Is DOE Five Years Behind and Billions Over Budget?
January 1, 1990: The Army's M1 Tank: Has It Lived Up To Expectations?
See also
- Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting
- Center for Public Integrity
- OMB Watch
- Center for Democracy and Technology
- Sunlight Foundation
- Taxpayers for Common Sense
References
- ↑ Federal Contractor Misconduct Database
- ↑ Webbe, Stephen (January 14, 1982). Dina Rasor: blowing the whistle on the Pentagon The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ↑ Webbe, Stephen (April 22, 1981). M-1 tank already in war—of words. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ↑ "Air Force Still Paying Top Price for Spares". The Houston Chronicle; Scripps-Howard News Service. September 12, 1985. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Thompson, Paul (July 20, 2000). Report on an Inquiry into Payments Made by the Project on Government Oversight Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Report was ordered by Rep. Frank Murkowski (Chairman) ex committee. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
- ↑ Bingaman, Jeff (U.S. Sen) (September 5, 2000). Congressional Record, 106th Congress, Volume 145 Part 12. Pg. 16998 U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ↑ House Panel Seeks Contempt of Congress Charges Against Watchdog Group - Organization exposed oil companies' underpayment of royalties to government. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (AP), July 20, 2000. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
- ↑ Whitney, David (October 28, 2000). Whistle-blower vote stopped. Anchorage Daily News (AK).
- ↑ Lobel, Martin (September 20, 2000). WITH A VENGEANCE: Big Oil Uses Its Congressional Lapdogs to Hound Its Enemies. TomPaine.com; Institute for America's Future
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 454 F.3d 306; 372 U.S. App. D.C. 110; 2006 U.S. App. United States of America, Appellee v. Project on Government Oversight (Lexis).
- ↑ Summary of the Restriction on Supplementation of Salary United States Office of Government Ethics
- ↑ DAEOgram -- DO-08-036 -- 11/06/2008 -- 2007 Conflict of Interest Prosecution Survey United States Office of Government Ethics Memorandum, Robert I. Cusick, Director. November 6, 2008. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Your life may depend on a whistleblower, so protect him. Sun Herald p. E3. December 11, 2002. Retrieved 2010-08-03.(Payment required)
- ↑ "How-to Guide for Public Employees Exposing Problems-Support Groups Warn: Anonymous Whistleblowing Safer". The Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ POGO Receives Sunshine Award from Society of Professional Journalists. Project On Government Oversight July 10, 2009. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
- ↑ Contract Oversight Project On Government Oversight
- ↑ Bad Business: Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Wasted on Hiring Contractors Project On Government Oversight. September 13, 2011.
- ↑ Federal Contractor Misconduct Database. The Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ Lipowicz, Alice. "Contractor Watchdog Updates Misconduct Database." Washington Technology.
- ↑ Schulman, Daniel. (September 1, 2009). "Animal House in Afghanistan Mother Jones.
- ↑ Cole, August; Dreazen, Yochi J. (September 5, 2009). "Firm Fires U.S. Embassy Guards in Kabul". Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Schulman, Daniel (December 8, 2009). "ArmorGroup Loses Kabul Embassy Contract". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
- ↑ Financial Oversight Project On Government Oversight
- ↑ "Suspect Contractors Got Stimulus Contracts". UPI, October 26, 2009.
- ↑ Kimberly, Kindy (October 29, 2009). "Stimulus dollars going to accused contractors." The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ↑ POGO letter to Congress raising concerns about bailout private asset managers' conflicts of interest Project On Government Oversight. May 19, 2009.
- ↑ Revolving Regulators: SEC Faces Ethics Challenge with Revolving Door Project On Government Oversight. May 13, 2011.
- ↑ SEC Revolving Door Database
- ↑ Johnson, Fawn. (December 17, 2009) "Group Alleges Slack SEC Response to Internal Watchdog". [NASDAQ].
- ↑ Brian, Danielle. (December 16, 2009) "POGO Letter to SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro regarding SEC's failure to act on hundreds of Inspector General recommendations". The Project On Government Oversight Website.
- ↑ "POGO Recommended Transparency and Accountability Measures in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act." Project On Government Oversight. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ↑ Good Government Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ A Dozen Nonpartisan Good Government Fixes Congress Should Implement in 2010 Project On Government Oversight. February 16, 2010.
- ↑ Government Corruption Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ FDA Advisors who Endorsed Contraceptive Have Industry Ties Project On Government Oversight. January 12, 2012.
- ↑ Belluck, Pam (December 8, 2011). More Detail on Risk Urged for a Contraceptive Label The New York Times.
- ↑ POGO's Public Comment Regarding Lobbyists Serving on Federal Advisory Committees Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ It's Final—No More Lobbyists on Federal Advisory Committees Project On Government Oversight. October 6, 2011.
- ↑ Government Oversight Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ An Open Letter to United States Senate: Oppose the Anti-Speech Policy in the Intelligence Authorization Bill Project On Government Oversight. April 20, 2011.
- ↑ Liebert, Larry (June 25, 2012). "Intelligence Polygraph Exams Will Probe Leaks, Clapper Says" Bloomberg Businessweek.
- ↑ Liebelson, Dana, and Zagorin, Adam (June 27, 2012). "Intelligence Chief Uses Unreliable Lie Detector Technology to Plug Media Leaks" Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ Congressional Oversight Training Series Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ POGO Provides Oversight Handbook To Congress And Hill Staff To Encourage Increased Oversight Project On Government Oversight. July 31, 2009.
- ↑ Government Secrecy Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ Support Letter for NDAA Leahy Amendment to Fix FOIA Exemption Project On Government Oversight. November 17, 2011.
- ↑ Senate adopts Leahy transparency amendment to defense bill The Vermont Digger. December 1, 2011.
- ↑ Kornblut, Anne E (July 5, 2004). Translator in eye of storm on retroactive classification The Boston Globe.
- ↑ POGO 2005 Accomplishments Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ Homeland Security Project On Government Oversight
- ↑ POGO Calls on Congress to Stop the Department of Homeland Security from Mislabeling Average Information as "Sensitive" Project On Government Oversight. July 7, 2006.
- ↑ Strohm, Chris (January 12, 2005). "Homeland Security reverses secrecy policy, but protests persist" Government Executive.
- ↑ Housing Project On Government Oversight
- ↑ Fannie, Freddie, and Mortgage Regulator Balked at Oversight, Watchdog Says Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ National Security Project On Government Oversight
- ↑ "National Security Investigations." The Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
- ↑ POGO Releases Navy Documents Showing Problems with the Littoral Combat Ship Project On Government Oversight. April 23, 2012.
- ↑ Williams, Matthew (July 31, 2009). "House Reverses Itself, Votes to Kill F-22 Buy." Defense News.
- ↑ "Air Force Begins Witch Hunt for A-10 Warthog Defenders." The Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ "Prominent Defense Analyst, Pentagon Watchdog Winslow Wheeler Joins POGO." POGO, 1 May 2012.
- ↑ Natural Resources Project On Government Oversight
- ↑ "Aerosols Give Big Business and Public Big Boom: Where is the Protection from the EPA?" The Project On Government Oversight. May 1, 1994.
- ↑ Skrzycki, Cindy. (October 1, 1999) "After Misfire, EPA Aims at Bug Bombs"(PDF). The Washington Post.
- ↑ "Drilling the Taxpayer: Department of Interior's Royalty-In-Kind Program". Project On Government Oversight. September 18, 2008.
- ↑ Carlstrom, Gregg (September 16, 2009). "Salazar buries the royalty-in-kind program". Federal Times.
- ↑ DePillis, Lydia (September 18, 2009). "No More Sex and Drugs in the Interior Department". The New Republic. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
- ↑ Straub, Noelle (May 20, 2010). "Interior Unveils Plan to Split MMS Into 3 Agencies". The New York Times.
- ↑ Nuclear Security & Safety Project On Government Oversight
- ↑ "U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory At High Risk. The Project On Government Oversight. October 16, 2006.
- ↑ Los Alamos National Laboratory Files. The Project On Government Oversight website.
- ↑ Schactman, Noah. (November 8, 2002) "Los Alamos on Hot Seat Again. Wired News.
- ↑ Kilian, Michael. (January 3, 2003) "Los Alamos Loses Director Under Clouds of Scandals"(PDF). Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ Trulock, Notra. (March 5, 2003) "Lab Scandal Undermines Nuclear Credibility. Accuracy in Media.
- ↑ Trounson, Rebecca and Ralph Vartabedian. (January 29, 2005) "A Slew of Safety, Security Weaknesses Found at Los Alamos. Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ Wald, Matthew. (July 5, 2003) "Arms Official Brushes Off a Complaint About Audit". New York Times.
- ↑ Reichbach, Matthew. (February 12, 2009) "69 Computers Missing at LANL". The New Mexico Independent.
- ↑ Vartabedian, Ralph. (March 26, 2009) "Los Alamos' Security Flaws Exposed". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ Webb, Greg. (February 27, 2009). "New Security Lapse at Los Alamos Triggers Angry Response from Energy Department". NTI.
- ↑ Eight Reasons to Scrap CMRR-NF, the Energy Department's Billion-Dollar Nuclear Facility Project On Government Oversight. January 18, 2012.
- ↑ Nuclear Weapons Lab Underestimates Risk of Radiation Leak, Study Finds Project On Government Oversight. July 10, 2012.
- ↑ Public Health Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ Altman, Howard (January 16, 2011). [1] The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ↑ POGO and Allies Ask for Full Release of Crucial Information Regarding Camp Lejeune Project On Government Oversight. January 24, 2012.
- ↑ Closer Than Ever to Justice for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Victims Project On Government Oversight. July 19, 2012.
- ↑ The FDA's Deady Gamble with the Safety of Medical Devices Project On Government Oversight. February 18, 2009.
- ↑ Medical Devices Today: "'Ordered, Intimidated and Coerced?' CDRH Targeted in Misconduct Probe." Medical Devices Today. November 24, 2008.
- ↑ Mundy, Alicia (August 12, 2009). "FDA Medical-Device Regulator Resigns" The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Transportation Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ Watchdog Groups Urge Senators to Oppose Budget Secrecy Project On Government Oversight. November 15, 2007.
- ↑ Whistleblower Issues Project On Government Oversight.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Wilke, John (November 28, 2007). "Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself." The Wall Street Journal
- ↑ Jordan, Lara Jakes (October 21, 2008). "U.S. Special Counsel Bloch to Resign" The Washington Post.
- ↑ Ukman, Jason (November 17, 2011). "Whistleblower Franz Gayl gets his job back" The Washington Post.
- ↑ Davis, Lt. Col. Daniel. "Truth, lies and Afghanistan" Armed Forces Journal.
- ↑ Solidarity Letter in Support of Whistleblower Franz Gayl Project On Government Oversight. November 19, 2010.
- ↑ POGO Calls for Hearings on Afghanistan Allegations from Whistleblower Lt. Col. Daniel Davis Project On Government Oversight. February 17, 2012.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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